Rishi Sunak Becomes Britain’s 57th Prime Minister

Former Treasury Chief, Rishi Sunak, 42, is set to become Britain’s next prime minister after winning the Conservative leadership race Monday.

He is now the new Leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party. According to an announcement made by Sir Graham Brady, only one nomination was received by the 1922 Committee for the new leader of the party and backed by 100 MPs.

Sir Brady, therefore, declared Sunak to be the next party leader, and consequently the new Prime Minister.

Sunak will be Britain’s first leader of color, and the nation’s third leader just this year. He will take over as prime minister from Liz Truss, who quit last week after 45 tumultuous days in office, leaving a staggering economy and a shell-shocked and divided party. His only rival, Penny Mordaunt, conceded and withdrew after failing to reach the nomination threshold of 100 Conservative lawmakers needed to stay in the race.

Sunak will now be asked by King Charles III to form a government. He will become the prime minister in a handover of power from Truss later Monday or on Tuesday.

Sunak’s victory is historic: He is the first British prime minister of South Asian heritage, the first Hindu to hold the post, and the youngest for 200 years.