The prime minister leads the United Kingdom (U.K.). Liz Truss recently had that job. But on October 20, 2022, Truss said she was stepping down. People in Britain wondered who would lead next. On October 24, they got an answer. Lawmakers chose Rishi Sunak.
Sunak grew up in England. Both of his parents have Indian . Before Sunak, all prime ministers in the U.K. were white. Sunak is making history. He’s the first person of color to hold the position.
Sunak joined Parliament in 2015. After that, he focused on the country’s economy. In 2020, he became the U.K.’s chancellor. The chancellor controls how much money citizens have to pay the government. The chancellor also decides how much money the government spends. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people and businesses in the U.K. were struggling. Sunak spent billions to get them the help they needed.
Now, the U.K. is facing money troubles again. High levels of are causing problems for businesses in the U.K. After Liz Truss took the top job on September 6, she promised to help grow the country’s economy. Her changes led to more money problems though. The U.K.’s money — the British pound — lost value.
After Truss announced that she was leaving, it was time to replace her. In the United Kingdom, voters don’t elect the prime minister directly. Instead, they vote to fill seats in Parliament. Whichever party controls the most seats gets to pick the country’s leader. Right now, the Conservative Party controls Parliament. Whoever got the most support from the party would get the job.
Many leaders stepped forward to offer themselves as the pick. In the end, it came down to Rishi Sunak and Penny Mordaunt. But on October 24, Mordaunt announced she was dropping out of the race.
“Rishi has my full support,” Mordaunt said online.
Sunak is ready. “It is the greatest privilege,” he said, “to give back to the country I owe so much to.”
“I will make it my to bring our party and our country together,” he continued.
Updated October 24, 2022, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Tyler Burdick
