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King Charles III has appointed Rishi Sunak as the U.K.‘s prime minister, the first such appointment the new king has made in the six weeks since his ascension to the throne.
The pair met at Buckingham Palace Tuesday morning shortly after former prime minister Liz Truss formally tendered her resignation with the country’s monarch. Sunak’s move to 10 Downing Street is historic: He is the first person of color to lead the U.K. as prime minister, and the first to follow a non-Christian faith.
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The newly-minted prime minister took to the podium in front of Downing Street and promised to undo the mistakes left behind by his predecessor.
“I have been elected as leader of my party and your Prime Minister, in part to fix them — and that work begins immediately,” Sunak said at a press conference. “I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda. This will mean difficult decisions to come.”
On Twitter, former prime minister Boris Johnson congratulated Sunak on his new role: “Congratulations to Rishi Sunak on this historic day, this is the moment for every Conservative to give our new PM their full and wholehearted support.”
Sunak used a portion of his address to reaffirm his commitment to aiding Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion, which on Monday entered its eighth month.
“I understand how difficult this moment is. After the billions of pounds, it cost us to combat COVID After all, the dislocation that cause in the midst of a terrible war that must be seen successfully to its conclusions,” he said.
Editor's note
An earlier version of this story incorrectly said Rishi Sunak was King Charles III’s second prime ministerial appointment. Sunak was the first such appointment.