This is the moment when newly appointed Prime Minister Rishi Sunak suddenly appeared to levitate as he celebrated his victory in the race to No. 10.
Mr. Sunak, age 42, became leader of the Conservative Party today after Boris Johnson’s unexpected retirement last night and his sole competitor Penny Mordaunt’s earlier withdrawal for failing to receive 100 nominations.
In the midst of the festivities, however, the MP for Richmond (Yorkshire) was captured on camera suddenly appearing to gain a couple of inches as he waved to his fellow Conservative Party MPs at the Conservative Party HQ after becoming Britain’s first non-white and Hindu prime minister on the same day as the religious festival Diwali.
Mr. Sunak, who is supposedly 5 feet 6 inches tall, surprised Twitter users when he appeared to levitate in the crowd while the camera was focused on him.
In the footage, the Tory leader embraces and shakes hands with jubilant fans before departing.
Rishi Sunak (left), the newly crowned prime minister, appeared to abruptly levitate as he celebrated his victory in the race to No. 10
Mr Sunak, who is allegedly 5ft 6in tall, perplexed Twitter users as he looked to grow while the camera focused on him in the crowd.
Many joked that he had imitated the effect of stepping on a mushroom in Super Mario Bros, which gives players an instant height boost.
Others used the chance to make funny remarks to the incoming prime minister. One joked, “It’s known as leveling up,” while another responded, “Well, they did promise growth.”
Others, however, were simply astonished at how much he had grown. One person said, “All jokes aside, the more you watch it, the stranger it seems! He does not appear to have climbed onto anything, nor was he lifted by anyone; seriously, how did that happen?
Twitter users were perplexed as to how Mr. Sunak suddenly appeared to float. Some quipped that it resembled stepping on a mushroom from Super Mario Bros., while others referred to the Conservatives’ pledges of ‘progress’ and ‘leveling up.
Others joked that a box was placed beneath his feet.
Winston Churchill, a previous prime minister, was only 5 feet and 5 inches tall.
Mr. Sunak told a camera at the headquarters that the United Kingdom is a “wonderful country” and committed to work “day in and day out,” but he drew attention to major economic issues.
Rishi Sunak, speaking to a camera inside Conservative HQ after being welcomed by MPs (shown), described the United Kingdom as a “wonderful country” and pledged to work “day in and day out,” although he drew attention to the country’s severe economic issues.
Today, upon receiving the keys to Downing Street, he vowed to lead No. 10 with “purity and humility” and warned of “deep challenges” to come.
The new prime minister was greeted with rapturous applause when he made a 10-minute private address to MPs in Parliament. He told his troops that Mr. Johnson, Ms. Mordaunt, and Ms. Truss were “all good Conservative colleagues and friends,” adding, “We’re united behind the policy and cannot afford the indulgence of division over personality.”
Tomorrow, King Charles is scheduled to formally appoint Mr. Sunak as prime minister.