The Conversation (0)
Harriet Brewis
Oct 25, 2022
‘Mistakes were made’: Sunak vows to ‘fix’ Truss errors
The Independent
Well, there you have it, folks. The UK has its third Prime Minister in as many months.
Rishi Sunak was appointed to the top job by the King this morning following the resignation of Liz Truss – the shortest-serving leader in history.
Indeed, this whole thing is a pageant of superlatives: with Sunak, 42, now the first Hindu PM, the first of Asian heritage and the youngest for more than 200 years.
He gave his first address to the public just before midday on Tuesday, in which he explained “why I’m standing here as your new Prime Minister”.
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That’s a question on many people’s lips, to be sure, but we’ve not convinced the five-minute answer he gave will satisfy large swathes of the population.
Instead, scores of viewers latched onto details including the style of his lectern, his poses for the camera and his behaviour towards Downing Street's famous feline resident.
Here’s a round-up of some of the top Twitter reactions, both positive and… less positive.
Let's start with an important point to remember: regardless of your views on his policies or whether he deserves his place in Number 10, his appointment is a historic milestone – and that matters.
\u201cI\u2019m in the chemo clinic watching Rishi Sunak become the first person of colour to be PM. For a 1st generation migrant like me, born in Sri Lanka, it is a moment of great pride to live in a European country where this is possible. Racism is not over, but we\u2019re on the right path.\u201d— George Alagiah (@George Alagiah) 1666695646
\u201cI\u2019ve always believed that Britain is the most successful multiracial democracy on earth - this takes it to a new level.\n\nSo proud of my friend @RishiSunak on becoming the first British Asian UK Prime Minister. \n\nA historic moment.\u201d— Sajid Javid (@Sajid Javid) 1666700099
But that doesn't mean people can't take issues with his ascendancy to the top job for other reasons, namely that he wasn't elected by the British people – just a couple of hundred Tory MPs.
\u201cCongratulations, Rishi Sunak, on becoming Prime Minister and making history as the first British Asian PM.\n\nThe Tories have crashed the economy, with low wages, high prices and a cost of living crisis.\n\nThe public needs a fresh start and a say on Britain\u2019s future.\u201d— Keir Starmer (@Keir Starmer) 1666695414
\u201cThere are lots of children in my constituency and beyond who will see someone who looks like them walk into No. 10 today. This is a wonderful thing.\n\nWe will take on Rishi Sunak on the basis of his record, his policies and the chaos his party has caused.\u201d— Wes Streeting MP (@Wes Streeting MP) 1666684956
Others weren't fans of the content of his speech:
\u201cNot a single mention of climate in Rishi Sunak's first speech as PM. It's not like we're facing a climate emergency, a major global climate summit next month, the leakiest homes in Europe right in the middle of a gas price crisis, or anything like that...\u201d— Caroline Lucas (@Caroline Lucas) 1666695584
While others questioned his delivery:
\u201cImagine becoming leader of the country knowing that your first speech has to be fresh, original and inspiring and then deciding you\u2019re just going to resort to delivering two paragraphs of cliched insincerities with the same passion as a dot matrix printer.\u201d— Michael Spicer (@Michael Spicer) 1666631024
\u201cToday in Focus describes Rishi Sunak as \u201ca LinkedIn profile made sentient\u201d \ud83d\udc80\u201d— J (@J) 1666681240
\u201cRishi Sunak malfunctions before entering No.10. \ud83d\ude0a\u201d— Haggis_UK \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa (@Haggis_UK \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7 \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa) 1666695691
Not everyone was focused on his wooden performance, however. Others were busy thinking about other kinds of wood...
\u201cDo prime minister\u2019s choose their podiums? Look at the difference between Truss\u2019s and Sunak\u2019s\u201d— Robert Peston (@Robert Peston) 1666693792
\u201cBoom time for carpenters, at least.\u201d— Count Binface (@Count Binface) 1666696639
\u201cBREAKING LECTERN NEWS:\nRishi does not have his own lectern because there was no time to design a new one, I'm told. \n\nHe has a leftover straight version of Liz Truss's "twisty" lectern.\nhttps://t.co/g4zw0I5JA8\u201d— Tony Diver (@Tony Diver) 1666693405
That includes the return of "hot podium guy":
\u201c#HotPodiumGuy is back! And with a cheeky look to camera too \ud83d\ude0d\n#DowningStreet\u201d— Se\u00e1n Seosamh Robertson (@Se\u00e1n Seosamh Robertson) 1666693301
Meanwhile, having been accused of snubbing Matt Hancock yesterday outside Tory HQ, Sunak now found himself in the firing line for allegedly giving Larry the Cat the cold shoulder:
\u201cRishi Sunak blanks Larry the Cat as he arrives at No10\u201d— Mikey Smith (@Mikey Smith) 1666695347
\u201cMy old pal @faisalislam made sure to get an angle featuring the real boss around here\u2026\u201d— Larry the Cat (@Larry the Cat) 1666695744
\u201cWorried Rishi Sunak will be killed by Larry the Downing Street cat\u201d— Frankie Boyle (@Frankie Boyle) 1666698183
Of course, there was plenty of admiration for the new PM, too:
\u201cSunak tone spot on - talked about \u201ccompassion\u201d in his decisions - we haven\u2019t heard that word for a long long time. And bold enough to say he was there to clean up Truss mistakes. No hiding from that.\u201d— emily m (@emily m) 1666696015
\u201cDon\u2019t know what they\u2019ve done with the robotic Rishi Sunak of yesterday. But this guy looks the real deal.\u201d— (((Dan Hodges))) (@(((Dan Hodges)))) 1666695289
And, following his speech, world leaders flocked to offer their congratulations to their new British counterpart:
\u201cCongratulations to @RishiSunak, who has become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Together we will continue working to tackle the challenges of the moment, including the war in Ukraine and its many consequences for Europe and the world.\u201d— Emmanuel Macron (@Emmanuel Macron) 1666695664
\u201cWarmest congratulations @RishiSunak! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the 'living bridge' of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership.\u201d— Narendra Modi (@Narendra Modi) 1666625228
Finally, others took the opportunity to consider how long Sunak will last in Number 10, given the chaos of the past few weeks:
\u201cJust got back from Barcelona. Is @RishiSunak still Prime Minister?\u201d— Gary Lineker \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b (@Gary Lineker \ud83d\udc99\ud83d\udc9b) 1666697050
He is, Gary. At least for now...
It is a simple and fundamental principle that the government derives its democratic legitimacy from the people. The future of the country must not be decided by plotting and U-turns at Westminster; it must be decided by the people in a general election. And for this reason The Independent is calling for an election to be held. Have your say and sign our election petition by clicking here.
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