 | |
| Premiership of Rishi Sunak 25 October 2022 – present | |
| Monarch | Charles III |
|---|---|
| Cabinet | Sunak ministry |
| Party | Conservative Party |
| Seat | 10 Downing Street |
_(Tudor_Crown).svg) Coat of Arms of HM Government | |
Rishi Sunak's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 25 October 2022 when he accepted an invitation from King Charles III to form a government, succeeding Liz Truss. He is the first British Indian and the first Hindu to hold the office.[1] As prime minister, Sunak is also serving as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union. His premiership has been dominated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Israel-Hamas war, the cost of living crisis and the Rwanda asylum plan.
Having previously served in government as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Boris Johnson, Sunak was defeated by Truss in the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and spent the duration of Truss's premiership as a backbencher. Following Truss's resignation amid a government crisis, Sunak was elected unopposed to succeed her after being the sole nominee in the October 2022 party leadership election. He was elected Leader of the Conservative Party on 24 October and was appointed prime minister the following day. Sunak went on to further reverse many of the economic measures she had made as prime minister but retained Hunt as chancellor.
As prime minister, Sunak has reshuffled his Cabinet twice, the latter of which resulted in the return of the former prime minister David Cameron to frontline politics as foreign secretary. Sunak and Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt have continued the levelling up policy introduced during the premiership of Boris Johnson. In January 2023, Sunak outlined five key priorities; halving inflation, growing the economy, cutting debt, reducing NHS waiting lists, and stopping the boats, and expected voters to hold his government and himself to account on delivering those goals. In February 2023, Sunak negotiated a proposed agreement with the European Union (EU) on Northern Ireland's trading arrangements which was published as the "Windsor Framework". Sunak has made the Rwanda asylum plan a key policy of his government.
On foreign policy, Sunak has authorised foreign aid and weapons shipments to Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion of the country, promising £2.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine in 2024. In the aftermath of the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, Sunak pledged the UK's support for Israel and declared that Israel "has an absolute right to defend itself" and has backed calls for humanitarian pauses however, Sunak later condemned the high number of civilian casualties during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza and called for a "sustainable ceasefire".
Under Sunak's leadership, the Conservatives performed poorly at the 2022 and 2023 local elections, where Labour and the Liberal Democrats made gains from Conservatives, often by very wide margins. The parties made further gains in the 2024 local elections. On 22 May 2024, Sunak announced a general election on 4 July 2024, after which a new ministry will be formed. His government will operate in a caretaker capacity until after the election. Sunak has led his party in the 2024 general election, with discussion around the campaign being focused on the prospect of a change in government. Sunak later announced his intention to continue in parliament as an MP for the next five years if the Conservatives lose the election.[2]
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Chancellor of the Exchequer
Electoral history
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
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- ^ "Rishi Sunak: A quick guide to the UK's new prime minister". BBC News. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
- ^ Courea, Eleni (14 June 2024). "Rishi Sunak pledges to serve as MP for full term if Tory party loses election". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 June 2024.
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