Rishi Sunak says he was chosen to ‘fix’ Truss’s mistakes in first speech as prime minister
Rishi Sunak has made his first speech as prime minister, saying he was chosen to take over to “fix” the mistakes made by Liz Truss.
Speaking outside Number 10, the former chancellor praised his predecessor’s “restlessness” and her “noble aim” to improve economic growth in the UK.
But, he added: “Some mistakes were made, not born of ill will or bad intensions – quite the opposite in fact – but mistakes none the less.”
New PM – latest updates from Downing Street
After walking up Downing Street with no supporters present, and with a serious face, Mr Sunak reiterated his comments from yesterday, saying the country was “facing a profound economic crisis” and there were “difficult decisions” to come.
But he pledged to approach the problems with “compassion” and “to place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda”.
The new PM added: “The government I lead will not leave the next generation, your children and grandchildren, with a debt to settle that we were too weak to pay ourselves.”
Mr Sunak made his political comeback on Monday, being appointed as the new Conservative Party leader unopposed after former prime minister Boris Johnson decided not to run and Commons leader Penny Mordaunt dropped out at the last minute.
Winning the leadership also meant he won the keys to Number 10, making him the UK’s first British Asian and Hindu prime minister, and earlier today he was asked by the King at Buckingham Palace to form a government before officially taking power.
The newest and youngest PM in modern times will now begin appointing his top team, with all eyes on which cabinet ministers will be in and out.
Mr Sunak replaces Ms Truss, who had seen him off during the summer-long leadership contest to take over from Mr Johnson, but became the UK’s shortest ruling prime minister after the disaster of her tax slashing mini-budget.
Earlier, after holding a cabinet meeting for the final time, Ms Truss had an audience with the King to formally offer her resignation.
In her final speech as PM, she wished Mr Sunak “every success” adding: “I know brighter days lie ahead.”
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Truss: ‘I believe in Britain’
In a speech that lasted just under six minutes, Mr Sunak praised another of his predecessors, Mr Johnson, for “his warmth and generosity of spirit”.
But he said the manifesto the Tory Party was elected on in 2019 was “not the sole property of any one individual” and he would “deliver on its promise”.
The PM pointed to pledges on the NHS, education, controlling immigration and protecting the environment, as well as giving his commitment to Ukraine, saying it was a “terrible war that must be seen successfully to its conclusions”.
However, one of his main messages was that his government would have “integrity, professionalism and accountability” as he attempted to win back the trust of the public after recent weeks.
“Trust is earned,” he said. “And I will earn yours.”
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Mr Sunak said he was “not daunted” by the task, adding: “When the opportunity to serve comes along, you cannot question the moment, only your willingness.
“So I stand here before you ready to lead our country into the future, to put your needs above politics, to reach out and build a government that represents the very best traditions of my party.
“Together we can achieve incredible things. We will create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made
and fill tomorrow, and everyday thereafter with hope.”
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In his first remarks since announcing he would not seek a return to Number 10, Mr Johnson congratulated the new incumbent, calling it an “historic day”.
He tweeted: “This is the moment for every Conservative to give our new PM their full and wholehearted support.”
High profile Tories joined him in sending praise on social media, with Suella Braverman, Priti Patel and Sajid Javid among the first to celebrate the appointment.
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer also congratulated Mr Sunak on “making history as the first British Asian PM”.
But he said the Tories had “crashed the economy, with low wages, high prices and a cost of living crisis”, and he reiterated his call for an immediate general election, adding: “The public needs a fresh start and a say on Britain’s future.”
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey echoed the sentiment, tweeting: “Rishi Sunak’s words will do nothing to reassure struggling people worried sick about the winter ahead.
“He says he wants to win the public’s trust, but refuses to trust the public with a general election.”
World
Trump vowed to end Ukraine war in first 24 hours of his presidency – nearly 200 days in, could he be close?
Seven hours is a long time in US politics.
At 10am, Donald Trump accused Russia of posing a threat to America’s national security.
By 5pm, Mr Trump said there was a “good prospect” of him meeting Vladimir Putin “soon”.
There had, he claimed, been “great progress” in talks between his special envoy Steve Witkoff and the Russian president.
It’s difficult to gauge the chances of a meeting between the two leaders without knowing what “great progress” means.
Is Russia “inclined” towards agreeing a ceasefire, as Ukraine’s president now claims?
Is Mr Putin prepared to meet with his Ukrainian foe, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, too?
The very fact that we’re asking those questions suggests something shifted on a day when there was no expectation of a breakthrough.
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Mr Trump repeatedly vowed to end the war within 24 hours of becoming president.
On day 198 of his presidency, he might, just might, be one step closer to achieving that.
Staff at a zoo in Germany which culled 12 baboons and fed some of their carcasses to the lions say they have received death threats.
Tiergarten Nuremberg euthanised the healthy Guinea baboons at the end of July due to overcrowding in their enclosure.
Some remains were used for research while the rest were fed to the zoo’s carnivores.
Plans to kill the baboons were first announced last year after the population exceeded 40, and protestors gathered outside the zoo to show their outrage.
When the site closed last Tuesday to carry out the cull, several activists were arrested after climbing the fence.
The director of the zoo defended the decision, saying efforts to sterilise and rehome some baboons had failed.
“We love these animals. We want to save a species. But for the sake of the species, we have to kill individuals otherwise we are not able to keep up a population in a restricted area,” Dr Dag Encke told Sky News.
These are not the specific animals involved. File pics: Reuters
‘The staff are suffering’
He said police are investigating after he and the staff were sent death threats.
“The staff are really suffering, sorting out all these bad words, insults and threats,” Dr Encke said.
“The normal threat is ‘we will kill you, and we’ll feed you to the lions’.
“But what is really disgusting is when they say that’s worse than Dr Mengele from the National Socialists, who was one of the most cruel people in human history.
“That is really insulting all the victims of the Second World War and the Nazi regime.”
Josef Mengele was a Nazi officer who performed deadly experiments on prisoners at the Auschwitz concentration camp during the Second World War.
Dr Dag Encke
Zoo animals ‘treated as commodities’
Culling animals and feeding them to predators isn’t unheard of in zoos.
In 2014, Copenhagen Zoo caused controversy by euthanizing an 18-month-old male giraffe called Marius and feeding his body to the lions.
At the time, the zoo said it was due to a duty to avoid inbreeding.
Dr Mark Jones, a vet and head of policy at Born Free Foundation, a charity which campaigns for animals to be kept in the wild, denounced the practice and said thousands of healthy animals are being destroyed by zoos each year.
“It reflects the fact animals in zoos are often treated as commodities that are disposable or replaceable,” he said.
Marius the giraffe was put down and publicly fed to lions at at Copenhagen Zoo in Denmark. Pic: Keld Navntoft/AFP/Getty
Zoo asks for unwanted pets
Earlier this week, a zoo in Denmark faced a backlash for asking for unwanted pets to be donated to be used as food for its predators.
In a Facebook post, Aalborg Zoo said it could take smaller live animals such as chickens, rabbits and guinea pigs, as well as horses under 147cm. It said the animals would be euthanised by specially trained staff before being fed to carnivores like the European lynx.
While some people supported the scheme, saying they had donated animals in the past, others are outraged.
“The very idea of a zoo offering to take unwanted pets in order to kill them and feed them to their predators will, I think, horrify most right-minded people,” said Dr Jones.
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Dr Mark Jones
Aalborg Zoo has now closed the post to comments and said in a statement: “For many years at Aalborg Zoo, we have fed our carnivores with smaller livestock.
“When keeping carnivores, it is necessary to provide them with meat, preferably with fur, bones, etc., to give them as natural a diet as possible.
“Therefore, it makes sense to allow animals that need to be euthanised for various reasons to be of use in this way.
“In Denmark, this practice is common, and many of our guests and partners appreciate the opportunity to contribute.”
World
Trump could meet Putin as early as next week to discuss Ukraine ceasefire – White House official
Donald Trump could meet Vladimir Putin in person as early as next week to discuss a ceasefire in Ukraine, a White House official has said.
They said the meeting would be conditional on the Russian president meeting his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Sky News’s US partner network NBC News reported.
It came days before the White House’s deadline for Russia to reach a peace deal with Ukraine or face severe economic penalties, which could also target countries buying its oil.
Asked during a news conference at the White House if the talks would take place, Mr Trump said: “There’s a very good prospect that they will.”
He said it had not been determined where the talks would take place, but added: “We had some very good talks with President Putin today.”
However, he said: “I’ve been disappointed before with this one.”
Asked if Mr Putin made any kind of concession to lead to the development, Mr Trump did not give much away, but added: “We’ve been working on this a long time. There are thousands of young people dying, mostly soldiers, but also, you know, missiles being hit into Kyiv and other places.”
More tariffs ‘could happen’
Mr Trump also said he could announce further tariffs on China similar to the 25% he announced on India over its purchases of Russian oil.
“Could happen,” he said, after saying he expected to announce more secondary sanctions intended to pressure Russia into ending its war with Ukraine.
Earlier, he imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, on top of a previous 25% tariff, over its continued purchases of Russian oil.
India’s foreign ministry spokesperson said the additional tariffs were “unfair, unjustified and unreasonable”.
Vladimir Putin welcomes Steve Witkoff during a meeting in Moscow. Pic: Sputnik/Reuters
It came after Mr Putin held talks with Mr Trump‘s special envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow, with the meeting lasting around three hours.
In a post on Truth Social, Mr Trump said Mr Witkoff “had a highly productive meeting” with Mr Putin in which “great progress was made”.
He said he had updated America’s European allies, and they will work towards an end to the Russia-Ukraine war “in the days and weeks to come”.
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Correspondents in Washington and Moscow break down a busy day of diplomacy
‘The war must end’
Mr Zelenskyy later said he and Mr Trump spoke on the phone after the meeting. He said “European leaders also participated in the conversation” and “we discussed what was said in Moscow”.
He added: “Our common position with our partners is absolutely clear: The war must end. We all need lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it started.”
Mr Zelenskyy later said: “It seems that Russia is now more inclined to agree to a ceasefire.”
He added that the pressure on Moscow “is working”, without elaborating, and stressed it was important to make sure Russia does not “deceive us or the United States” when it comes to “the details” of a potential agreement.
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