It was only last month that Rishi Sunak lost the Conservative leadership race to Liz Truss. But after her resignation on 20 October and historically short time in office, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer has once again secured the backing to become Prime Minister and is set to meet with King Charles tomorrow.
With over 150 endorsements from his fellow Conservative MPs, Rishi beat Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt to become leader of the UK. Known for his crucial role in attempting to manage the economy during the coronavirus crisis, many are hoping he’ll help the country recover from cost-of living chaos. And since he became frontrunner for leadership, the pound has already gained on the dollar after the catastrophic mini budget crash.
Here's everything else you need to know about the UK's next Prime Minister…
Rishi Sunak First Speech
In his first speech as UK Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak laid out his plans for his (hopefully longer-lived) premiership but first, he said, wanted to explain how the country had come to face its most turbulent period of political upheaval in recent months.
'Right now our country is facing a profound economic crisis,' he said. 'The aftermath of Covid still lingers. Putin’s war in Ukraine has destabilised energy markets and supply chains the world over.
'I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Liz Truss. She was not wrong to want to improve growth in this country. It is a noble aim. And I admired her restlessness to create change. But some mistakes were made. Not borne of ill will or bad intentions. Quite the opposite, in fact. But mistakes nonetheless. And I have been elected as leader of my party, and your Prime Minister, in part, to fix them. And that work begins immediately.'
He went on to 'promise' that he would 'unite our country, not with words, but with action.
'I will work day in and day out to deliver for you. This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. Trust is earned. And I will earn yours.'
At the heart of that promise, he said, is the Tory manifesto.
'I will deliver on its promise. A stronger NHS. Better schools. Safer streets. Control of our borders. Protecting our environment. Supporting our armed forces. Levelling up and building an economy that embraces the opportunities of Brexit, where businesses invest, innovate, and create jobs,' he said.
Is he the youngest Prime Minister the UK has ever had?
Google search questions would suggest so, with 'youngest prime minister UK' trending soon after Sunak was announced as PM. At 42-years-old, Rishi Sunak is one of the youngest prime ministers the UK has ever seen, however he is not the all-time youngest - William Pitt the Younger became prime minister at 24 in 1783. Previously, David Cameron and Tony Blair held records for youngest PMs in recent history – who both took power at 43-years-old. And, surprisingly, only two other leaders since 1900 have moved into Number 10 below the age of 50 – John Major at 47 in 1990 and Harold Wilson at 48 in 1964.
Rishi is the first non-white Prime Minister the UK has ever had
Since the start of his leadership race, Rishi Sunak has faced racism and scepticism from Tory party members. ‘Rishi is not going to win it. Rishi’s not even British in most people’s opinion,’ one party member claimed on LBC, much to the internet’s disgust. ‘He doesn’t love England,’ they claimed. But now Rishi has become the UK’s next Prime Minister—and made long-awaited history as our first non-white leader.
He's the first Hindu Prime Minister the UK has ever had
Rishi Sunak is the first Hindu leader the UK has ever had. The former finance minister has historically celebrated Diwali and was seen lighting candles on Downing Street during the Festival Of Light.
‘@RishiSunak becoming the British PM will be a great Diwali gift for UK, & a reason for celebration in India.’ former Indian diplomat Rajiv Dogra wrote on Twitter.
Rishi has two daughters– who go to school with the Beckhams
Rishi Sunak has two daughters, Krishna Sunak and Anoushka Sunak, with his millionaire wife Akshata Murthy. The couple send Krishna and Anoushka to a private all-girls primary school where Victoria and David Beckham’s daughter Harper is also a pupil.
The school has annual fees of £22,350, meaning the Sunaks spend over £44,000 for their girls to both attend. According to the school’s website, ‘British values’ are instilled at the school, which promote ‘tolerance’ and ‘celebrating diversity’.
He lives in London and was born in the UK
Despite common misconception and (let’s be honest) racism, Rishi Sunak lives in London and was born in the UK. He splits his time between his Kensington mews Mansion, a Georgian mansion in Yorkshire and his holiday home in Santa Monica. But obviously, if he becomes PM, he’ll be relocating to No 10 Downing Street.
Where did Rishi Sunak grow up?
Before gaining notoriety, Rishi Sunak was born on May 12, 1980, in Southampton General Hospital to his parents Yashvir and Usha who are Indian and migrated to Britain from East Africa in the 60s. He is the eldest of three siblings and was educated at the boarding school Winchester College, which currently has fees of £45,936 per year if students are living in dorms.
Rishi’s plan for the UK could see more energy bill help for households
If Rishiupholds the promises he pledged during the leadership race in August, his time in power will see plans to slash energy bills for up to 16 million vulnerable people, totalling up to £10billion, through raising funds from charging companies windfall tax.
Sunak previously said that if he became Prime Minister he would extend the scheme he launched in May to provide households with £400 off their energy bills, rising to £1,200 for those on benefits and pensioners.
‘To parents and pensioners losing sleep about looming bills, I want to reassure them that I get it, I am on top of it and I have a plan to grip it,’ he said.
This is how Rishi Sunak voted on other key issues:
Abortion: Rishi voted to decriminalise abortion in Northern Ireland but sat out of votes on criminalising harassment of women at abortion clinics and making at-home abortions permanently available in England.
Assisted dying: Rishi Sunak abstained from the 2015 vote on the Assisted Dying Bill.
Climate change: Rishi Sunak generally voted against measures to prevent climate change (see his full voting record on environmental issues here)
Education: In 2016, Rishi Sunak voted not to not to take the opportunity to oppose further increases in university tuition fees.
Scotland: When last campaigning for leadership, Rishi ruled out a second independence vote.
Income tax: Rishi Sunak has almost always been in favour of minimising income tax and pledged to a 20% cut by the end of the decade during his last leadership race against Liz Truss.
You can find his full voting record here.
Did Rishi get fined for Partygate?
During his time as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Boris Johnson's Tory government, both Rishi and the PM were fined fixed penalty notices, reportedly at £50, by the Metropolitan police for attending a birthday party for the latter in June 2021.
But despite calls at the time for them both to resign, momentum from their party waned and public sentiment moved on, and it wasn't until July of this year that Boris Johnson's government finally collapsed over a seemingly unrelated scandal.
Is Rishi Sunak on Twitter?
Yes, on Twitter he is @RishiSunak and has over 697.2k followers.