I stand before you to lead the country into the future: UK PM Rishi Sunak

In his first address to the nation, the new Prime Minister of Britain, Rishi Sunak, said, “this govt will be about integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. Trust is earned and I will earn yours.”

“I stand here before you ready to lead our country into the future, to put your needs above politics, to reach out and build a govt that represents the very best traditions of my party. Together we can achieve incredible things”, Sunak added.

He further siad, “I will bring that same compassion to the challenges we face today. The government I lead will not leave the next generation, your children & grandchildren with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves”.

Speaking on the current economic situation, Sunak said, “I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda. This will mean difficult decisions to come. But you saw me during Covid doing everything I could to protect people and businesses. There were always limits more so now than ever”.

Rishi Sunak on Tuesday scripted history when he was appointed by King Charles III as Britain’s first Indian-origin Prime Minister after being elected unopposed as the new leader of the governing Conservative Party on Diwali.

The 42-year-old former Chancellor of Exchequer, a devout Hindu, is the youngest British prime minister in 210 years. He is also the first Hindu Prime Minister of Indian heritage in the UK.

In his first address as Tory leader soon after the result was declared on Monday, Sunak said his priority would be to bring the country together and said he was “humbled and honoured” to get the greatest privilege of his life to give back to the country I owe so much.

“The UK is a great country, but there is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge,” said Sunak, with reference to the economic turmoil he is inheriting following former prime minister Liz Truss’ disastrous tax-cutting mini-budget last month.

Sunak, the second prime minister in as many months and the third this year in Britain, will be moving into 10, Downing Street at a time when Britain’s economy is facing a triple whammy of slowing growth, high inflation triggered by spiralling energy prices in the wake of the Ukraine war and a budget shortfall that has eroded its financial credibility internationally.

His first task will be to restore Britain’s international financial credibility after outgoing leader Truss’s plan for unfunded tax cuts and a costly energy price guarantee spooked the bond market.

He will have no option but to raise tax rates and make spending cuts that will be unpopular and may have unforeseen political consequences.

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