Rishi Sunak creates history, will be UK’s first Indian-origin prime minister

File image of Rishi Sunak. @RishiSunak

New Delhi: Rishi Sunak on Monday created history after the ruling Conservative Party picked him as the UK’s next prime minister. He will become the country’s first Indian-origin PM as well as the first Hindu premier.

He will also be the country’s youngest PM in nearly 200 years. The 42-year-old former UK finance minister was comfortably in the lead, having secured the public backing of over half the 357 Tory MPs which was way above the 100 minimum required to make the shortlist.

Sunak had a clear path to victory after his competitors Penny Mordaunt and Boris Johnson withdrew from the Conservative Party leadership race.

Mordaunt, the last rival left after ex-PM Johnson dramatically pulled out on Sunday, failed to secure the necessary 100 nominations from her fellow MPs.

“Rishi Sunak is therefore elected as leader of the Conservative party,” senior backbencher Graham Brady said, as Mordaunt pledged her “full support” for Sunak.

42-year-old Sunak who won the leadership contest on the day of Diwali will succeed Liz Truss who has become the country’s shortest-serving prime minister.

Sunak who had lost the Conservative Party leadership race to Truss last month got another shot at scripting history as Truss battled criticism over her economic policies. Truss resigned last week after her budget of tax cuts funded by debt sent shockwaves through markets, crashing the pound.

Sunak has vowed to fix the British economy.

A practicing Hindu, Sunak took his oath as an MP at the House of Commons on the Bhagavad Gita. He is married to Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. He will officially take over as the PM after being appointed by King Charles III.

Meanwhile, Truss congratulated Sunak on his victory.

Challenges ahead

Apart from fixing the economy, Sunak now faces the challenge of uniting a demoralized and divided Conservative Party that trails far behind the opposition in opinion polls. The UK will hold general elections in 2024.

With inputs from agencies

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