Newly crowned PM Rishi Sunak warns of 'profound challenges' facing Britain and tells warring Tories to 'unite or die'

24 October 2022, 14:01 | Updated: 24 October 2022, 18:56

Rishi Sunak has said becoming Prime Minister is the "greatest privilege" of his life.

Addressing the British people for the first time since winning the Conservative leadership contest on Monday, Mr Sunak said he was looking forward to giving back to the country that had given him so much.

And he promised to serve the country with "integrity and humility" to "deliver for the British people."

But he warned of economic problems ahead for the country, in a short speech that called for unity and stability.

He added: "I am humbled and honoured to have the support of my parliamentary colleagues and to be elected as leader of the Conservative and Unionist Party.

"It is the greatest privilege of my life to be able to serve the party I live and to give back to the country I owe so much to."

Mr Sunak will officially become Prime Minister on Tuesday when he holds an audience with the King.

Liz Truss will chair Cabinet at 9am and then make a statement outside No10 at about 10.15am.

She will then head to meet King Charles at Buckingham Palace and quite as Prime Minister.

Mr Sunak will then travel for an audience to be formally appointed as the new PM before speaking outside No10 at about 11.35am.

He earlier issued a stark warning to Conservative MPs that they have to "unite or die", according to reports.

Mr Sunak told Tory MPs that "we're united behind the policy and now cannot afford the indulgence of division over personality."

According to an MP at the meeting, which follows weeks of chaos and disagreement in the party, Mr Sunak said: "We have one chance. It is unite or die."

The former Chancellor was appointed PM on Monday afternoon, having faced Penny Mordaunt in a slimmed-down Tory leadership contest, triggered last week when Liz Truss quit after just 45 days.

He got the backing of well over 100 Tory MPs ahead of the 2pm deadline on Monday.

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With Ms Mordaunt - his only remaining contender - conceding in the race, the job has automatically gone to him without the need for party members to vote. Ms Mordaunt is thought to have got the backing of about 90 parliamentarians.

Sir Graham Brady, head of the 1922 committee that sets the rules for Conservative leadership races, announced the news at about 2pm on Monday afternoon.

Mr Sunak must now visit King Charles and ask for permission to form a government. The King will travel to London on Monday as previously planned, but is unlikely to accept Ms Truss' resignation and appoint Mr Sunak today.

Conservative MPs have said publicly that they need to unite behind Mr Sunak - including key allies of his predecessor Ms Truss, like Therese Coffey and Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Mr Rees-Mogg, who previously called Mr Sunak a "socialist" for proposing to increase taxes, tweeted: "Now is the time for party unity and I congratulate Rishi Sunak on his victory and will support his leadership."

Ms Mordaunt said Mr Sunak had her "full support" as she conceded.

She said: "We all owe it to the country, to each other and to Rishi to unite and work together for the good of the nation. There is much work to be done."

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Mr Sunak, who will be the first British Asian Prime Minister, and the country's youngest leader in modern history at 42, addressed Tory MPs at 2.30pm.

One of those MPs, Sir Gary Streeter, said Mr Sunak's speech was the "best leader's speech at the 1922 committee I have heard in 30 years at Westminster".

His victory in the leadership race was lauded by former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron, who stepped down in 2016.

Mr Cameron said on Twitter: "Huge congratulations @RishiSunak on becoming PM to lead us through challenging times.

"I predicted a decade ago that @Conservatives would select our first Brit Indian PM & proud today that comes to be.

"I wish Rishi the v best, he has my wholehearted support."

The director of an equality and diversity think tank said Mr Sunak's victory was a "historic moment".

Sunder Katwala said: This simply would not have been possible even a decade or two ago.

"It shows that public service in the highest office in Britain can be open to those of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds. This will be a source of pride to many British Asians - including many who do not share Rishi Sunak's Conservative politics."

The appointment of Mr Sunak in this way has already drawn criticism, both from within the party and from the opposition.

Tory MP Nadine Dorries has been outspoken in her criticism of appointing another leader without a public vote.

Initially she supported Boris Johnson, who launched a bid to return to his role mere weeks after stepping down.

Read more: Rachel Johnson reacts to brother Boris pulling out of race for No 10: 'I feel sad for him'

Read more: 'All Hell will break loose': Nadine Dorries slams Rishi Sunak's 'lack of mandate' to be PM

But since he withdraw from the race on Sunday night, she has said it is now "impossible" to avoid a general election.

If Sunak won in the summer, we would have avoided some economic issues

She also told LBC "all hell" would break loose should Mr Sunak become PM.

Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon have also called for a general election.

Labour, the Lib Dems and the SNP restated their calls for a general election after Mr Sunak was confirmed as the winner.

Angela Rayner, Labour's deputy leader said: "Rishi Sunak has no mandate and no idea what working people need.

"We need a general election so the public get a say on the future of Britain - and the chance for a fresh start with Labour."

Sir Ed said: We will now see more of the same, as Conservative MPs plot and squabble amongst themselves while completely ignoring the huge challenges facing the country. The only way to end the chaos is a general election now."

SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford added that he would back a no-confidence vote if Labour proposed one.

Mr Sunak is taking the reins at a tumultuous time for the Tory party.

They are trailing Labour in the polls by the largest gap for 25 years - the Tories' seven-day poll average currently stands at 20 per cent, 33 points behind the opposition on 53 per cent.

He will be under pressure to hit the ground running to tackle a number of developing catastrophes in the UK.

A worsening economic crisis, a series of crippling strikes, war in Europe and a strained health and social care system are all issues Mr Sunak will need to deal with whilst trying to heal a deeply divided party and regain public trust.

And he was under fire earlier this year over his own tax status, after it was revealed Ms Murty didn't pay UK taxes on her overseas income.

In a dramatic U-turn in April, less than 48 hours after her non-domicile status was revealed, Ms Murty volunteered to pay UK income tax on her worldwide income, despite not being required by law to do so.

She said she was aware that her tax arrangements did not seem compatible with "the British sense of fairness" in a statement.

Ms Murty said she didn't want her tax status to be a "distraction" for her husband. She retained her Indian citizenship and her non-domicile status.

The Labour MP tweeted on Monday: "Rishi Sunak and his wife sit on a fortune of £730,000,000. That's around twice the estimated wealth of King Charles III. 

"Remember this whenever he talks about making ''tough decisions'' that working class people will pay for."