He is the third British Prime Minister in two months. The day after his victory in the British Conservative Party, Rishi Sunak meets Tuesday morning King Charles III who will officially appoint him as head of the country, shaken by unprecedented instability and a deep social crisis. It is the first time that Charles III appoints a head of government. The outgoing tenant of Downing Street, Liz Truss, had been received by Elizabeth II on September 6 during an audience at the Scottish castle of Balmoral. The 96-year-old sovereign died two days later.
Liz Truss, who announced her departure last Thursday after just 44 days in office, makes her last speech outside 10 Downing Street on Tuesday, then travels to Buckingham Palace to hand in her resignation to the King. Rishi Sunak will then be received in audience by the sovereign. He will finally go to Downing Street, where he will in turn deliver a speech.
Meteoric rise
Former banker and Minister of Finance, Rishi Sunak becomes, at 42, the youngest head of government in the contemporary history of the United Kingdom, after a meteoric rise in politics. He is also the first British leader of Indian origin and the first from a former British colony.
After his victory within his formation on Monday, he promised “stability and unity”. “Bringing the party and the country together will be my top priority,” he said in a brief address. “The UK is a great country, but there is no doubt that we face a profound economic challenge.”
Economic and social crisis
Rishi Sunak becomes the head of government of a country facing a serious economic and social crisis. Inflation exceeds 10%, the highest in the G7. Energy prices are soaring, as are food prices. The risk of recession hovers. It will also have to calm the markets, shaken by the Truss government’s budget announcements at the end of September, since canceled for the most part in disaster.
Rishi Sunak comes to power in a period of unprecedented instability. He is the fifth British Prime Minister since 2016, when the country chose in a referendum to leave the European Union, and the third in two months.