Rishi Sunak to be appointed Prime Minister by Charles III
Sylvie Claire / October 25, 2022
After his victory in the British Conservative Party, Rishi Sunak is due to meet King Charles III on Tuesday morning, who will officially appoint him as Prime Minister, the third in two months in a country beset by unprecedented instability and a deep social crisis.
This will be the first time Charles III has appointed a head of government. The current occupant of Downing Street, Liz Truss, was received by Elizabeth II on September 6 during an audience at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. The 96-year-old sovereign died two days later.
Liz Truss, who resigned on Thursday after only 44 days in power, will make her last speech in front of 10 Downing Street at around 10:10 am and then go to Buckingham Palace to hand in her resignation to the king. Rishi Sunak will then be received in audience by the king. He will finally go to Downing Street, where he will make a speech at around 11:35.
Rishi Sunak, a former banker and finance minister, will become the youngest head of government in modern U.K. history at age 42 after a meteoric rise in politics. He is also the first of Indian origin and the first from a former British colony.
After his victory in his party 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.
Rishi Sunak comes to power at a time of unprecedented instability: he is the fifth British Prime Minister since 2016, when the country chose in a referendum to leave the European Union. He is the third head of government in two months.
He has taken the helm of an extremely divided Conservative party, after 12 years in power. On Monday, he told MPs that they must "unite or die", while the labour opposition is at the top of the polls with two years to go before the general election.
Rishi Sunak ruled out early elections, which Labour has called for. But according to an Ipsos poll published on Monday, 62% of voters want an election before the end of 2022.
According to a YouGov poll, only 38% of Britons are satisfied that Rishi Sunak will become their Prime Minister.