Rishi Sunak has been British Prime Minister for a few weeks. He faces difficult tasks. The most important questions and answers about the situation in Great Britain.
British Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab.
The latest developments:
- Shortly after Minister Gavin Williamson resigned over bullying allegations, similar allegations increased pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Several media reported on Saturday (November 12) that Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Dominic Raab had behaved aggressively towards employees. During his first term in office, Raab spread a “culture of fear” in the Ministry of Justice, the Guardian newspaper wrote. According to information from the newspaper “Sun”, Raab is said to have thrown tomatoes through the room out of anger. Insiders quoted by the media have all denied the allegations. The minister is only “direct”. Raab had worked under former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, first as foreign secretary and later as deputy prime minister and justice minister. He is one of Sunak’s closest allies and returned to both posts under him.
- Minister of State Gavin Williamson resigned from the cabinet on Tuesday (8 November) because of allegations of bullying. Previously, text messages from him to a party colleague had been made public, in which he put pressure on her with harsh words – apparently to get an invitation to the Queen’s funeral service. Williamson’s resignation is likely to raise doubts about Sunak’s ability to steer the fractious Conservative ruling party into calmer waters.
- Rishi Sunak was appointed Conservative party leader on October 24. A day later King Charles III. appointed Prime Minister. Sunak has work to do: Britain’s financial situation is disastrous. Sunak now has to decide quickly what tax increases and spending cuts he wants to impose. As early as November 17, the government is to present the budget bill to the public.
background
Former British Prime Minister Liz Truss in London.
When Boris Johnson resigned in the summer, Rishi Sunak had to settle for second place behind Liz Truss in the internal party elimination round. Truss then resigned as prime minister after just 45 days – faster than any other British head of government before her. Her economic and tax plans had become her undoing. Truss had miscalculated.
After Truss announced her resignation, the opposition Labor Party called for new elections. However, these are not provided for by law in Great Britain: the head of the party with the most votes in the general election is automatically prime minister. If, as in the current situation, the head of the ruling party is replaced in an ongoing legislature, no new elections will take place, but an internal party decision. Parliamentary elections are usually held every five years. The next ones are planned for 2024.
The shortest-serving Prime Minister in British history. Portrait: Who is Liz Truss?
It is estimated that up to 45 million Britons – two-thirds of the population – will be unable to pay all their bills without going into debt this winter.
The future prospects for Great Britain have recently deteriorated dramatically. According to economic forecasts, the country is threatened with a recession and inflation rates of up to 18 percent. The NHS national health service is on the brink of collapse. And the massively rising energy prices are likely to limit the new government’s financial leeway, since she probably has to help the British: Many Britons are faced with the choice of either heating their homes or buying food. In many households, there will no longer be enough for both.
With a view to the 2024 general election of the British Parliament, Sunak faces a Herculean task.
Sunak is 42 years old, was born in Southampton and is the son of Indian immigrants. He is the first British leader from an ethnic minority background in Britain. The Oxford graduate comes from a privileged background and has become very wealthy as a banker and the husband of an Indian billionaire’s daughter.
Sunak says of himself that he stands for a stable and responsible policy that relies on “integrity, professionalism and accountability”. In the election campaign to succeed Johnson, he had warned of the very financial chaos that Truss actually caused with her economic policy.
King Charles III greets Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace on Tuesday.
Sunak was Finance Minister under Boris Johnson for more than two years. His handling of the recession during the corona pandemic earned him great respect. His aid measures for the population and the economy were popular, but caused the national debt to swell.
This year Sunak stumbled: his efforts to bring the budget back into balance in the medium term and to curb Johnson’s generosity were punished with falling poll numbers. A report by the “Independent” about his wife Akshata Murthy also caused lasting damage to Sunak’s reputation. The newspaper revealed that Murthy does not pay UK tax on certain earnings – and is believed to have saved millions as a result.
In addition, like Boris Johnson and his wife, Sunak had to accept a fine for a lockdown party in Downing Street. Sunak resigned as Treasury Secretary in July, openly criticizing Johnson’s policies.
To the portrait of Rishi Sunak