Rishi Sunak emerges as UK’s prime minister

Former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak (photo) is seen as a likely candidate for the new primate minister of Britain, which faces unprecedented political and economic chaos. If Sunak, who is 42, becomes prime minister, he will become the first non-white prime minister in the history of Britain and the youngest one in 210 years. Britain is expected to face a continued crisis as former Prime Minister Liz Truss stepped down 44 days after the inauguration when tax-cut policies failed and lost credibility of the global financial market.

British press outlets, including BBC reported on Monday (local time) that Sunak’s election is highly cenrtain as the ruling Conservative Party held a primary to determine the next prime minister. In the U.K., which has a parliamentary cabinet system, the representative of the ruling party is nominated as prime minister.

“The United Kingdom is a great country, but we face a profound economic crisis. That’s why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister,” wrote Sunak on his Twitter page. He secured support from at least 150 parliament members to meet the requirements of a candidate for the leader (100 supporters needed). Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who was seen as a leading candidate of the party, pulled out of the race, saying, “You can’t govern effectively in Parliament unless you have a united party in Parliament.”


Eun-A Cho achim@donga.com