Sunak, Biden reaffirm US-UK ‘special relationship’: Live Updates
UK PM Live: Rishi Sunak has won the race to be leader of the Conservative Party and will become Britain’s next prime minister — the third this year.

British politician Rishi Sunak was Monday elected Conservative leader and has become the next prime minister, after being invited to form government by King Charles III. Rival Penny Mordaunt failed to secure the necessary 100 nominations from her fellow MPs, following which she backed out on Monday paving the way for Sunak to become the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of United Kingdom.
"Rishi Sunak is therefore elected as leader of the Conservative Party," senior backbencher Graham Brady said, as Mordaunt vowed her "full support" for the former finance minister.
The election of Indian-origin Rishi Sunak as the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister is “pretty astounding" and a “ground-breaking milestone", United States President Joe Biden has said.
“It's a choice. And we make that choice every day. It's true in our lives and in the life of this nation, especially in the life of a democracy, whether here in America or for the families back in India marking 75 years of independence," he said.
“And whether it's the United Kingdom, where just today we've got the news that Rishi Sunak is now the Prime Minister," Biden said amidst a big cheer from the select guests of more than 200 people consisting of the who’s who of Indian Americans and members of his administration.
“As my brother would say, Go figure! And the Conservative Party! (Sunak) is expected to become the prime minister, I think, tomorrow when he goes to see the king. Pretty astounding. A ground-breaking milestone. And it matters. It matters," Biden said acknowledging the immigrant Indian community’s achievements.
Surging inflation, ongoing strikes, health crises and war in Europe: the UK's incoming prime minister Rishi Sunak faces major challenges -- as well as bitter rifts in the Conservative party.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday congratulated British Prime Minister-elect Rishi Sunak, saying it was truly a proud moment for Indians all over the world on the auspicious occasion of Diwali.
BJP leader and former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in his congratulatory message said he is sure Sunak will lead his country to great success. "Congratulations to Rishi Sunak for becoming the Prime Minister of Great Britain. Special wishes from 1.3 billion Indians.
Britain's main equity indexes closed higher on Monday as Rishi Sunak looked set to become the next prime minister after other candidates quit the race, offering investors some relief after a tumultuous few weeks in British politics.
The blue-chip FTSE 100 gained 0.6%, while the domestically focused FTSE 250 index jumped 0.8%.
The British pound rose in volatile trading, while gilts jumped after Sunak won the race on Monday to lead the Conservative Party, tasked with steering a deeply divided country through an economic downturn that is poised to leave millions of people poorer.
UK PM designate Rishi Sunak has promised that he will make ‘Stability and Unity’ his priority during his first public address as the Prime Minister designate of United Kingdom
"UK is a great country but we face a profound economic challenge. We now need stability and unity & I'll make it my utmost priority to bring our party and country together as that's the only way we'll overcome challenges &build a better future for our children & grandchildren', Sunak said.
PM Modi congratulates Rishi Sunak, says he looks forward to working closely together on global issues, implementing Roadmap 2030
UK PM handover to Britain's new prime minister, Rishi Sunak, will not happen on Monday, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Liz Truss said, outlining that discussions were being held on the timing and choreography of the transition.
Rishi Sunak called on his warring Conservative Party to unite as the UK’s incoming prime minister bids to fix the crisis facing the economy.
Speaking less than an hour after emerging victorious in the race to succeed Liz Truss as premier, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer said his party faces an “existential threat," and needs to come together, according to Simon Hoare, a Tory lawmaker present at Sunak’s address to MPs behind closed doors on Monday.
With Conservative Tory MPs jubilating after Rishi Sunak's appointment announcement of becoming Britain's new Prime Minister, Nobody voted for this, says Labour's deputy leader Angela Rayner.
For details click here
Harping on the the Western powers embracing minority community leadership, Congress leader P Chidambaram said, "First Kamala Harris, now Rishi Sunak. The people of the U.S. and the U.K have embraced the non-majority citizens of their countries".
British Prime Minister Liz Truss said on Monday Rishi Sunak had her full support after he won a leadership race to become the country's next leader.
"Congratulations @RishiSunak on being appointed as Leader of the Conservative Party and our next Prime Minister," Truss said on Twitter. "You have my full support."
Rishi Sunak, the new leader of Britain's governing Conservative Party and soon-to-be prime minister, has ruled out holding a national election, according to lawmakers present at a speech given by him on Monday.
"Our Party is our membership. Whether we are elected representatives, activists, fundraisers or supporters. We all have a stake in who our leader is.
"These are unprecedented times. Despite the compressed timetable for the leadership contest it is clear that colleagues feel we need certainty today. They have taken this decision in good faith for the good of the country.
"Members should know that this proposition has been fairly and thoroughly tested by the agreed 1922 process.
"As a result, we have now chosen our next Prime Minister. This decision is an historic one and shows, once again, the diversity and talent of our party. Rishi has my full support.
"I am proud of the campaign we ran and grateful to all those, across all sides of our party, who gave me their backing. 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."
Mordaunt pulls out, vows 'full support' to Sunak for UK's PM
BBC reports, latest tally of backers who have gone public with their support: Rishi Sunak - 193 MPs; Penny Mordaunt - 26 MPs
British finance minister Jeremy Hunt is continuing to work on getting a medium-term fiscal package ready for Oct. 31 should the new prime minister want to go ahead with it on that day, a spokesperson for Prime Minister Liz Truss said on Monday.
"The chancellor and the Treasury continue to work towards to having a package ready for the 31st should a new prime minister wish it to proceed on that day," the spokesperson told reporters. "The decision will rest with the new prime minister."
Penny Mordaunt has the support of more than 90 Conservative Members of Parliament in the race to succeed Liz Truss as prime minister, her campaign team said, suggesting the Leader of the House of Commons may qualify later on Monday for a run-off against former Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak.
Contestants need 100 nominations by 2 p.m. to get on the ballot paper. If two candidates meet that requirement, they’re set for an indicative vote among all MPs later on Monday, followed by a runoff vote among the Tory Party’s wider grassroots members, with a winner to be announced Friday.
Penny Mordaunt is facing calls privately from members of her own campaign team to pull out of the UK leadership race as Rishi Sunak picked up support to become the next prime minister.
Mordaunt was locked in talks with members of Parliament from the ruling Conservative Party to obtain the 100 nominations she needs to go forward to the final ballot. She told her closest allies she’s serious about standing and can reach the threshold, people familiar with the discussions said, asking not to be named.
Priti Patel, a loyalist of former British prime minister Boris Johnson, on Monday came out in support of Rishi Sunak to take over at 10 Downing Street as the Conservative Party leader after her former boss withdrew from the leadership contest.
The Indian-origin former home secretary, who resigned from the Cabinet when Liz Truss was elected the Prime Minister last month, said the Tories must put political differences aside to give Sunak the best chance of succeeding as the new leader.
Many Indians are delighted at the prospect of Rishi Sunak becoming the first person of Indian origin to become British prime minister on Monday, just as Hindus across the world celebrate Diwali.
Sunak's increasingly likely rise to the premiership has already made it to the front pages of most Indian newspapers - alongside the Indian cricket team's win over arch-rivals Pakistan in a T20 World Cup match late on Sunday.
Some Indians said on social media that Sunak becoming prime minister this year would be even more special as India recently celebrated 75 years of its independence from British colonial rule.
The UK political storm that prompted Prime Minister Liz Truss to step aside is intensifying a downturn in the economy and darkening the outlook for businesses.
S&P Global’s survey of private sector purchasing managers fell to 47.2 in October, well below the 48.1 reading economists had expected and deeper into territory indicating a contraction.
The worst reading for expectations in the year ahead since the start of the pandemic suggests the economy will shrink in the fourth quarter, the research company said Monday.
UK's FTSE 100 slipped today as a stronger pound and weaker oil prices weighed on the blue-chip index, while investors kept a close watch on the race for Britain's next prime minister after former leader Boris Johnson withdrew from the contest.
UK bonds surged at Monday’s open after Johnson pulled out of the race to become PM, leaving former chancellor Sunak as the clear frontrunner. Short-dated notes led the rally, sending the yield on the two-year note lower by as much as 34 basis points to 3.46%. Traders are also slashing bets on the extent of interest-rate hikes by the Bank of England.
Labour MP Chris Bryant said that if Sunak becomes prime minister, the British electoral system will look "no more democratic than a banana republic".
The pound was a notable exception in rising against the greenback after Boris Johnson pulled out of the race to lead the UK’s ruling Conservative Party, putting Rishi Sunak closer to becoming the next prime minister.
Sunak will “turn the page on what went wrong, take decisions in the national interest and rebuild the extraordinary potential of our economy," Jeremy Hunt said in a column.
Rishi Sunak is one step closer as the clear frontrunner in the Conservative Party leadership race today to be elected Britain’s first Indian-origin PM after his former boss confirmed he would be pulling out of the contest. With the former Johnson stepping aside yesterday night saying it was “simply not the right time" for his comeback, the prospect of a Diwali victory for Sunak cannot be ruled out.
The contest was triggered by outgoing leader Liz Truss's resignation on Thursday. The Tories were forced into their second leadership contest since the summer due to Truss's resignation after only 44 days following the disastrous market response to her tax-slashing mini-budget.
Sunak has around 123 lawmakers behind him, compared to Johnson’s 51 named backers, as per Bloomberg’s tally, which counts only 23 for Mordaunt. In his statement, Johnson said he had the support of at least 102 MPs, enough to have taken the contest to a ballot of party members who have sided with Johnson in the past.
If Sunak's opponent Penny Mordaunt is unable to secure the support of 100 MPs by October 24, Britain's former finance minister may end up becoming the country's new prime minister today itself. Full report here
Shortly after Johnson said he wouldn’t stand for fear of dividing the Conservative Party -- Sunak vowed to lead with “integrity, professionalism and accountability" if he won the race for No. 10 Downing Street.
Sunak had crossed that threshold by Friday night, ahead of declaring his candidacy on Sunday and amassing nearly 150 public nominations from Tory lawmakers.