Rishi Sunak, 42, officially became prime minister of the U.K. on Tuesday after meeting with King Charles III at Buckingham Palace. He is the third prime minister in less than two months, the first person of color in the position, and the youngest British leader since 1812, CBS News reports.
The 57th prime minister came in promising to fix the mistakes of his predecessor, Liz Truss. In his first speech, he vowed to "place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda." The failed policies of Truss left Britain's economy in turmoil and plummeted the value of the pound, which forced her to resign just 45 days after taking office. Sunak was always critical of Truss's tax-cut plan, CBS News continues.
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.
Despite the turbulent state of Britain's politics, many world leaders as well as members of the opposition congratulated Sunak, including President Biden, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and opposition Labour Party leader Keir Starmer.
"So I stand here before you ready to lead our country into the future," Sunak said. "Together we can achieve incredible things."
-
NASA reveals ‘clearest sign of life’ on Mars yetSpeed Read The evidence came in the form of a rock sample collected on the planet
-
Former top FBI agents sue, claiming Trump purgeSpeed Read The agents alleged they were targeted by a “campaign of retribution”
-
Conservative influencer Charlie Kirk shot dead at 31Speed Read Kirk was holding a debate session at Utah Valley University
-
Poland downs Russian drones in NATO airspaceSpeed Read Polish airspace was “violated by a huge number of Russian drones,” Prime Minister Donald Tusk said
-
Russia slams Kyiv, hits government buildingSpeed 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 USSpeed 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 officesSpeed Read The strike was the second-largest since Russia invaded in 2022
-
UN votes to end Lebanon peacekeeping missionSpeed 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 20Speed Read The dead include five journalists who worked for The Associated Press, Reuters and Al Jazeera
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
-
Kyiv marks independence as Russia downplays peaceSpeed Read President Vladimir Putin has no plans to meet with Zelenskyy for peace talks pushed by President Donald Trump
