United Kingdom: Rishi Sunak settles in Downing Street and unveils his government

Anais Cordoba, with AFP 7:58 p.m., October 25, 2022

Britain's new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak vowed on Tuesday to right the "mistakes" made by short-lived Prime Minister Liz Truss, warning of "difficult decisions" to come amid economic and social crisis.

A sign of the level of instability and the dramatic changes that follow one another in the United Kingdom, the ex-banker and Minister of Finance becomes the third Prime Minister in two months and the fifth in six years.

And this, just five days after the announcement of the resignation of Liz Truss, who remained 49 days in Downing Street due to the storm caused by her economic program.

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"I will unite our country not with words, but with deeds", assured Rishi Sunak on the steps of 10 Downing Street, after being asked by King Charles III to form a new government.

He promised to "fix" the "mistakes" made under Liz Truss.

"I will put economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda."

British support for Ukraine reaffirmed

In a serious speech, he explained that he was "not intimidated" by the scale of the task and reiterated British support for Ukraine in the "terrible war" waged by Moscow, which must , he said, to "end with success" for Kyiv.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said he is ready to "continue to strengthen" ties between Ukraine and the United Kingdom.

French President Emmanuel Macron has meanwhile expressed his desire to continue together "to work to face the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its multiple consequences for Europe and for the world".

Rishi Sunak, 42, also said he was "aware" of the work to be done to "restore confidence", referring to the scandals under Boris Johnson to which he expressed his "gratitude".

Forced to leave after the storm caused by her massive tax cut plan, Liz Truss preceded Rishi Sunak to Buckingham Palace to present her resignation to the king, after a record short term.

She wished "every possible success" to her successor, "for the good of our country", and reaffirmed her plea for audacity in power.

A government to meet the challenges

The new Prime Minister, the first from a former British colony and the youngest since the 19th century, takes the reins of a country facing a serious economic and social crisis.

Inflation exceeds 10%.

The risk of a recession hovers.

Strikes are multiplying in the face of the fall in purchasing power.

Rishi Sunak immediately began to form a government with a double challenge: to give guarantees to the markets, on edge since the budget announcements in September, and to bring together a very divided majority after 12 years in power.

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On the economic level, he opted for stability by confirming Jeremy Hunt, 55, at the Ministry of Finance.

Since his appointment in mid-October, the latter has brought a semblance of calm to the markets by canceling almost all the tax cuts announced three weeks earlier and warning of difficult measures to come, raising fears of a return of austerity. .

He is due to present new budgetary measures on October 31.

Rishi Sunak also confirmed Foreign Ministers James Cleverly and Defense Minister Ben Wallace, who backed Boris Johnson's failed comeback bid last week.

The ultra-conservative Suella Braverman is renamed to the Interior, less than a week after her resignation from the position which had contributed to the downfall of Liz Truss.

A close ally of the new British leader is also returning to government: Dominic Raab finds the Ministry of Justice he occupied under Boris Johnson but also the title of Deputy Prime Minister.

Early Brexiter

At the head of an extremely divided party, Rishi Sunak warned the deputies of his camp that they had to "unite or die".

He ruled out early elections, demanded by the opposition.

According to an Ipsos poll published on Monday, 62% of voters want such an election before the end of 2022.

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Brexiter from the start, who passes for a pragmatic worker, Rishi Sunak is in a hurry to detail his projects, after having imposed himself without a program or a vote from the members.

He was the only candidate to have obtained the necessary support from the deputies of his party.

During the previous campaign, last summer, during which he was beaten by Liz Truss, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer (2020-2022) had insisted on the need to fight against inflation and had adopted a tough stance on immigration.