SUNAK WILL BE FIRST PERSON OF COLOUR TO LEAD BRITAIN

Mon 24 October 2022:

Sunak has been declared the new leader of the Conservative Party by the head of the 1922 Committee of Conservative legislators, placing him on course to be the UK’s next prime minister.

Graham Brady, the 1922 committee’s chairman, said Sunak would address Conservative MPs at 2:30pm (13:30 GMT) following his leadership race win.

The 1922 committee sets the rules for selecting and changing the party’s leader.

Rishi Sunak’s victory is seen by some as a victory for diversity and representation in British politics, which is overwhelmingly dominated by older white men.

He will be the UK’s first person of colour, first of Asian heritage and first Hindu to lead the country.

He was born in Southampton, an English port city, to Indian parents who had immigrated in the 1960s.

He will also be the youngest for more than 200 years at the age of 42.

Sunak pledges to ‘deliver for the British people’ as PM

In his first public remarks since winning the Conservative Party leadership race, Sunak has promised to serve as prime minister “with integrity and humility” while warning the country faces “a profound economic challenge”.

“I will work day in, day out to deliver for the British people,” he said in a brief statement delivered to fellow Tory MPs at the Conservative Party’s headquarters in London.

“We now need stability and unity, and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together,” he added.

Sunak also paid tribute to outgoing British leader Liz Truss for her “dignified” leadership “under difficult circumstances abroad and at home”.

India’s Prime Minister Modi congratulates Sunak

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi has congratulated Sunak on his victory in the Conservative Party leadership race, saying he is keen on working “closely together”.

“Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030,” Modi wrote on Twitter.

“Special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership.”

Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 24, 2022

Liz Truss to Sunak: ‘You have my full support’

Outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss says Rishi Sunak has her full support.

“Congratulations @RishiSunak on being appointed as Leader of the Conservative Party and our next Prime Minister,” Truss said on Twitter. “You have my full support.”

Truss, who replaced Boris Johnson, lasted 44 days in the job.

Congratulations @RishiSunak on being appointed as Leader of the Conservative Party and our next Prime Minister.

You have my full support.

— Liz Truss (@trussliz) October 24, 2022

Labour MP says Sunak has ‘no mandate, no answers and no ideas’

Opposition Labour Party MP Angela Rayner has questioned Sunak’s appointment as the Conservative Party’s new leader, saying he has “no mandate, no answers and no ideas”, and called for the public to have their say at a general election.

“The Tories have crowned Rishi Sunak without him saying a word about what he would do as PM,” Rayner, Labour’s deputy leader, tweeted.

“He has no mandate, no answers and no ideas. Nobody voted for this. The public deserve their say on Britain’s future through a General Election. It’s time for a fresh start with Labour.”

The Tories have crowned Rishi Sunak without him saying a word about what he would do as PM. He has no mandate, no answers and no ideas. Nobody voted for this.

The public deserve their say on Britain’s future through a General Election. It’s time for a fresh start with Labour.

— Angela Rayner 🌹 (@AngelaRayner) October 24, 2022

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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