Rishi Sunak meets King Charles and becomes Prime Minister
He met the King at Buckingham Palace after Liz Truss stepped down
Last updated 25th Oct 2022
Rishi Sunak has become Prime Minister after meeting King Charles at Buckingham Palace.
Ahead of that meeting Liz Truss met with the King to resign as Prime Minister after just 49 days in office.
The new Conservative leader was invited to form a government by Charles when they met at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday after Ms Truss departed as the shortest-serving prime minister in history.
Mr Sunak, 42, is the UK’s first Hindu PM, the first of Asian heritage and the youngest for more than 200 years.
Rishi gives first statement as Prime Minister
Rishi Sunak has said he is determined to “fix” the “mistakes” made by his predecessor Liz Truss.
Speaking on the steps of Downing Street, the new Prime Minister said the country is facing a “profound economic crisis”.
Admitting mistakes were made, Rishi Sunak said: “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."
Mr Sunak said “some mistakes were made”, adding: “Not born 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."
Rishi Sunak finished the speech by saying he is “not daunted” by the task ahead of him and stands “ready to lead our country into the future”.
Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak and his wife
Rishi Sunak is MP for Richmond in Yorkshire. He was born in Southampton to parents of Indian descent and is married to Akshata Murty (pictured) daughter of Indian billionaire N. R. Narayana Murthy, they have two daughters together.
Rishi Sunak as Chancellor
Sunak was elected as an MP in 2015, becoming Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2019. Boris Johnson made him Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2020.
Rishi Sunak during Covid
Sunak became a key member of the government during Covid, often appearing at press conferences and introducing the furlough scheme during the pandemic.
Rishi Sunak in the cabinet
Sunak remained Chancellor until resigning in July 2022, shortly before Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced he was stepping down.
Rishi Sunak leadership bid
After Boris stepped down, Sunak was one of many MPs who put themselves forward to become the new leader of the tory party. Despite getting to the final two candidates, party members voted for Liz Truss who became Prime Minister.
Rishi Sunak King Charles
When Liz Truss resigned after only 45 days as PM Rishi Sunak stood again. After Boris Johnson ruled himself out of the leadership contest race, and Penny Mordaunt withdrew her candidacy, Sunak was announced as the new Conservative leader on 24 October and was appointed by King Charles III the next day.