What do Rishi Sunak's constituents think of the new PM?

North Yorkshire MP Rishi Sunak has made history, becoming the United Kingdom's first British-Asian Prime Minister.

After an unsuccessful attempt to win the summer leadership election, he now steps into Number 10, following the country's shortest-serving PM Liz Truss.

He'll now try to steer the country through big economic challenges, including rising inflation and bills, and a war in Europe.

Who is Rishi Sunak?

Born in 1980 in Southampton, the son of parents of Punjabi descent, Mr Sunak's father was a family doctor and his mother ran a pharmacy, where he helped her with the books.

After private schooling at Winchester College, where he was head boy, and a degree in philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford, he took an MBA at Stanford University in California where he met his wife, Akshata Murty, the daughter of India's sixth richest man.

A successful business career, with spells at Goldman Sachs and as a hedge fund manager, meant by the time he decided to enter politics in his early 30s he was already independently wealthy.

In 2014 he was selected as the Tory candidate for the ultra-safe seat of Richmond in North Yorkshire - then held by William (now Lord) Hague - and was duly elected in the general election the following year.

In the 2016 Brexit referendum he supported Leave, to the reported dismay of David Cameron who saw him as one of the Conservatives' brightest prospects among the new intake.

Mr. Sunak was appointed Chancellor by Boris Johnson in 2019, where he saw himself as a traditional small-state, low-tax Conservative.

But the pandemic forced the government to pump hundreds of billions of pounds into the economy to help battle Covid.

That led to anger among some Conservative MPs over public spending, and to add to his woes, Mr. Sunak was fined when he was caught up in the 'partygate' scandal.

There were more questions when it emerged his wife had "non-dom" status for tax purposes, an arrangement which reportedly saved her millions, while he had retained a US "green card", entitling him to permanent residence in the States.

What do people in his constituency think?

With huge economic challenges facing the new Prime-Minister, we've been in his constituency, asking if he's the right man for the job.

Mr. Sunak was first elected to represent the Richmond constituency in the 2015 election, one of the safest Conservative seats in the country.

Terry, who voted for Rishi Sunak but hasn't met him, said he was a "good guy" for the area, calling him a "genuine man".

And another woman who had seen the new PM at the opening of a village hall said he was a "charming man".

But others have questioned whether Mr. Sunak, the richest MP in Parliament, will understand the scale of the cost of living crisis.

"I don't imagine him knocking on my door anytime soon, and knowing what it's like to live on a random street in Northallerton", one man said.

"It's a very different lifestyle that sort of wealth."

Businesses in Northallerton have also asked the PM for more support with their energy bills, as costs rise.

Marcus Grover, who runs a toy shop on the high street, says his bills have increased "four-fold" and would like cuts to business rates.

That's a sentiment echoed by café owner Brian Ackroyd, who says customers are spending less because of the energy crisis.

"We've seen over the last 12 months, a decline in people spending. They'll come in for a cup of tea, rather than a cup of tea and a scone," he said.

"Let's hope people get a few more pennies so they can put them in our till".

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