New UK PM Sunak Unveils Top Team As Historic Tenure Begins

London, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Oct, 2022 ) :Rishi Sunak on Tuesday became Britain's third prime minister this year and the first person of colour to lead the former imperial power, vowing to overcome an economic crisis provoked by the "mistakes" of Liz Truss's calamitous 49-day tenure.

In his first order of business, Sunak retained Jeremy Hunt as chancellor of the exchequer, bidding to keep financial markets on side after Truss's budget plans shocked investors, and also retained her foreign and defence ministers, among others.

Sunak, a practising Hindu who at 42 is Britain's youngest leader since 1812, became the ruling Conservatives' new leader on Monday after a prior stint as chancellor himself.

Addressing the nation in Downing Street Tuesday shortly after his appointment by King Charles III, Sunak said the country faced "profound economic crisis".

"I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda," Sunak vowed, capping the latest extraordinary twist in UK politics following Boris Johnson's demise in July.

Truss, 47 -- chosen by Tory members over Sunak in the summer to replace Johnson -- left office as the UK's shortest-serving premier in history.

She wished the new leader "every success" -- noting she remained "more convinced than ever" that Britain needs to be "bold" in confronting the challenges it faces.

- 'Mistakes' - Sunak countered that though Truss was motivated by a well-intentioned desire to kick-start growth, her tax-cutting measures were "mistakes nonetheless".

"And I have been elected as leader of my party and your prime minister in part to fix them," he said.

"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," he added, helping to drive the pound more than one percent higher against the Dollar.

Sunak, a wealthy descendant of immigrants from India and East Africa, secured the top job after rival contender Penny Mordaunt failed to get enough nominations from Tory MPs and Johnson dramatically aborted a comeback attempt.

Breaking his silence, Johnson offered his "full and wholehearted support" to Sunak -- having privately blamed his ex-minister for toppling him in July.

Sunak in turn praised Johnson, and vowed to build on the election-winning promises that earned the Conservatives a big victory at the polls over the opposition Labour party in 2019.

But he also issued a coded reminder of the many scandals that brought Johnson down, vowing his own premiership would offer "integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level".

- Cabinet continuity - In other cabinet designations, Sunak retained James Cleverly as foreign secretary, Ben Wallace in the defence brief and Kemi Badenoch in international trade, underscoring stability along with Hunt's re-appointment.

Just days after she was forced out of Truss's cabinet, hardline right-winger Suella Braverman was re-appointed as interior minister, in charge of policing and immigration control.

Grant Shapps, who had briefly replaced Braverman at the Home Office, was named business secretary with partial oversight of climate policy, instead of Johnson loyalist Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Sunak brought close ally Dominic Raab back as deputy prime minister and justice secretary.

Mordaunt remains as Leader of the House of Commons -- a post which oversees government business in parliament -- in neither a promotion nor demotion which may disappoint the ambitious centrist who had been tipped for a more senior role.

In his Downing Street speech, Sunak pledged unstinting support for Ukraine even while warning of "difficult" budget choices ahead.

US President Joe Biden called the appointment of the first British-Indian prime minister "groundbreaking" and "pretty outstanding".

"Together, I look forward to enhancing our cooperation on issues critical to global security and prosperity, including continuing our strong support for Ukraine," Biden said in a tweet.

European leaders offered their own congratulations, while Irish premier Micheal Martin reminded Sunak of their "shared responsibility" to safeguard peace in Northern Ireland following tensions under Johnson and Truss.

- 'Election demands' - Labour leader Keir Starmer praised Sunak on "making history as the first British-Asian PM".

But he added: "The Tories have crashed the economy, with low wages, high prices and a cost-of-living crisis. The public needs a fresh start and a say on Britain's future." Sunak has rebuffed opposition calls for a snap general election after becoming the latest leader who lacks a direct mandate from the electorate, but he promised to govern on the basis of the 2019 manifesto.

Pollster Ipsos said that 62 percent of British voters want an election by the end of the year.

Voters in London Tuesday spelled out the scale of the challenged confronting him.

"The whole country is in shambles at the moment, he has got to make a difference, if he doesn't there's going to be riots," insurance adviser Helen Gorman told AFP.