Rishi Sunak on path to become Britain's first PM of color after appointment as U.K. Conservative Party leader


Rishi Sunak, 42, was declared the new leader of Britain's Conservative Party on Monday, putting him on course to become the next prime minister of the U.K.
This comes after his rivals, former Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt, withdrew from consideration. Sunak will be the first person of color to ever hold the position of prime minister in the country, and will be the third leader in seven weeks, The New York Times reports. Sunak will be coming into the position with the country facing high levels of inflation and economic uncertainty.
The sudden appointment comes after prime minister Liz Truss resigned from her position after just 45 days due to the failure of her fiscal plans, which put Britain's economy in turmoil. Her policies caused the value of the pound to plummet, causing major economic damage, CNN reports. Sunak predicted her plan's failure during their summer leadership contest, reports the Los Angeles Times.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
After the failure of both Johnson and Truss, there has been debate within the country as to whether the Conservative Party should be appointing a third leader, with many in the opposition pushing for a general election. The Conservative Party is losing to the Labour Party in record numbers amid the chaos, Bloomberg reports.
Sunak's leadership is noteworthy for British Asians — as Sunder Katwala, director of the think tank British Future, put it: "This simply would not have been possible even a decade or two ago."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Devika Rao has worked as a staff writer at The Week since 2022, covering science, the environment, climate and business. She previously worked as a policy associate for a nonprofit organization advocating for environmental action from a business perspective.
-
September 14 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Sunday’s political cartoons include RFK Jr on the hook, the destruction of discourse, and more
-
Air strikes in the Caribbean: Trump’s murky narco-war
Talking Point Drug cartels ‘don’t follow Marquess of Queensberry Rules’, but US military air strikes on speedboats rely on strained interpretation of ‘invasion’
-
Crossword: September 14, 2025
The Week's daily crossword puzzle
-
Poland downs Russian drones in NATO airspace
Speed Read Polish airspace was “violated by a huge number of Russian drones,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government building
Speed Read This was Moscow's largest aerial assault since launching its full-scale invasion in 2022
-
China's Xi hosts Modi, Putin, Kim in challenge to US
Speed Read Chinese President Xi Jinping hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Russian President Vladimir Putin and other Asian leaders at an SCO summit
-
Russian strike on Kyiv kills 23, hits EU offices
Speed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping mission
Speed Read The Trump administration considers the UN's Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) to be a 'waste of money'
-
Israeli double strike on Gaza hospital kills 20
Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American cities
Under the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peace
Speed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump