Four days after Liz Truss resigned as Britain’s prime minister, King Charles III on Tuesday appointed Rishi Sunak as the new official who will be taking on the role at Buckingham Palace.
The king appointed Rishi Sunak as leader of the U.K. Parliament this Tuesday, after Sunak’s success in the contest to lead the Conservative Party.
Thus, Rishi Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister this year and the first person of colour to lead the former imperial power, vowing to mend its stricken finances after Liz Truss lasted just 49 days.
Sunak spoke outside 10 Downing Street after his appointment by King Charles III, capping the latest extraordinary twist in UK politics following Boris Johnson’s resignation in July.
Departing Downing Street a little before, Truss wished Sunak “every success” and said she remained “more convinced than ever” that Britain needed to be “bold” in confronting the challenges it faced.
It was the first time Charles, 73, formally asked a new prime minister to accept the position.
“The King received in Audience The Right Honourable Rishi Sunak MP today and requested him to form a new Administration. Mr. Sunak accepted His Majesty’s offer and kissed hands upon his appointment as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement after the meeting.
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When Charles became king following his mother, Queen Elizabeth II’s death on September 8, Liz Struss was just beginning her role as prime minister, but 45 days later, after losing the confidence of the majority Conservative Party, she resigned.
Charles has therefore already seen two prime ministers under his reign in just a few weeks. Queen Elizabeth famously saw 15 — from Winston Churchill to Truss — in her more than 70 years on the throne.
Truss also became the first U.K. prime minister since Winston Churchill to serve under two different monarchs, as she was appointed just two days before the queen’s death.
Before meeting with Sunak Tuesday, the king held an audience with Struss and accepted her resignation. The Palace said she “tendered her resignation as Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury, which His Majesty was graciously please to accept.”
Sunak became the ruling Conservatives’ new leader on Monday after triumphing over rival contender Penny Mordaunt, who failed to secure enough nominations from Tory MPs.
It became a two-way fight after Johnson dramatically aborted a comeback attempt late Sunday, failing to persuade Sunak to share power. He has maintained a deafening silence since.
Sunak, a Hindu, is the first British-Indian prime minister and, at 42, the youngest leader in more than two centuries.
US President Joe Biden called the choice “groundbreaking” and vowed to reach out to Sunak shortly.
- Yahoo News