London| Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party will be the first Hindu and non-white person to become the Prime Minister of Britain. Sunak, 42, is also the youngest person in the UK’s 200-year history to hold the post of prime minister. CNN reported that Monday’s contest resulted in a swift rise to the pinnacle of British politics and surprised everyone.
Sunak was first elected MP in 2015 and spent two years on the backbench, during which Brexit dominated the political agenda. Sunak had supported leaving the European Union during the 2016 referendum.
He later became a junior minister in the government of former Prime Minister Theresa May.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave Sunak his first major government role. They first appointed him as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2019 and Chancellor in 2020.
Sunak gained popularity during the early weeks of the pandemic when he unveiled a comprehensive aid scheme for those unable to work during the lockdown.
But when the ‘Partygate’ scandal shook the power of Boris Johnson, Sunak’s reputation was also tarnished. He became bitter with Johnson after leaving his government earlier this year.
Sunak has remained silent on his policy plan for the past few days, but he was widely seen as the more moderate of the two candidates in the last leadership contest last summer.
CNN reported that compared to Liz Truss, she took a softer stance on matters such as Brexit and the economy.
