Rishi Sunak warns of ‘difficult decisions’ ahead and promises to ‘fix’ Truss’s mistakes in first speech as PM
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 borne of ill-will or bad intentions – quite the opposite in fact – but mistakes none the less.”
New PM – latest updates from Downing Street
After walking into 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 after being appointed as the new Conservative Party leader unopposed following former prime minister Boris Johnson’s decision not to run and Commons leader Penny Mordaunt dropping 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 youngest PM in modern times is now appointing his top team.
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.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
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.”
Read more:
A cabinet photoshoot, a selfie and a new PM in Number 10 – how the day unfolded
Who is Rishi Sunak? The UK’s first British Asian prime minister
Six questions Rishi Sunak must answer in appointing his cabinet
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 every day thereafter with hope.”
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
How did Sunak’s win go down on Diwali?
In his first remarks since announcing he would not seek a return to Number 10, Mr Johnson congratulated the new incumbent, calling it a “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.”
Thousands of troops are taking part in a joint military exercise between Russia and Belarus, as tensions with the EU run high following a Russian drone incursion into Polish airspace earlier this week.
The Zapad joint military exercise which began on Friday will involve drills in both Russia and Belarus as well as in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said.
Belarusian defence officials initially said about 13,000 troops would participate in the drill, but in May, its defence ministry said that would be cut nearly in half.
It comes just two days after Poland, with support from its NATO allies, shot down Russian drones over its airspace.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Poland’s Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Friday morning hit back at a suggestion by US President Donald Trump on Thursday that the incursion may have been a “mistake”.
He said in a post on X: “We would also wish that the drone attack on Poland was a mistake. But it wasn’t. And we know it.”
Russia said its forces had been attacking Ukraine at the time of the incursions and that it had not intended to hit any targets in Poland.
Friday also saw Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper travelling to Ukraine’s capital of Kyiv on the same day the UK announced fresh sanctions against Moscow.
Prince Harry was also in Kyiv for a surprise visit to help with the recovery of military personnel seriously injured in the three-year war with Russia.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Prince Harry arrives in Kyiv
Ms Cooper, who was appointed foreign secretary last week, posted about her visit on X saying: “The UK’s support for Ukraine is steadfast. I am pleased to be in Kyiv on my first visit as Foreign Secretary.”
The UK’s new sanctions include bans on 70 vessels that Britain says are part of Russia’s “shadow fleet” that transports Russian oil in defiance of sanctions already in place.
Yvette Cooper with Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv. Pic: Valentyn Ogirenko/PA
Some 30 individuals and companies – including Chinese and Turkey-based firms – have also been sanctioned for their part in supplying Russia with electronics, chemicals, explosives and other weapons components.
Read more from Sky News:
Maps and videos show seconds before Charlie Kirk was shot
Ireland will not participate in Eurovision if Israel takes part
Meanwhile on the frontline, Ukrainian drones struck Russia’s oil-loading Primorsk port overnight, an SBU official said.
The attack caused fires and suspended oil-loading operations, the official added.
Russian defence systems also intercepted and destroyed 221 Ukrainian drones overnight.
Prince Harry has made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, a spokesperson for the royal has said.
Harry, who served 10 years in the British Army, visited the city at the invitation of the Ukrainian government.
The Duke of Sussex travelled to the capital to help with the recovery of military personnel seriously injured in the three-year war with Russia.
Pic: Railway of Ukraine Ukrzaliznytsia/AP
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper will also be travelling to Kyiv on Friday in what will be her first foreign trip since being appointed to the job last week.
Her visit coincides with the UK launching a new package of Russia-related sanctions targeting ships carrying Russian oil as well as companies and individuals supplying electronics, chemicals and explosives used to make Russian weapons.
It comes as Russia and Belarus began a major joint military exercise on on NATO’s doorstep on Friday, just two days after Poland, with support from its NATO allies, shot down suspected Russian drones over its airspace.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Drones shot down in Poland
The Zapad-2025 exercise – a show of force by Russia and its close ally – will involve drills in both countries and in the Baltic and Barents seas, the Russian defence ministry said.
Meanwhile on the frontline, Russian defence systems intercepted and destroyed 221 Ukrainian drones overnight,
including nine over the Moscow region, the ministry said on Friday.
The duke told the Guardian while on an overnight train to Kyiv: “We cannot stop the war but what we can do is do everything we can to help the recovery process.
“We can continue to humanise the people involved in this war and what they are going through.
“We have to keep it in the forefront of people’s minds. I hope this trip will help to bring it home to people because it’s easy to become desensitised to what has been going on.”
Read more from Sky News:
Brazil’s ex-president jailed for 27 years
Migrant hotel critics meet asylum seekers
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Harry, who served two tours in Afghanistan, previously travelled to Ukraine in April, when he visited war victims as part of his work with wounded veterans.
The prince visited the Superhumans Center, an orthopaedic clinic in Lviv that treats and rehabilitates wounded military personnel and civilians.
Earlier this week, Harry said the King is “great” after he reunited with him at Clarence House for a private tea.
It was their first meeting in 19 months and lasted just 54 minutes.
The last time the father and son saw each other was in February 2024 when the prince flew to the UK after the monarch announced his cancer diagnosis.
Harry and his wife Meghan Markle have lived in California since they quit roles as senior working royals in March 2020.
Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup to stay in power after his 2022 election defeat.
The far-right politician, who ruled Brazil between 2019 and 2022, is currently under house arrest in the capital, Brasilia.
A panel of five Supreme Court justices handed down the sentence several hours after they found the 70-year-old guilty on five counts.
The counts were trying to stage a coup, being part of an armed criminal organisation, attempting violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, being implicated in violence, and posing a serious threat to the state’s assets and listed heritage.
Bolsonaro‘s lawyers have said they will appeal the verdict.
Pic: AP
The ruling will deepen political divisions in Brazil and is also likely to prompt a backlash from the United States government – with Donald Trump already sharing his thoughts on the vote.
President Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro, has said he was surprised and “very unhappy” with the decision.
Speaking to reporters outside the White House, he said he always found Bolsonaro “outstanding” and said the conviction is “very bad for Brazil”.
Mr Trump previously called the case a “witch hunt”, slapped Brazil with tariff hikes, and revoked US visas for most members of Brazil’s high court.
Bolsonaro is the first former Brazilian president to be convicted of attempting a coup.
He has not attended the court proceedings, and on Thursday, he was seen at the garage of his property, but did not talk to the media.
Read more from Sky News:
What we know about how Charlie Kirk was killed
Read Mandelson’s letter to US embassy staff after being sacked
Justice Carmen Lucia. Pic: AP
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has been overseeing the case, said on Tuesday that Bolsonaro was the leader of a coup plot and of a criminal organisation, and voted in favour of convicting him. Justices Flavio Dino, Carmen Lucia, and Cristiano Zanin sided with Justice Moraes in the trial.
On Wednesday, another justice, Luiz Fux, disagreed and voted to acquit the ex-president of all charges.
Listen to The World with Richard Engel and Yalda Hakim every Wednesday
Justice Lucia said she was convinced by the evidence the attorney general’s office put forward against Bolsonaro, saying: “He is the instigator, the leader of an organisation that orchestrated every possible move to maintain or seize power.”
Bolsonaro had been previously banned from running for office until 2030 in a different case.
He is expected to choose an heir who is likely to challenge President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva next year.
-
Sports3 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports2 years agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports2 years agoButton battles heat exhaustion in NASCAR debut
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment11 months agoHere are the best electric bikes you can buy at every price level in October 2024