Rishi Sunak officially becomes British Prime Minister after meeting with King Charles III

Rishi Sunak officially took office as the British Prime Minister on Tuesday after meeting with King Charles III, making him the UK’s third leader in seven weeks, after taking over from Liz Truss who resigned following economic and political upheavals during her short tenure.

Sunak’s leadership was confirmed when he met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace and was invited to form a government by the new monarch, a ceremonial rubber-stamping act known as “kissing hands.”

The former Finance Minister who acknowledged the mistakes of his Conservative Party predecessors, warned of “difficult decisions ahead for a country mired in political and economic trouble” in his address outside 10 Downing Street, shortly after meeting the King.

Sunak, who is of Indian descent, makes history as the first British-Asian to assume the role, paid glowing tribute to his predecessors in his first speech as leader.

Read also:Indian descendant, Rishi Sunak, is UK’s new Prime Minister

The multimillionaire former banker also acknowledged “mistakes were made” under Truss, and promised to lead with “integrity, professionalism, and accountability.”

“Our country is facing a profound economic crisis. I will unite our country not with words but with action.”

At 42, Sunak, the son of African-born Hindus of Indian descent, is the youngest British Prime Minister in more than 200 years, as well as being the UK’s first ethnic minority leader in 140 years, after Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli in the 1800s, who was of Jewish descent.

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