Rishi Sunak has won the race to become new prime minister of United Kingdom. This is a historic development as the former chancellor of the exchequer will become UK’s first-ever prime minister of Indian heritage. This fact becomes even more notable as in past, Britain colonised India for centuries. Sunak trumped his Conservative Party colleague Penny Mordaunt as he fought his way to the iconic 10, Downing Street. Sunak was a heavy favourite since former UK PM Liz Truss quit after the disastrous after-effects of her economic measures. Sunak commanded considerable support even when the race was on to succeed former UK prime minister Boris Johnson.
This time around, Sunak easily crossed the threshold of support from 100 Conservative Party MPs. He got support from twice the number while Penny Mordaunt struggled to cross the minimum tally.
Penny Mordaunt, who was holding fort even when it was increasingly clear that Sunak would win, pulled out from the race to become PM just minutes before Conservative Party was making official announcement at 1400 BST (6:30 IST). She announced her decision on Twitter.
The contest for the prime ministerial office started when former PM Liz Truss stepped down on October 20 after just six weeks in office. Her resignation came after her disastrous economic measures created turmoil in markets and caused value of theh British Pound to nosedive against the US Dollar.
Though it’s a time to celebrate for Sunak, the road ahead for him is likely to be turbulent due to issues UK faces currently. Sunak may also go on backfoot as his political opponents quetion the US Green Card which he held till recently. The tax troubles of his wife Akshata are also likely to catch him off-guard.
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