By Olayiwola Balogun – It is indeed a historic moment for Britain, as the first British Asian Hindu descendant Rishi Sunak becomes Prime Minister during the Black History Month of October 2022.
Rishi, 42, is the youngest prime minister in modern Britain. The Head of State, His Majesty The King, Charles III, appointed him on Tuesday 25 October 2022.
Rishi Sunak was born in Southampton to parents who migrated to Britain from East Africa. His father Usher Sunak was born and raised in Kenya while his mother Usha Sunak was born in Tanzania.
Sunak was elected to the House of Commons for Richmond in North Yorkshire during the 2015 general election. He replaced Sajid Javid as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the February 2020 cabinet reshuffle by Boris Johnson.
Rishi went to Winchester College and studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University. He was also a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University (USA) where he studied for his MBA.
Rishi Sunak as Chancellor championed the government’s financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, including the Coronavirus Job Retention and Eat Out to Help Out schemes.
Following Prime Minister Liz Truss’s resignation Sunak was elected unopposed by the Conservative Member of Parliament as Leader of the Conservative Party and appointed Prime Minister.
Congratulatory messages have poured in for the new Prime Minister from home and abroad.
President Joe Biden in his congratulatory message to Rishi Sunak on becoming Prime Minister said, “Together, I look forward to enhancing our cooperation on issues critical to global security and prosperity, including continuing our strong support for Ukraine.”
Sajid Javid wrote on his twitter handle, “I’ve always believed that Britain is the most successful multiracial democracy on earth, this takes it to a new level. So proud of my friend Rishi Sunak on becoming the first British Asian UK Prime Minister.”
Rishi Sunak in his first speech as Prime Minister in Downing Street said, “I have just been to Buckingham Palace and accepted His Majesty The King’s invitation to form a government in his name.
It is only right to explain why I am standing here as your new Prime Minister.
Right now our country is facing a profound economic crisis. The aftermath of Covid still lingers.
Putin’s war in Ukraine has destabilised energy markets and supply chains the world over.
I want to pay tribute to my predecessor Liz Truss, she was not wrong to want to improve growth in this country, it is a noble aim.
And I admired her restlessness to create change. But some mistakes were made.
Not borne of ill will or bad intentions. Quite the opposite, in fact. But mistakes nonetheless.
And I have been elected as leader of my party, and your Prime Minister, in part, to fix them. And that work begins immediately.
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, with schemes like furlough.
There are always limits, more so now than ever, but I promise you this I will bring that same compassion to the challenges we face today.
The government I lead will not leave the next generation, your children and grandchildren, with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves.
I will unite our country, not with words, but with action. I will work day in and day out to deliver for you.
This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. Trust is earned. And I will earn yours.
I will always be grateful to Boris Johnson for his incredible achievements as Prime Minister, and I treasure his warmth and generosity of spirit.
And I know he would agree that the mandate my party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of any one individual, it is a mandate that belongs to and unites all of us.
And the heart of that mandate is our manifesto. I will deliver on its promise. A stronger NHS. Better schools. Safer streets. Control of our borders. Protecting our environment. Supporting our armed forces.
Levelling up and building an economy that embraces the opportunities of Brexit, where businesses invest, innovate, and create jobs.
I understand how difficult this moment is. After the billions of pounds it cost us to combat Covid, after all the dislocation that caused in the midst of a terrible war that must be seen successfully to its conclusions I fully appreciate how hard things are.
And I understand too that I have work to do to restore trust after all that has happened. All I can say is that I am not daunted. I know the high office I have accepted and I hope to live up to its demands.
But when the opportunity to serve comes along, you cannot question the moment, only your willingness. So 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 government that represents the very best traditions of my party.
Together we can achieve incredible things. We will create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made and fill tomorrow, and everyday thereafter with hope.
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