Rishi Sunak will now helm the Conservative Party, tasked with restoring faith in British government after a series of scandals and economic missteps spiraled the nation into chaos
A new U.K. prime minister has been selected to replace Liz Truss, who resigned last week amid controversy over a widely criticized tax plan, becoming the nation’s shortest-serving prime minister.
Rishi Sunak, 42, will soon assume the top role, serving as the U.K.’s third premier in an eight-week span — and the first British Asian prime minister in history. Sunak went head-to-head with Truss for the premiership last month, earning 43% of the vote to Truss’ 57%.
Upon Truss’ sudden resignation, the former chancellor of the Exchequer was quickly considered the frontrunner to take her place. His lead was made more certain Sunday when former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had publicly contemplated trying to return to 10 Downing Street, withdrew from the running.
Truss replaced Johnson as prime minister in early September, after he stepped down amid his own scandals.
As prime minister, she was immediately thrust into the international spotlight with the news of Queen Elizabeth’s death — which came just two days after her formal appointment to the position — but her popularity was quickly eclipsed by criticism as a new economic policy caused the value of the British pound to plummet and forced her administration to abandon her failing tax plan.
Fellow lawmakers began publicly calling on Truss to step down, which critics called a sign that she had lost control of her own government. On Thursday, Truss announced that she would be stepping back as prime minister and that Parliament would expedite the process to replace her.
When Truss ran for the British government’s top post this summer, Sunak warned other Members of Parliament that her economic plan was a “fairy tale” and would not pan out well. His criticism was seen as pessimistic at a time when the U.K. wanted a reason to be optimistic, and MPs chose to put their faith in Truss.
Sunak’s predictions about Truss’ tax cuts came true, sending the government into further turmoil. His foresight served as his greatest asset in convincing MPs this week to give him a shot at righting Truss’ wrongs.
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