Rishi Sunak has been named United Kingdom’s (UK)’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest.
He will become the UK’s first British -Asian prime minister and at 42, the youngest in more than a century after Lord Liverpool came to office in 1812.
President Muhammadu Buhari welcomed the in-coming PM ,saying Nigeria would join him in the fight against the various crises facing the world
Immediately after his selection by Tory Members of Parliament (MPs), he ruled out an early general election and told his party members that they had to “unite or die”.
Sunak, who will become UK’s 57th prime minister and Liz Truss’ successor, is billed to meet King Charles today before assuming duties as PM.
Truss quit as PM barely 45 days after she assumed leadership when her package of tax cuts spooked financial markets, hammered the value of the pound, and obliterated her authority.
Sunak, an ex-chancellor, who oversaw the UK’s finances during the COVID-19 pandemic, was the only contender to gain enough support from MPs.
His rival, Penny Mordaunt, dropped out of the race in the final minutes before nominations closed.
The former UK Treasury chief was runner-up to Truss in the contest to replace the scandal-plagued Boris Johnson as Conservative Party leader and prime minister. But Truss quit and Johnson abandoned a comeback attempt. That left Sunak out front, and he won the race yesterday to be the leader of the Conservative Party.
Victory in the Conservative leadership contest is vindication for Sunak, who warned in the last campaign that Truss’ tax-cutting economic plans were reckless and would cause havoc. And so they did.
To win, Sunak had to overcome allegations by opponents that he was a turncoat for quitting Johnson’s government as it foundered amid ethics scandals.
The near-simultaneous resignations of Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid on July 5 set off a chain reaction. Within 48 hours, some 50 members of the government had quit, and Johnson was forced to step down too.
Sunak painted it as a matter of principle, saying he wanted to repair the “breakdown of trust” in politics. He also accused Truss of offering “fairy tales” by promising immediate tax cuts when he felt curbing soaring inflation was a bigger priority.
Birth and education
Sunak was born in 1980 in Southampton on England’s south coast to parents of Indian descent who were both born in East Africa. He grew up in a middle-class family, his father a family doctor and his mother a pharmacist. He said he inherited his parents’ hard-working ethos.
”I grew up working in the shop, delivering medicines,” he said during the campaign. “I worked as a waiter at the Indian restaurant down the street.”
He has described how his parents saved to send him to Winchester College, one of Britain’s most expensive and exclusive boarding schools.
There he mingled with the elite. Rivals recently dug up a clip from a 2001 television documentary about the class system in which the 21-year-old Sunak said he had “friends who are aristocrats, I have friends who are upper class, I have friends who are, you know, working-class — well, not working class.”
After high school, Sunak studied politics, philosophy, and economics at Oxford University — the degree of choice for future prime ministers — then got an MBA at Stanford University.
Labour party, others seek election
Labour said Sunak will become another Tory PM chosen without a mandate from voters. The party repeated calls for a general election, echoed by the Scottish National Party, the Liberal Democrats, and the Green Party.
Speaking after Sunak’s victory, a Labour source said: “You’re not allowed to vote for him and you’re not allowed to see his first speech”.
The party also had this to say: “This is the same Rishi Sunak who as chancellor failed to grow the economy, failed to get a grip on inflation, and failed to help families with the Tory cost-of-living crisis.
“It is the same Rishi Sunak whose family avoided paying tax in this country before he put up taxes on everyone else.
“With his record – and after Liz Truss comprehensively beat him over the summer – it’s no wonder he is dodging scrutiny.
“Sunak has no mandate and no idea what working people need.
“We need a general election so the public gets a say on the future of Britain – and the chance for a fresh start with Labour.”
The Green Party, which urged Sunak to call a general election, said: “The country cannot afford more divisive infighting amongst a few elitist Conservatives whose policies are failing people struggling with the cost-of-living crisis,” Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said.
“Even Conservative Party MPs and members have been excluded from the vote this time.
“People need to be democratically involved in finding solutions. This must include a general election, and the opportunity to elect more Greens committed to a more equal society and solving the environmental crisis.”
But, Sunak ruled out calling an early general election.
*Buhari congratulates new PM
President Buhari who welcomed the new PM promised Nigeria’s commitment to fighting global terrorism, and other crises with the UK.
In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the President said “on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the largest of 21 countries of Africa that are members of the Commonwealth, I welcome incoming British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to office.”.
“On this important day, we should also remember the enduring partnership and unbreakable friendship between our countries, United Kingdom and Nigeria.
“We stand together in this troubled world against terrorism. We are determined to address the world food crisis that is driving up the cost of living for people and families across the globe. We are steadfast in our commitment to make our countries and our allies more energy secure.,” he added.