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Premiership of Rishi Sunak

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This article is about Rishi Sunak's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. For the people in his government, see Sunak ministry.

Premiership of Rishi Sunak
Premiership of Rishi Sunak
25 October 2022 – present
MonarchCharles III
CabinetSunak ministry
PartyConservative Party
Seat10 Downing Street

Coat of Arms of HM Government

Rishi Sunak's tenure as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom began on 25 October 2022 when he accepted an invitation from King Charles III to form a government, succeeding Liz Truss. He is the first British Indian to hold the office of prime minister.[1] As prime minister, Sunak is also serving as First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, and Minister for the Union. Most of his premiership has been defined by his attempts to "stop the boats", referring to the Rwanda asylum plan that began during the premiership of Boris Johnson.

Sunak was defeated by Truss in the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and spent the duration of Truss's premiership as a backbencher. Following Truss's resignation amid a government crisis, Sunak was elected unopposed to succeed her after being the sole nominee in the October 2022 party leadership election.[2] He was elected Leader of the Conservative Party on 24 October and was appointed prime minister the following day.[3]

As prime minister, Sunak has authorised foreign aid and weapons shipments to Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion of the country. He and Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt have continued the levelling up policy introduced during the premiership of Boris Johnson. In January 2023, Sunak outlined five key priorities, one of which is the Illegal Migration Act 2023 legislation which proposes to detain and remove those from the UK who arrive in that country by illegal means, as well as blocking them from returning. Its announcement follows a sharp increase in the number of migrants crossing the English Channel by boat.[4] The proposed bill has been met with backlash from UK rights groups and United Nations agencies, and questions about its legality have been raised.[5][6][7] Sunak's other key priorities included halving inflation, growing the economy, shortening NHS waiting lists, and cutting debt.

In February 2023, Sunak negotiated a proposed agreement with the European Union (EU) on Northern Ireland's trading arrangements which was published as the "Windsor Framework", which is designed to address the issue of the movement of goods between the European single market and the UK in the current Northern Ireland Protocol; the agreement has failed to receive the support of the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Sunak attended and spoke at the coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla in May 2023, and met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his UK trip. In his speech at the October 2023 Conservative Party Conference, Sunak announced the cancellation of the western branch and the remainder of the eastern branch of the planned High Speed 2 (HS2) railway line.[8][9][10] Sunak has reshuffled his Cabinet twice, the latter of which resulted in the return of former prime minister David Cameron to government.

A number of scandals involving Conservative MPs have occurred during Sunak's premiership.[11] Gavin Williamson and Dominic Raab resigned from their roles in Cabinet in November 2022 and April 2023 respectively after the former was accused of bullying MPs and the latter was found to have bullied civil servants. Chairman of the Conservative Party Nadhim Zahawi was dismissed by Sunak in January 2023 after he was found to have breached the Ministerial Code by failing to disclose he was being investigated by HM Revenue and Customs while he served as chancellor under Johnson.[12][13] Home Secretary Suella Braverman was widely panned in November 2023, causing huge controversy for comments made about pro-Palestinian protesters and the homeless, which eventually led to her being dismissed by Sunak.

Under Sunak, the Conservative Party lost over 1,000 councillors during the 2023 local elections, while the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats made significant gains, which were the poorest local election results for the party since the 2019 local elections under Prime Minister Theresa May.

This article is part of
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Rishi Sunak
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Post-premiership
Electoral history
Rishi Sunak's signature

Conservative leadership bids

Main articles: July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election

July–September 2022

The Ready for Rishi logo

Sunak stood in the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election to replace Boris Johnson, after his resignation amid a government crisis.[14] Sunak launched his campaign in a video posted to social media, writing that he would "restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country". He said that his values were "patriotism, fairness, hard work", and pledged to "crack down on gender neutral language". During the campaign, Sunak pledged to included tax cuts only when inflation was under control, scrapping of the 5% VAT rate on household energy for one year, introducing a temporary £10 fine for patients who fail to attend GP appointments, capping of refugee numbers, and a tightening of the definition of asylum.

Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss emerged as the final two candidates in the contest on 20 July to be put forward to the membership for the final leadership vote; he had received the most votes in each of the series of MP votes with Sunak receiving 137 to Truss's 113 in the final round. In the membership vote, Truss received 57.4% of the vote, making her the new leader over Sunak.[15] He spent the duration of Truss's premiership on the backbenches.

October 2022

Penny Mordaunt and Rishi Sunak were the only two candidates to stand in the contest. As a result of Mordaunt's withdrawal, Sunak won the leadership contest unopposed.

Following the resignation of Truss after another government crisis, Sunak stood in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and formally launched his bid to become Leader of the Conservative Party on 23 October 2022. Sunak was backed by several cabinet members and prominent party members, such as Lord Frost, Kemi Badenoch, Nadhim Zahawi, Matt Hancock, Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly, Ben Wallace, Priti Patel, Iain Duncan Smith, Michael Gove, and Dominic Raab.

Following a change of rules by the 1922 Committee, each potential leader needed the support of at least 100 MPs to be a candidate in the vote, with a deadline of 2 pm on 24 October to secure enough nominations.[16] On 22 October, it was reported that Sunak had the required number of supporters—100 members of the House of Commons—to run in the ballot on 24 October. The total number of MPs who publicly declared support passed 100 on the afternoon of 22 October. On 23 October, Sunak declared he would stand in the contest.[17]

There were two other candidates actively seeking nominations: Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt. However, Johnson announced that evening that he would not declare his candidacy, stating that he would not have enough support from MPs to govern effectively, and Mordaunt withdrew her candidacy on 24 October after being unable to get the nominations of 100 MPs by the deadline.[18][19][20][21] It was subsequently announced by Sir Graham Brady that as the sole candidate who had received the required 100 nominations, Sunak had been elected as the new party leader.[22][23][24]

Sunak made a short statement after his appointment as Conservative leader, saying "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 love and give back to the country I owe so much to."[25]

Premiership

Sunak was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom by King Charles III on 25 October 2022, making him the first British Asian[a] prime minister and the first Hindu to hold the office. In his first speech as prime minister, Sunak promised "integrity, professionalism and accountability," and said that "we will create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made and fill tomorrow, and everyday thereafter with hope." Of his predecessor, Sunak said that Truss "was not wrong" to want to improve growth and that he "admired her restlessness to create change", but admitted that "some mistakes were made", and that he was elected prime minister in part to fix them. He promised to "place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda".[27]

Political positions

According to Euronews, Sunak is "frequently perceived as a pragmatist and as belonging to the centre-ground of the Conservative Party."[28] He opposed the fiscal policies of his predecessor, Liz Truss,[28] and although described as a fellow Thatcherite, is viewed as less economically liberal than Truss.[29]

Crime and Anti-terror Strategy

On crime, Sunak proposed an automatic one-year extension to prison sentences for prolific criminals, as well as cutting the minimum sentence before a foreign criminal is eligible for deportation from twelve months to six.[30] He proposed life imprisonment for leaders of child grooming gangs, and for police to record the ethnicity of those involved in such gangs.[31]

In August 2022, he proposed widening the Prevent strategy by widening the definition of "extremism".[32]

European Union

Sunak supported the Leave campaign during the 2016 EU referendum. Speaking in 2022, Sunak said, "I voted for Brexit, I believe in Brexit".[33] Sunak also said the UK would not be pursuing a relationship with the EU post-Brexit if the UK had to align with EU laws.

In January 2023, Sunak confirmed intentions to remove EU legislation from the UK statute book that year, saying that it should be a "collective effort".[34][35][33] In February of that year, Sunak negotiated a proposed agreement with the EU on Northern Ireland's trading arrangements which was published as the "Windsor Framework".[36] On 27 February, Sunak delivered a statement to the House of Commons, saying that the proposed agreement "protects Northern Ireland's place in our Union.[37] The Framework came into effect on 1 October 2023.[38]

In July 2023, he criticised the European Union for including the Argentinian name Islas Malvinas alongside the British name Falkland Islands in a joint declaration with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. Prior to the communiqué, other British officials had tried but failed to convince EU and Latin American diplomats to remove mentions of the islands.[39][40]

Energy and the environment

Sunak signed the Conservative Environment Pledge (CEP), as shown on the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) website which has the support of approximately 127 MPs.[41][42] The CEP's five main commitments are using Brexit freedoms for the environment and sustainable farming, backing British clean energy suppliers to boost energy security, encouraging the use of domestic insulation and electric vehicle charging points, implementing the Environment Act, and backing technologies that will help to achieve clean growth.[41] During the leadership contest held over summer 2022, Sunak told the CEN that he was engaged with the protection of the environment for future generations.[43]

Sunak has said he is committed to keeping the legal commitment of reaching net zero by 2050.[44] During the summer, he said that he intended to make the UK energy independent by 2045,[45] while advocating for more offshore windpower, more solar panels on rooftops and improved insulation of homes to make them more energy efficient.[46][45] Sunak is said to have listened to fellow MPs with a green agenda and that he was a believer in net zero for the UK.[47] Sunak also voted against a call for Britain to eliminate most greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by 2030.[46]

While campaigning in August 2022, Sunak wrote that he would restrict the use of solar panels on farmland but would make sure solar is installed on commercial buildings, properties and sheds,[48] saying "on my watch, we will not lose swathes of our best farmland to solar farms."[48] The trade association Solar Energy U.K. said the solar industry was "deeply concerned" with both candidates intentions.[49]

Sunak has backed fracking, where it is supported by local residents.[50] On 19 October in the debate on "Ban on Fracking for Shale Gas Bill (Division 66)", he voted with the government against the ban on fracking.[51] Fracking had been banned by the government in November 2019 after a report by the Oil and Gas Authority found that it was not possible at that time to predict the probability or strength of earthquakes caused by fracking.[52][53]

While chancellor, Sunak attended COP26 in Glasgow.[54] During the speech he gave on 3 November, he said that he felt optimism despite daunting challenges and that by bringing together finance ministers, businesses and investors, COP 26 could begin to deliver targets from the Paris Agreement.[55] He outlined three actions: First, the need for increased public investment, with the UK committing £100 million to the Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance. He announced support for a new Capital Markets Mechanism which will issue green bonds in the UK to fund renewable energy in developing countries.[55] Second, mobilising private finance, with the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero bringing together organisations with assets over $130 trillion to be deployed.[55] Third, the rewiring of the entire global financial system for net zero, which would include better climate data, mandatory sustainability disclosures, climate risk surveillance and stronger global reporting standards.[55] Also announced was that the UK will become the first ever 'Net Zero Aligned Financial Centre'.[55]

During an interview in July 2022, Sunak said that wind generation would be a part of his governments' energy policies, but he wanted to reassure communities that there would not be a relaxation of the current onshore planning laws, with more of a focus on offshore wind farms.[56] This stance was confirmed by the PM's press team in October, who said that Sunak wants "offshore not onshore wind".[57] When asked about wind generation by MP Alan Whitehead at Prime Minister's Questions on 26 October, Sunak responded that, as outlined in the Conservative manifesto of 2019, he would focus on long term energy security, including more offshore wind.[58] Onshore wind generation was made difficult by the National Planning Policy Framework 2016 Update, but as part of his predecessors' policies, the planning laws were set to be relaxed.[59]

Foreign policy

Sunak, Joe Biden and Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese at the AUKUS meeting in San Diego, California, 13 March 2023

In July 2022, during his run for the Conservative Party leadership, he called China the "biggest long-term threat" to the UK, adding that "They torture, detain and indoctrinate their own people, including in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, in contravention of their human rights. And they have continually rigged the global economy in their favour by suppressing their currency." He accused China of supporting Russian president Vladimir Putin and that it was "stealing our technology and infiltrating our universities".[60][61] Sunak softened his attitude after becoming prime minister, calling the country a "systemic challenge" instead of a "threat", and that the West would "manage this sharpening competition, including with diplomacy and engagement".[62]

Sunak described Saudi Arabia as a "partner" and "ally", but said that the British government does not ignore human rights violations in Saudi Arabia. According to Sunak, "It's absolutely right that" the British government "engages with our partners and allies around the world as we contemplate how best to ensure energy security for this country."[63]

During his chancellorship, Sunak opposed US president Joe Biden's plan to introduce a minimum 21 percent global business tax.[46]

Sunak supported the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.[64]

Russia and Ukraine

Sunak supports Ukraine against the Russian invasion of the country and supports economic sanctions against Russia, but opposes British military intervention in Ukraine.[65]

LGBT rights

In July 2022, Sunak said that he wanted the UK to be "the safest and greatest country in the world to be LGBT+". When asked about alleged or perceived transphobia within his party, he stated that "prejudice against trans people is wrong. The Conservative Party is an open, welcoming family to everybody across society, no matter who they are and irrespective of their background."[66][67] Sunak believes that transgender people should be "respected", but said that he views biology as "important" and "fundamental" regarding bathrooms and competitive sports.[46]

Immigration

Sunak has expressed support for lowering net migration. An official spokesperson said Sunak was "committed to ensuring we have control over our borders and the public rightly expects us to control immigration and have a system that works best for the UK."[68] He has said that the "current asylum system is broken and it needs to be fixed urgently", saying he would, in his first 100 days as prime minister, "tighten our statutory definition of who qualifies for asylum in the UK ... This will prevent anyone who enters the UK illegally from staying here", that the "Parliament will be given control of the number of refugees we accept each year", that he "cannot underestimate the role of data sharing which will make it easier to identify people who are in the UK illegally", and that the Rwanda asylum plan "is the right one."[69][70] Responding to criticism surrounding some of his proposals about illegal immigration, Sunak said there was "absolutely nothing racist" about it.[71]

On 4 January 2023, Sunak set out his priorities for 2023, which included: "We will pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed."[72] Sunak adopted the slogan "stop the boats" which was previously used by the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott during his 2013 election campaign.[73]

In June 2023, the UK's Court of Appeal ruled the Rwanda asylum plan was unlawful, for which Sunak's government appealed.[74] In November 2023, UK's Supreme Court upheld the ruling.[75][73]

2022

Sunak meets with the then-First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, in Blackpool for the British-Irish council summit, November 2022

On 26 October, Sunak answered his first Prime Minister's Questions (PMQs). The same day Sunak also held his first cabinet meeting.[76]

Sunak delivering a speech at COP27 in Egypt.

On 27 October, Sunak announced he would not attend the COP27 climate summit in Egypt "due to other pressing domestic commitments".[77] On 2 November 2022, following pressure from MPs, environmentalist campaigners and others, Sunak announced that he would attend.[78] Sunak attended a reception held by King Charles at Buckingham Palace on 4 November.[79] Sunak told the meeting of approximately 200 politicians and campaigners that the UK will continue with its environmental aims after the end of its COP 26 presidency.[79] In his speech Sunak warned that as climate change ravages the planet there will be more human suffering and that because of inaction, people risk giving their children a desperate inheritance. Sunak also paid tribute to King Charles's longstanding work for the environment.[79]

On 7 November at the COP 27 summit, Sunak launched The Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership (FCLP), building on a policy called the Glasgow Climate Pact, originally started at COP 26.[80][81] The partnership aims to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030, bringing 26 countries and the European Union together.[80] These countries account for 60% of global GDP and over 33% of the world's forests and together with private funding, the partnership has total funds of $23.8bn.[80][81] Sunak said in his speech to the Forest and Climate Leaders' Summit that the world's forests have been undervalued and underestimated, yet were one of the natural wonders of the world.[80] He then asked attendees to build upon what had already been achieved to secure an incredible legacy for generations to come.[80] The FCLP will hold annual meetings and starting in 2023, it will publish an annual Global Progress Report that includes independent assessments.[80]

Sunak with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his first visit to Kyiv in November 2022.

Following the 15 November missile explosion in Poland, Sunak met U.S. President Joe Biden and delivered a speech.[82] Sunak later met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and pledged to give Ukraine £50 million in aid. After meeting Zelenskyy, Sunak said: "I am proud of how the UK stood with Ukraine from the very beginning. And I am here today to say the UK and our allies will continue to stand with Ukraine, as it fights to end this barbarous war and deliver a just peace."[83] In November 2022 the Bank of England feared the UK would experience prolonged recession and feared unemployment would probably double to 6.5%.[84]

The first by-election of Sunak's premiership, took place on 1 December, in the City of Chester constituency and it resulted in a 12% swing from the Conservatives.[85][86] Also in December, Sunak was faced with the need to make concessions on a proposed ban on onshore wind farms to be contained in the government's Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill.[87] A number Conservative MPs, including Johnson and Truss, said they would back a rebel amendment to the bill that would remove the ban.[88] At the same time, there was the threat of another rebellion and need to make concessions related to housebuilding targets.[88] Many Conservative MP's do not intend to contest the next general election; Sajid Javid, Matt Hancock, Nadine Dorries, Chris Pincher, Charles Walker, Graham Brady and several other Conservative MP's plan to stand down at the next general election.[88][89][87]

In December 2022, Sunak said it was "completely unacceptable" that ordinary people were having their lives disrupted by environmental protests. He stated that police commanders had his full support "to suppress any unlawful protest".[90] He also promised to bring in new laws to tackle illegal immigration, saying anyone who comes to the UK illegally will not be allowed to stay.[91] The Independent published an opinion poll that month which suggested that Sunak could lose his seat if polling results found then were duplicated in a general election.[92]

2023

Sunak with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in January 2023

In January 2023, Sunak confirmed that the deadline for removal of EU legislation from the UK statute book would remain the end of that year, saying that it should be a "collective effort".[93][94][33] That month, he also proposed making mathematics compulsory in schools until the age of 18 (see: 2023 compulsory mathematics plan [simple]).[95][96][97] In February of that year, Sunak negotiated a proposed agreement with the EU on Northern Ireland's trading arrangements which was published as the "Windsor Framework".[98] On 27 February, Sunak delivered a statement to the House of Commons, saying that the proposed agreement "protects Northern Ireland's place in our Union.[99]

After 45,000 people had crossed the Channel on small boats in the previous year, Sunak announced that stopping these boats would be one of his five priorities for 2023.[100][101] The Illegal Migration Bill was introduced in March 2023, proposing that people arriving via unofficial routes would be refused asylum and would be detained for at least 28 days before being removed to another safe country.[102] The Home Secretary would have a duty to remove the migrants who arrive without prior permission.[100] The bill also proposes that these migrants would not be able to use modern slavery laws to challenge government decisions to remove them.[100] Home Secretary Suella Braverman said the bill may be not be compatible with the European Convention on Human Rights.[103] Questions also arose on the feasibility of the policy such as if there was adequate capacity to hold the people for 28 days or if there were enough agreements with safe countries already in place.[102] The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said that it was "profoundly concerned" by the bill, warning that the bill amounted to an asylum ban for those who arrive irregularly.[104]

Sunak at a Buckingham Palace reception for Heads of State and other visiting dignitaries by King Charles III in May 2023, in preparation for his coronation

The 2023 local elections in England were the first local elections of Sunak's premiership, and saw the Conservatives lose over 1,000 councillor seats, with major gains achieved by Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Greens.[105] Labour also overtook the Conservatives as holding the highest number of members elected to local government for the first time since 2002.[106]

Sunak attended the coronation of Charles III and Camilla on 6 May 2023 in his capacity as Prime Minister, along with all living former prime ministers and his wife Akshata Murty.[107] The following day, Sunak hosted a coronation lunch outside 10 Downing Street, which was attended by volunteers, Ukrainian refugees and youth groups, and U.S. First Lady Jill Biden.[108]

Following several months of industrial disputes, public sector workers including teachers, police and, doctors were offered pay rises of between 5 and 7%.[109] Sunak said the pay rise would be funded by significantly increasing visa fees for migrants and the levy migrants pay to use the NHS.[109]

In July 2023, the Conservatives faced three by-elections.[110] Steve Tuckwell held Uxbridge and South Ruislip for the Conservatives in what was seen as a "referendum on ULEZ expansion".[111] Somerton and Frome was won by the Liberal Democrats.[112] In Selby and Ainsty, Keir Mather of the Labour Party won the seat, setting a record for the largest majority ever overturned by the party in a by-election.[113]

On 20 September 2023, Sunak announced a major rethink of the UK government's strategy to achieve net zero carbon output in the UK by 2050, including postponing banning the sale of new petrol and diesel cars from 2030 to 2035.[114] He justified the changes to the government's net zero strategy by saying that the UK government should not impose "unacceptable costs" of net zero policies on working families.[114] However, these changes were met with criticism from the opposition and business leaders.[114]

In his speech at the 2023 Conservative Party Conference, which took place in Manchester between 1 and 4 October, Sunak announced the cancellation of the western branch and the remainder of the eastern branch of the planned High Speed 2 (HS2) railway line.

Sunak additionally announced that the government intends to raise the legal age at which individuals can purchase cigarettes by one year annually, thus ultimately making the purchasing of them entirely illegal.[115][116][117]

Plans to merge the educational qualifications of A-levels with T Levels into a proposed Advanced British Standard qualification were put forward in his speech, which Downing Street Press Secretary Lucy Noakes said would likely not materialise for "about ten years."[118] [119][120]

On 8 December 2023, ahead of the 75th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, Sunak's government unveiled a set of 46 sanctions against individuals linked to human trafficking and authoritarian governments around the world. The individuals targeted by the sanctions included 17 members of the Belarusian judiciary, two Haitians linked to the 2018 La Saline attacks, eight accused of atrocities during the Syrian Civil War and five from the Iranian authorities targeted for their involvement in enforcing mandatory hijab law, as well as 14 individuals and entities linked to human trafficking in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.[121]

Ministry

Main article: Sunak ministry
Sunak chairing the first meeting of his cabinet: he sits sixth from left on the far side of the table.

Sunak began appointing his cabinet on 25 October 2022. Jeremy Hunt remained as chancellor, a role he was given during the Truss ministry after Kwasi Kwarteng was dismissed on 14 October. Dominic Raab was also re-appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, both roles he was given during the premiership of Boris Johnson. James Cleverly remained as Foreign Secretary with Suella Braverman returning as Secretary of State for the Home Department, a role from which she had previously resigned during the Truss ministry. Ben Wallace remained as Secretary of State for Defence, a role he had held throughout the Johnson and Truss ministries. Michael Gove returned as Levelling Up Secretary, a role he was dismissed from by Johnson, and Grant Shapps was demoted from Home Secretary to Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. Penny Mordaunt remained as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council, roles which she had held during the Truss ministry.

Other key appointments include Simon Hart as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip of the House of Commons, Nadhim Zahawi as Party chairman, Oliver Dowden as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Thérèse Coffey as Environment Secretary, Mel Stride as Work and Pensions Secretary and Mark Harper as Transport Secretary.

Braverman's reappointment as Home Secretary in the Sunak ministry was challenged by Labour Party MPs, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party MPs and some Conservatives.[122] The Labour leader and Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer, raised it as the subject of his first question to Rishi Sunak at Sunak's first Prime Minister's Questions on 26 October 2022. She had previously resigned from her role as Home Secretary in the Truss ministry during the October 2022 government crisis, in response to criticism about an alleged security breach when she shared secure information with a colleague using her private email account.[123] Sunak said Braverman "made an error of judgment but she recognised that she raised the matter and she accepted her mistake".[124]

2023 reshuffles

Main articles: February 2023 British cabinet reshuffle and November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle
Former Prime Minister David Cameron made a surprise return to frontline politics in November 2023, seven years after resigning as Prime Minister, taking up the role as Foreign Secretary following the November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle.

The first reshuffle saw a significant restructuring of government departments. New departments included those for Business and Trade, Energy Security and Net Zero, and Science, Innovation and Technology. The Department for International Trade and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy were split and merged into other departments.

Ministers who joined the cabinet in the first reshuffle included Greg Hands took over as Chairman of the Conservative Party from Nadhim Zahawi and Lucy Frazer became Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport taking over from Michelle Donelan. Rachel Maclean left the backbenches and joined the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities.[125][126]

The second reshuffle saw the return of David Cameron to government after a six year departure from frontline politics, being appointed Foreign Secretary, replacing James Cleverly. it also saw the departures of Suella Braverman, Therese Coffey and Greg Hands from government.

August mini-reshuffle

On 31 August 2023, Sunak carried out a mini-reshuffle.[127] Ben Wallace resigned as Secretary of State for Defence and was replaced by Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Grant Shapps.[128] Shapps was replaced by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Families and Wellbeing Claire Coutinho.[129] The new children's minister was announced as backbencher MP David Johnston.[130]

Scandals

A number of scandals involving Conservative MPs (widely known as "sleaze") have occurred during Sunak's premiership.[131][11]

Gavin Williamson

Gavin Williamson resigned in November 2022 after allegations that he had used improper language to Wendy Morton and had bullied several staffers during his time as a Cabinet minister under Theresa May, to avoid being a distraction for Sunak's government.[132][133] At Prime Minister's Questions on 9 November, Sunak said it was "absolutely right" that Williamson had resigned and said: "I obviously regret appointing someone who has had to resign in these circumstances".[134]

Nadhim Zahawi

Nadhim Zahawi's tax arrangements attracted public attention in January 2023.[135] Sunak asked Laurie Magnus, the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, to investigate Zahawi's personal financial arrangements and declarations. The report identified seven breaches of the Ministerial Code and was published on 29 January 2023.[136] Sunak dismissed Zahawi immediately after he was found to have breached the Ministerial Code by failing to disclose that he was being investigated by HM Revenue and Customs while he served as chancellor under Johnson.[137][138]

Dominic Raab

The Cabinet Office told officials at No 10 there were informal complaints about Dominic Raab's behaviour before Sunak made him deputy prime minister according to The Times.[139] In 2023, Raab faced an independent investigation into complaints arising from his prior tenures as Lord Chancellor and Foreign Secretary under Boris Johnson while eight complaints were being formally investigated over his bullying.[140] Sunak stated he did not know about formal complaints but his press secretary did not confirm or deny whether Sunak knew of informal complaints.[141] On 14 December 2022, eight accusations of bullying were being formally investigated. On 21 April 2023, Raab resigned as Deputy Prime Minister the day after Sunak received the report into Raab's behaviour, which found that he had bullied civil servants.[142]

Suella Braverman

On 25 October, Braverman was reappointed as the Home Secretary by Sunak upon the formation of the Sunak ministry. Braverman's reappointment was challenged by Labour Party MPs, Liberal Democrats, Scottish National Party MPs and some Conservatives. The Labour leader and Leader of the Opposition, Keir Starmer, raised it as the subject of his first question to Sunak at Sunak's first Prime Minister's questions on 26 October 2022. Sunak said Braverman "made an error of judgment but she recognised that she raised the matter and she accepted her mistake".[143]

Following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Braverman was sacked as Home Secretary in the cabinet reshuffle of 13 November 2023, and was replaced by James Cleverly, who had been the Foreign Secretary.[144] According to The Guardian, the trigger for her sacking was an article written by her and published in The Times on 8 November 2023, which included a statement that there was "a perception that senior police officers play favourites when it comes to protesters" and were tougher on rightwing extremists than pro-Palestinian "mobs". The Guardian reported that the Prime Minister's office had asked for changes to be made to the article, but not all were implemented. The Labour Party and some police officers said that Braverman's writing had led to far-right supporters attacking police on 11 November 2023.

Seatbelt incident

In January 2023, Sunak was issued a fixed penalty notice by Lancashire Constabulary after a social media video of him failing to wear a seat belt in a moving vehicle was published.[145] Sunak apologised for the incident and said he made a "brief error of judgment".[146] It was the second time Sunak got a fixed penalty notice while in government. During his chancellorship in April 2022, he received one in relation to Partygate.[147]

International prime ministerial trips

Sunak and US President Joe Biden at the G20 Bali Summit, 16 November 2022
Main article: List of international prime ministerial trips made by Rishi Sunak

As of September 2023, Sunak made thirteen trips during his premiership. He has visited Egypt, Estonia, France, Germany, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Israel once, and has made two visits to the United States.

Notes

  1. ^ While Sunak is the first prime minister of British Asian ethnicity, several prime ministers have been noted to have Asian ancestry. Benjamin Disraeli came from a diverse European Jewish background, a community with historic roots in Asia. Boris Johnson's great-grandfather Ali Kemal Bey was Turkish. Lord Liverpool's great-grandmother Isabella Beizor was of partial Indian heritage.[26]

References

  1. ^ "Rishi Sunak: A quick guide to the UK's new prime minister". BBC News. 25 October 2022. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
  2. ^ "Watch as Sunak declared Tory contest winner". BBC News. 24 October 2022. Retrieved 24 October 2022.
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  147. ^ Rishi Sunak fined for not wearing seatbelt in back of car BBC
British premierships
Preceded by Sunak premiership
2022–present 		Succeeded by
N/A
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