British lawmaker Rishi Sunak will succeed Liz Truss as the nation’s prime minister after his last rival dropped out of the Conservative Party contest early Monday morning.
Sunak, who formerly served as finance minister under Boris Johnson, will be the country’s first nonwhite prime minister, as his parents are of Punjabi Indian descent. His succession as leader of the Conservative Party comes after years of political chaos within the faction, including the failure of an economic growth and tax cut plan from Truss that led to her resignation after a mere six weeks in power.
“The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis,” Sunak said in a statement yesterday. “I have the track record of delivery, a clear plan to fix the biggest problems we face and I will deliver on the promise of the 2019 manifesto. There will be integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead and I will work day in and day out to get the job done.”
News of Sunak’s attainment of the premiership occurred after Penny Mordaunt, a fellow Conservative Party lawmaker, announced that her colleagues had made a decision to back Sunak “in good faith for the good of the country.”
This is a breaking story; check back soon for more updates.
