A look at Rishi Sunak’s journey as UK’s Prime Minister
Britain’s first Indian-origin Prime Minister completed 100 days at No.10 Downing street. At this juncture, we look back at his political journey, the tribulations he has had to manage in his tenure as PM so far, and how he reached the peak of British politics.
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On Feb. 2, 2023 Rishi Sunak, Britain’s first Indian-origin Prime Minister, marked 100 days at Number 10, Downing Street. A member of the Conservative Party, he ascended to the Prime Ministerial position after his predecessor, Liz Truss resigned on October 20th, 2022 – Prime Minister for 45 days, hers was the shortest tenure in British history. He was the first Prime Minister to be appointed by King Charles III following his succession to the British throne.
When he began his tenure in October of last year, the United Kingdom was still dealing with the aftermath of the devastating Covid-19 pandemic, which killed over 2.17 lakh people. Britons were reeling under the high cost of living, driven by the disruption to global supply chains and the energy crisis brought on by the Russia-Ukraine war. In his first-ever speech as PM, Mr Sunak pledged to run the country with “integrity, professionalism and accountability” at every level. His manifesto included “a stronger NHS (National Health Service), better schools, safer streets, control of borders, and protection of the environment,” among others.
Crisis in Cabinet:
Almost immediately after he took charge, Sunak’s pledge to uphold integrity came under fire over his choice to include Gavin Williamson, Dominic Raab, and Suella Braverman in key posts in the Cabinet. Williamson and Raab have been accused of bullying civil servants and Baverman had resigned from the Truss-cabinet over security breach allegations. Though Williamson quit the post weeks later, Raab’s role as the Deputy Prime Minister has opened up Sunak for criticism from the Labour party, who termed him “too weak” to act on the bullying allegations.
Outside Parliament:
Besides internal politics, a key challenge of his tenure has been the ongoing strikes by the public sector workers in Britain as well as climate groups. Beginning with the nurses and ambulance workers, then the rail crews, and now teachers, lakhs of workers in the country have gone on strike for better pay and benefits, crippling public transport, short-staffing hospitals and potentially shutting down schools, thus disrupting normal life.
Though he has been reluctant to give into the demands of the unions, Sunak struck a positive note while speaking to health workers a few days ago. “The things that happened before I was Prime Minister, I can’t do anything about,” he said, as per a report by the news agency Associated Press. “What I think you can hold me to account for is how I deal with the things that arise on my watch.”
This is an attitude that Sunak, who served as the finance minister in Boris Johnson’s government, has maintained when it comes to dealing with the economic crisis that the country is facing as well. Britain’s annual inflation, which hit a record 11.1 per cent in October 2022 has remained at 10.5 per cent as of December 2022 and the recently released IMF (International Monetary Fund) report has forecast that the UK economy will shrink by 0.6 per cent. In light of the high living costs problem, a section of the Conservative party has called for tax cuts, which Sunak has ruled out. He has instead focussed on decreasing inflation rates, which economists have reportedly said is likely to fall sometime in 2023. “I’m a Conservative, I want to cut your taxes … I wish I could do that tomorrow, quite frankly,” he said at a public meeting in Lancashire, according to media reports. He continued by saying, “But we can’t do that because the Ukraine war and Covid-19 pandemic had left the state of public finances not where it needs to be.”
Foreign policy:
On the global front, managing the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and that of Brexit on the UK’s trade sector dominated Sunak’s first days at Number 10. One of his first gestures after becoming PM was a surprise visit to Ukraine, where he met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “Britain knows what it means to fight for freedom. We are with you all the way,” he wrote on Twitter after the trip, during which he pledged £50m in aid to Ukraine. Following the visit, Zelenskyy publicly squashed rumours that he preferred Boris Johnson, who was a vocal supporter of Ukraine, over Sunak.
Brexit:
Charting the UK's relationship with the European Union post-Brexit has been a more precarious task. Sunak’s focus thus far has been on confirming the smaller details of a deal concerning the Northern Ireland Protocol (a trading arrangement, negotiated during Brexit talks. It allows goods to be transported across the Irish land border without the need for checks). UK-based media sources have been reporting that an agreement is in the works and that the US is playing a key role in brokering it, though a formal announcement is yet to be made. If finalised, it would be a significant feat, but could also open him up to criticism from the hardliners in his party who are quick to protest any dilution of the Brexit ideals. He will also be under pressure from Northern Ireland’s unionists who fear that any custom checks (as required by the EU) will send a wrong message as to its standing in the UK.
The British public’s thoughts:
The PM's status as one of the richest people to occupy Number 10 and his ‘corporate man’ persona have been largely balanced by the level of stability he brought to the role after years of turmoil at the top. Jill Rutter, a senior fellow at the Institute for Government think tank, told media sources that Sunak had succeeded in overcoming the impression that the UK “had a completely lunatic government.” “You would chalk that up as the first thing that he had on his to-do list,” she said. “Otherwise, it’s slightly hard to see concrete achievements.”
His family’s million-dollar fortune (his wife Akshata Murthy is the heir to tech giant Infosys) has often opened him up to criticism of being out of touch with the common man. In January 2023, he was criticised for his “recklessly expensive habits” after it was reported that he took an RAF flight for an official domestic trip thrice in 10 days. Sunak, however, defended himself, saying, “I travel around so I can do lots of things in one day, I’m not travelling around just for my own enjoyment,” as per a report in the domestic media. A few days later, he was fined for not wearing a seatbelt in a moving vehicle after he posted a selfie video on Instagram.
Looking to the future:
Nevertheless, Sunak has enough time to turn things around before the general elections next year. A poll conducted by Ipsos Group S.A. between January 18 and January 25 said that more than half the population is unhappy with his premiership, with 55 per cent of Britons saying they are dissatisfied with the job Sunak is doing as Prime Minister. The strongest contender for his post, at the moment, seems to be Labour party leader Keir Starmer, according to the findings. The Ipsos poll conducted telephone interviews of a representative sample of 1,001 adults aged 18+ across Great Britain and found that 39 per cent of the public think Labour party leader Keir Starmer would be a capable Prime Minister while only 33 per cent opined in favour of Sunak, which is a remarkable turnaround from November 2022 when Sunak led Stramer by 41 per cent to 35 per cent. Despite the trials and laurels he’s endured, what kind of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will prove to be will be determined in the months to come.