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Rishi Sunak to be Britain’s next prime minister, the third in a matter of months

  • His predecessor Liz Truss was forced to resign on Thursday after six weeks in office
  • Sunak lost a leadership contest earlier this summer to succeed Boris Johnson as prime minister

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New leader of Britain’s Conservative Party Rishi Sunak waves outside the party’s headquarters in London on Monday. Photo: Reuters
Chad Brayin London
Rishi Sunak, Britain’s former Chancellor of the Exchequer, has been chosen to succeed Liz Truss as the country’s third prime minister in a matter of months, as the nation struggles with an economic crisis that was amplified by the policies of his predecessor.
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Sunak was named as the new leader of the Conservative Party on Monday after former Prime Minister Boris Johnson dropped out of the leadership race on Sunday and Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons and former international trade minister, ended her campaign moments before nominations for leadership candidates were set to be announced publicly.

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Rishi Sunak set to be UK’s next prime minister

Rishi Sunak set to be UK’s next prime minister

“It is the greatest privilege of my life to be able to serve the party I love and give back to the country I owe so much to,” Sunak said in a brief speech on Monday afternoon. “The United Kingdom is a great country, but there is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge. We now need stability and unity.”

“I will now make it my upmost priority to bring our party and our country together because that is the only way we will overcome the challenges we face and build a better, more prosperous future for our children and our grandchildren,” he said. “I will work day in, day out to deliver for the British people.”

Sunak will officially become prime minister after he meets with King Charles, the head of state, and is asked to form a government. That is likely to happen on Tuesday.

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His rise to 10 Downing Street follows a chaotic period in British politics that saw Truss, who defeated him in a leadership contest this summer, forced to resign after only six weeks in power.
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