Rishi Sunak Chosen To Become UK’s Next Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak will be Britain’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative Party’s leadership contest on Monday. He will be the first person of color to hold the office. From the Washington Post:

Sunak, a 42-year-old former finance minister who led the revolt against Boris Johnson and was runner-up to Liz Truss in September, will succeed them both, becoming Britain’s third leader in less than two months, tasked with improving the country’s economic trajectory and public trust in the Conservative Party.

In his first public remarks, Sunak thanked Truss for having “led with dignity and grace through a time of great change and under exceptionally difficult circumstances both at home and abroad.” He said Britain faces “a profound economic challenge” and that he would “make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together.”

At 42, he is the youngest person to hold the office of UK Prime Minister in 200 years. Sunak is also one of the wealthiest people in Britain. Read the full report here. Leo Varadkar, who previously served as the leader of Ireland from 2017 to 2020, is due to return to the position, announced his congratulations on Twitter. Varadkar, who is openly gay, is also of Indian heritage like Sunak.

Congratulations @RishiSunak on becoming Conservative Party Leader and PM. You have worked hard to achieve this. These are challenging times of war, inflation, global uncertainty. I look forward to the UK working with Ireland and the EU as friends and allies in the years ahead

— Leo Varadkar (@LeoVaradkar) October 24, 2022

Rishi Sunak pledged to bring the Conservative Party and Britain together and to serve “with integrity and humility” in his first public remarks since winning the race to become the country’s next prime minister. https://t.co/Xn0gbepbVf pic.twitter.com/5rpC1FGaju

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 24, 2022