Rishi Sunak officially becomes British prime minister after meeting with King Charles III

By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press
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LONDON (AP) — Rishi Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister of the year on Tuesday and now must turn his attention to taming an economic crisis that has left the country’s finances in a precarious state and millions of Britons struggling to afford food and energy bills.

Sunak, the U.K.’s first leader of color, met at Buckingham Palace with King Charles III, who had just accepted the resignation of Liz Truss. In Britain’s constitutional monarchy, the monarch plays a ceremonial role in appointing government leaders.

Keep scrolling for photos of Rishi Sunak’s political career

Sunak — at 42 the youngest British leader in more than 200 years — is expected to immediately begin appointing a Cabinet and getting to grips with an economy sliding toward recession. The third Conservative prime minister this year, he will also try to unite a governing party that is riven with divisions.

Sunak was selected as leader of the governing Conservative Party on Monday as it tries to stabilize the economy, and its own plunging popularity, after the brief, disastrous term of Liz Truss.

Truss departed after making a public statement outside 10 Downing St., seven weeks to the day after she was appointed prime minister by Queen Elizabeth II, who died two days later.

Truss offered a defense of her low-tax economic vision and her brief term in office before being driven from the prime minister’s official residence for the last time.

“I am more convinced than ever that we need to be bold and confront the problems we face,” she said. She stood by the free-market principles of “lower taxes” and “delivering growth,” despite the market mayhem triggered by her Sept. 23 budget package.

Truss wished Sunak success as Britain continues “to battle through a storm.” Full story here:

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