Rishi Sunak's new team has old faces as he aims to restore trust, many leave | In points

By | Edited by Sohini Goswami
Oct 26, 2022 12:15 AM IST

Rishi Sunak, who became the youngest Prime Minister in modern history, is now in the process of appointing ministers for his cabinet – a critical step that will decide the fate of his government's future.

Rishi Sunak on Tuesday took over as Britain's new Prime Minister, becoming the first person of colour – as an Indian-origin leader – to head the country. Sunak, who was appointed as the Conservative Party chairman a day ago, was anointed by King Charles III at Buckingham Palace earlier in the day, following which he addressed the nation from the official residence, 10 Downing Street.

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (AP Photo)
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (AP Photo)

Sunak, who became the youngest Prime Minister in modern history, is now in the process of appointing ministers for his cabinet – a critical step that will decide the fate of his government's future.

Here are the top 10 developments of the day:

  • Sunak is the richest person ever to stay at 10, Downing Street – a UK PM's official residence in London. According to a report in The Guardian, he will be richer than even the current monarch in Buckingham Palace.
  • Much of his fortune comes through his wife Akshata Murty, reports said, whose father – Narayan Murthy – is the billionaire founder of Indian IT giant Infosys. The couple is worth 730 million pounds ($826 million), according to the Sunday Times Rich List.
  • Sunak is the first leader of colour to rise to the post. He is the first Asian and the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the UK.
  • Several leaders have been given responsibilities in Rishi Sunak's cabinet, while others are yet to receive their specific roles. Jeremy Hunt has been retained as the finance minister, Ben Wallace as defence secretary, and James Cleverly as foreign secretary.
  • Dominic Raab and Suella Braverman – who were part of Boris Johnson's cabinet – have been appointed as deputy PM and home secretary, respectively.
  • At the same time, Sunak removed nearly a dozen members of Truss’ 44-days-old cabinet. (Also Read: 'Brighter days lie ahead': Liz Truss wishes Rishi Sunak every success as UK PM)
  • Leaders around the world congratulated Sunak on his premiership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter on Monday to express his greetings and hoped to transform the "historic ties" between India and UK into a “modern partnership”.
  • US President Joe Biden also lauded Sunak as a “ground-breaking milestone” and expressed hope for closer bilateral ties. However, Biden became the talk of the town when he mispronounced the UK PM's name as ‘Rashi Sanook’ instead of Rishi Sunak. The 79-year-old US President still went on with his address in a jolly mood.
  • In his address, Sunak aimed to build a top ministerial team that can tackle what he called the “profound economic crisis” facing the UK. He said he would restore trust and integrity in government, a subtle jab at Johnson, who resigned as prime minister in disgrace earlier this year.
  • “I understand too that I have work to do to restore trust after all that has happened,” Sunak said in his first address. The newest UK Prime Minister bears the burden of retaining his seat that has seen two leaders exit in the past three months.

(With inputs from agencies)

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