There is great excitement in India as Rishi Sunak emerged British Prime Minister.
Sunak will become the first British-Asian prime minister, and the first Indian Hindu to hold the office, which he will officially take over today after meeting King Charles III.
Sunak emerged the UK’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest. He succeeds Liz Truss, who resigned amid the growing economic woes in the UK after just 45 days in Office.
At 42, Sunak will be the youngest British leader in more than two centuries and it was symbolic that his confirmation to the top job came on the evening of one of the most important days in the Hindu calendar, the festival of Diwali – a national holiday in India.
The timing wasn’t lost on some of the news channels which had broken into rolling coverage in India.
“This comes auspiciously on Diwali,” said one news anchor.
“Rishi Sunak has given the entire nation a Diwali gift,” proclaimed another.
Sunak’s parents came to the UK from east Africa; his grandparents were from Punjab. His father-in law, Narayana Murthy, is the founder of Infosys and is one of India’s best-known businessmen.
This morning, as speculation mounted over his likely victory in the Conservative leadership race, he shared the front page of one newspaper with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and cricket superstar Virat Kolhi – two of the biggest names in this country.
Now, it is expected that India’s fascination with Sunak will grow.
“This is a matter of great pride,” was how one journalist described events.
Some 75 years since India gained independence from British rule, Rishi Sunak’s rise to the top is being seen as a landmark moment for this nation.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has sent his “warmest congratulations” to Rishi Sunak following the news of his victory in the Tory leadership contest.
Modi said he looks forward to working closely with the new UK prime minister to tackle global issues and implementing what he calls “Roadmap 2030” – an agreement struck last year between the UK and India to increase trade and ease migration of young adults between the two countries.
Reflecting on Sunak becoming the first British-Asian prime minister, Modi writes: “Special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership.”
Sunak To Confront Profound Economic Challenges
But despite the excitement, the new Prime Minister will be confronted by a host of economic issues, which he acknowledged and warned, in a statement, that the country faces “profound economic challenges”.
The UK has plunged into an unprecedented crisis with inflation hitting over 10% and the Pounds Sterling plummeting against the Dollar, sending massive hardship across the country.
It was announced last week that inflation in the UK – the rate at which prices are increasing – had surged to 10.1%, a 40-year high.
The rising cost of basic household goods – like fish, fruit and rice – leaves many understandably concerned going into a winter already fraught with anxiety over increasing energy bills.
Adding to these pressures is the government’s decision to end help with energy bills – which limits the average household energy bill to £2,500 a year – in April 2023, not in two years’ time.
Immediately after being selected by Tory MPs, he ruled out an early general election and warned his party they had to “unite or die”
The ex-chancellor, who oversaw the nation’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.
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.
Profile Of Incoming UK PM And Task Ahead
Rishi Sunak was born in Southampton on May 12, 1980 of Indian parents, who migrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s.
He is a member of the Conservative Party and has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond (Yorks) since 2015. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022 and Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2019 to 2020.
Sunak attended Winchester College and also read philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at Lincoln College, Oxford, and later gained an MBA from Stanford University in California as a Fulbright Scholar.
While studying at Stanford, He met his wife Akshata Murty, the daughter of N. R. Narayana Murthy, the Indian billionaire businessman who founded Infosys. Sunak and his wife are the 222nd richest people in Britain with a combined fortune of £730m as of 2022.
Sunak was elected to the House of Commons for Richmond in North Yorkshire at the 2015 general election, succeeding William Hague. He supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum on EU membership.
He was then appointed to Theresa May’s second government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government in the 2018 reshuffle. He voted three times in favour of May’s Brexit withdrawal agreement.
After May resigned, Sunak supported Boris Johnson’s campaign to become Conservative leader. And after Johnson was elected and appointed Prime Minister, he appointed Sunak as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
Sunak replaced Sajid Javid as Chancellor of the Exchequer after his resignation in the February 2020 cabinet reshuffle. He resigned as chancellor on 5 July 2022, citing his economic policy differences with Johnson in his resignation letter.
Sunak’s resignation, along with the resignation of Javid as Health Secretary, led to Johnson’s resignation amid a government crisis.
PMB Congratulates New British PM
By Jonathan Nda- Isaiah
On behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the largest of 21 countries of Africa that are members of the Commonwealth, President Muhammadu Buhari has has welcomed the incoming British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to office.
Buhari said as the first prime minister of British-Asian descent and the youngest in about 200 years, “these milestones would be especially inspiring for young people across our 2.4 billion-population, 56-nation Commonwealth.”
In a statement issued by presidential spokesman, Garba Shehu, the president said “on this important day, we should also remember the enduring partnership and unbreakable friendship between our countries, the 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. We pledge to address climate change that forces millions to leave their homes through desertification and attempt to cross the seas into Europe. And we seek to increase trade and investment within and between Commonwealth countries to boost the health and wealth of all our peoples.
“We seek to deepen our partnership with Britain to achieve these objectives, and more. The government and people of Nigeria look forward to working with Prime Minister Sunak and the leaders of other Commonwealth nations to deliver them,”he said.
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