Rishi Sunak made the short journey to Buckingham Palace to meet King Charles where he was officially anointed as Britain’s new prime minister and the first Asian to rise to the job.
Speaking at the 10 Downing Street lectern soon after meeting the King Sunak, the third British prime minister in two months, said the UK was, “facing a profound economic crisis.” But he added: “I am not daunted.” He said that, “trust is earned and I will earn yours.”
The newly appointed prime minister had a stern, almost grim look on his face throughout his speech which lasted slightly over five minutes. Just a trace of a smile appeared in the last moments when he was facing photographers before turning to enter No 10.
Standing at the podium, he also firmly insisted, “I pledge that I will serve you with integrity and humility, and I will work day-in, day-out, to deliver for the British people.”
Sunak’s appointment has made headlines around the world and the attention has particularly been on the fact that an Asian has risen to the top job in British politics – and also the fact that his enormous wealth has helped to propel him there.
“Sunak’s Ascent Is a Breakthrough for Diversity, With Privilege Attached,” said the New York Times. In a separate story the NYT also asked: “Just how rich is the soon-to-be prime minister of Britain.” In a separate story it added: “Mr Sunak, the Multimillionaire goes to Downing Street.” On a similar note, The Washington Post led with the story of Sunak’s win but also asked: “Richer than the royals: Win puts Rishi Sunak’s wealth in the spotlight.”
The real work will begin almost immediately. The new prime minister will first face the delicate balancing act of picking a cabinet made up not just of his close supporters but also the different factions of the very fractious and divided Conservative Party which he heads.
Afterwards, Sunak will have to begin working his way through his brimming in-tray and take on the really tough job of figuring out how to rescue the British economy and make moves that will reassure the markets and stabilise the currency. Then, he will have to get down to the even tougher task of steadying the economy and correcting the mistakes made by former prime minister Liz Truss during her catastrophic six weeks in office.
As Sunak arrived in Buckingham Palace, the BBC’s commentators emphasised how he had gone from political zero to hero. Just weeks ago, he had been the man defeated by Truss and gone on a vacation to Ibiza to recover from the bruising battle he had just faced.
The Washington Post commented on the obvious significance of Sunak taking over as British prime minister in the 75th year of Indian Independence. “Sunak coming to power in Britain seems more poignant, given the obvious symbolism it carries. For the better part of two centuries, Britain lorded over the Indian subcontinent and siphoned away much of its wealth,” the newspaper said. “The empire’s legacy is complex, wrapped up in histories of indignity, inequity and exploitation, but also cultural affinity and aspiration,” it said.
Mahindra Group chairman Anand Mahindra summed up events in a tweet that said, “In 1947 on the cusp of Indian Independence, Winston Churchill supposedly said “…all Indian leaders will be of low calibre & men of straw.” Today, during the 75th year of our Independence, we’re poised to see a man of Indian origin anointed as PM of the UK. Life is beautiful…”
