October 25, 2022: The First Prime Minister of Indian Origin
A Tweet from @RoyalFamily: The King received The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP at Buckingham Palace today. His Majesty asked him to form a new Administration. Mr. Sunak accepted His Majesty’s offer and was appointed Prime Minister and First Lord of the Treasury.
When on Monday, 24th October 2022, Penny Mordaunt failed to secure the support of 100 fellow MPs and voiced her full support for Rishi Sunak, Graham Brady, senior Tory backbencher said,” Rishi Sunak is, therefore, elected as Leader of the Conservative Party.” On the next day, he was appointed as the Prime minister.
On Tuesday, after his return from Buckingham Palace, in his first address as the Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak promised to work to earn the trust of the British during the difficult times. The British economy is facing a tough situation with high inflation and demands from government employees and health workers for higher salaries. The growth rate during Covid years became negative. Gas and petrol prices have become high and the public demand is for an immediate reduction. Ukraine war has brought out the need for a higher expense on defense forces. The government treasury is facing demands, which are difficult to satisfy. Rishi Sunak is to face the next election within two years and the Party expects him to win the elections, when today’s polls show that the party will be decimated if the elections were to be held today.
Background: Sunak, who was Treasury chief from 2020 until this summer, steered Britain’s slumping economy through the coronavirus pandemic. He quit in July in protest at Johnson’s leadership.
In the summer contest to replace Johnson, Sunak called promises by Truss and other rivals to immediately slash taxes reckless “fairy tales” and argued that soaring inflation must be controlled first.
Tory voters backed Truss over Sunak, but he was proved right when Truss’ unfunded tax-cutting package triggered chaos in the markets in September. Now the task of stabilizing Britain’s wobbling economy has fallen on his shoulders.
He has moved fast to re-appoint Jeremy Hunt as the Finance Minister, James Cleverly as the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs and Ben Wallace as the defense secretary. Dominic Raab has been appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary. Suella Braverman has been appointed as the Home Secretary. She had resigned a few days back from the Truss cabinet because she had broken the ministerial code for the security of e-mails of ministers. The perception is that she was against easing movement of businessmen under the proposed FTA with India. Suella is also a person of Indian origin.
Nadhim Zahawi has been retained in the cabinetas the Minister without portfolio. Simon Hart is the new Chief Whip. Olicver Dowden has been appointed as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.
Jeremy Hunt tweeted: It is going to be tough. But protecting the vulnerable – and people’s jobs, mortgages and bills – will be at the front of our minds as we work to restore stability, confidence and long-term growth.