Rishi Sunak is set to become Britain’s new Prime Minister following sudden resignation of Liz Truss. Sunak will take control of a nation facing a series of crises, with inflation soaring and the economy edging towards recession. He won the race to become Britain’s third prime minister in less than four months on October 24, 2022 after his rival Penny Mordaunt dropped out of the contest.
In his first public address after winning the Tory leadership contest, the incoming PM Rishi Sunak promised to deliver “stability and unity”.
However, a poll by political researchers Savanta ComRes found the public associate Sunak with a different attribute – his vast wealth.
When people were asked what word or phrase first came to mind when they think about the new PM, ‘rich’ was the most common choice. Other words included ‘liar’, ‘corrupt’, ‘slimy’ and ‘snake’. More positive suggestions were ‘good’, ‘clever’ and ‘capable’, but negative labels of ‘untrustworthy’, ‘greedy’ and ‘selfish’ featured prominently.
It may be mentioned here that, in May this year, Rishi Sunak became the first frontline politician to be named in The Sunday Times Rich List since its inception. According to information, he and his wife Akshata Murty, daughter of India’s one of the largest tech company Infosys entered the list for the first time with their joint £730m fortune.
The YouGov research showed that in comparison to Sunak’s Tory adversaries, Keir Starmer’s rating among voters was substantially better. Sunak won the race to become PM by default after Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the Conservative Party leadership contest having failed to gain the backing of enough MPs to stand against him.
Researchers said, “While Sunak leads his immediate leadership rivals, and his own party, he trails those he would face at a general election”.
UK’s Labour Party was quick to criticize the new PM on October 24 after he refused media interviews to lay out how he would tackle the cost-of-living crisis and the economic turmoil that has engulfed markets in recent weeks.
Deputy leader Angela Rayner said: “The Tories have crowned Rishi Sunak without him saying a word about what he would do as PM. He has no mandate, no answers and no ideas. Nobody voted for this.
“The public deserve their say on Britain’s future through a General Election. It’s time for a fresh start with Labour”.
On October 21, 2022 a poll by People Polling for GB News found that when people were asked what word or phrase first came to mind when they think about the Conservative government, ‘shambles’ was the most common choice.
Can Rishi Sunak really tackle Britain’s falling economy?
Due to prolonged lockdown and Britain’s involvement in Ukraine war as well its joining US President Joe Biden in imposing sanctions of Russia, Britain’s economy is now in dire crisis. Prices of essentials are on massive rise, which is already affecting every household. At the same time, due to gas crisis, majority of UK homes will not be able to switch-on heaters during this winter. Additionally, there is strong possibility of acute food shortage, which may also start showing up by the beginning of 2023. Meaning, Rishi Sunak is becoming the prime minister burdened with multiple challenges, most of which may not be easy to resolve. At the same time, he my not be able to walk-out of the Ukraine war or find a solution of those sanctions UK and its Western allies have already imposed on Russia.
Britain is in trouble, and Britons shall continue to suffer for a very long period, unless Rishi Sunak holds the magic lamp of Aladdin’s jinni.
