Rishi Sunak is rumored to be considering delaying an important financial announcement scheduled for Halloween in order to ‘dig beneath the hood’ of the nation’s finances.
This morning, the new Prime Minister will gather his Cabinet before to his first encounter with Keir Starmer of the Labour Party at Prime Minister’s Questions.
However, this news comes amid rumours that the highly anticipated spending statement scheduled for Monday may be delayed once further.
Former chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng had originally scheduled the statement for November 23, but he was obliged to bring it forward due to the economic instability caused by last month’s mini-Budget.
Mr. Sunak will meet with Kwarteng’s successor Jeremy Hunt today, and they may delay the meeting by days or weeks so they have more time to evaluate the circumstances they inherited.
As a result of the replacement of Mr. Kwarteng and Ms. Truss in the top positions, the markets have been calmed, potentially providing the new leadership more room for maneuver.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly hinted at a possible postponement this morning.
He stated on BBC Breakfast, ‘Obviously, the timing of that fiscal statement was selected without any anticipation of a change in the prime minister. Now, there is a new prime minister.
“Thank goodness that transpired swiftly, since nobody like ambiguity.
This morning, the new Prime Minister will gather his Cabinet before to his first encounter with Keir Starmer of the Labour Party at Prime Minister’s Questions.
Mr. Sunak will meet with Kwarteng’s successor Jeremy Hunt today, and they may delay the meeting by days or weeks so they have more time to evaluate the circumstances they inherited.
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly hinted at a possible postponement this morning. He stated on BBC Breakfast, ‘Obviously, the timing of that fiscal statement was selected without any anticipation of a change in the prime minister. Now, there is a new prime minister.’
Zelensky invites Sunak to Ukraine during their initial telephone conversation.
Last night, Rishi Sunak walked onto the worldwide stage and took calls from world leaders as he set the groundwork for his premiership.
Earlier, the new prime minister made headlines for a stunning cabinet reshuffle in which he replaced key Truss loyalists while retaining Jeremy Hunt as chancellor, James Cleverly as foreign secretary, and Suella Braverman as home secretary.
Mr. Sunak took a call from US President Joe Biden hours after his cabinet reshuffle to discuss the crisis in Ukraine, as the US President referred to the United Kingdom as his country’s “closest ally.” In his celebratory speech, the president had previously mispronounced the PM’s name as “Rashie Sanook.”
In the coming weeks, the new Prime Minister will meet Joe Biden at the G20 summit in Indonesia.
Sunak reaffirmed the “special relationship” between the United Kingdom and the United States by referring to the two nations as “the closest of allies” in an Instagram post that included a picture of himself receiving a phone call.
The Prime Minister also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and assured him that the United Kingdom would continue to assist Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression. Zelensky in turn asked Sunak to visit Ukraine.
Yesterday, the Prime Minister got congratulations from a number of other foreign leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Gloria Meloni, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Russia, on the other hand, greeted the new Prime Minister with the coldest of words.
Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, stated that in Moscow, “we do not see any preconditions, reasons, or expectation for any good developments in the relationship between the United Kingdom and Russia in the near future.”
However, the Prime Minister was sworn in less than twenty-four hours ago. He is currently forming the government. He will need time with his Chancellor to ensure that the budgetary statement aligns with his aims.
The present date is only a few days away, as you stated.
“The Prime Minister and the Chancellor are aware that they need to move rapidly on this, but they also want to do it right, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens on that date.”
When it was pointed out to Mr. Cleverly that a delay would increase uncertainty, he responded, “A brief delay to ensure that we do this properly is not necessarily a bad thing.”
The new prime minister attacked Liz Truss last night by promising to ‘correct’ her’mistakes’ and regain the public’s ‘confidence’.
After being requested to form a government by King Charles at the annual “kissing hands” ceremony at Buckingham Palace, the incoming prime minister addressed the country from Downing Street.
In a somber speech, he warned of ‘tough’ decisions to cope with the country’s ‘deep economic crisis,’ adding he ‘felt’ the suffering of the British people. In response to accusations that he is too wealthy to relate to the problems of ordinary people, he stated, “I totally comprehend how difficult things are.”
In a jab at Boris Johnson, who abruptly withdrew from the race for the Tory leadership on Sunday evening, Mr. Sunak stated that the’mandate’ from the 2019 election did not belong to any particular individual. In addition, he emphasized that his administration will have “integrity, professionalism, and responsibility at every level.”
Mr. Sunak then undertook a Cabinet upheaval, with Jacob Rees-Mogg and Brandon Lewis among the first to be removed.
A torrent of further Truss appointments, including some who had supported him for the leadership, followed them out the door. They included the secretary for labour and pensions, Chloe Smith, the secretary for education, Kit Malthouse, and the secretary for the environment, Ranil Jayawardena. Meanwhile, the Tory Party chairman, a close confidant of Boris Johnson, Jake Berry, resigned.
As he begins the arduous process of unifying his party and restoring the UK’s economic credibility, the PM will make his first Commons appearance as Prime Minister at midday.
The new Prime Minister will see Sir Keir Starmer shortly after announcing a new Cabinet that he hopes would provide political stability to the nation.
It follows another significant day in British politics, during which Mr. Sunak dismissed over a dozen of Ms. Truss’s top-tier ministers, including Jacob Rees-Mogg, while restoring the careers of a number of prominent figures, including as Suella Braverman, Dominic Raab, and Michael Gove.
Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday will be the first test of how unified the party is behind its new leader, after Mr Sunak used his first public address on Tuesday to warn the nation to expect “tough decisions” while criticizing much of the legacy left by Liz Truss’ brief stint.
“Some mistakes were made. Not the result of malice or evil intent; just the reverse, in fact. But mistakes anyway, “he said.
“I’ve been chosen as the leader of my party and your prime minister in part to address these issues, and I’ll go to work right now.”
Mr. Sunak talked with Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky among the first world leaders on Tuesday evening, as he assured the Ukrainian president that the United Kingdom’s support for the war-torn nation will be “stronger than ever during his prime.”
In sharp contrast to Ms. Truss, he also spoke with Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and Welsh First Minister Mark Drakeford.
It is anticipated that the first meeting of Mr. Sunak’s new Cabinet might take place as early as Wednesday morning. This would be a gathering of Sunak loyalists, former Truss supporters, and right-wing party officials.
According to a No. 10 insider, the new Cabinet “brings together the skills of the party” and shows a “united party.”
Mr. Raab, one of a number of Sunak supporters rewarded with critical positions, was made vice-prime minister and reappointed justice secretary.
Mark Harper was appointed Transport Secretary, while Sir Gavin Williamson returned to the government as a minister without portfolio in the Cabinet Office.
Penny Mordaunt retained her position as leader of the House of Commons, while Truss ally Therese Coffey was appointed environment secretary.
Michael Gove returned to his former position as Secretary for Levelling Up, while Defence Secretary Ben Wallace and Foreign Secretary James Cleverly retained their positions.
However, the most controversial appointment was the return of Suella Braverman to the position of Home Secretary, barely days after she abruptly resigned after being accused of violating the ministerial code.
Mr. Sunak, who had previously pledged that his new government would be one of “purity,” faced immediate questions regarding his choice to rehire Ms. Braverman, as Labour accused the new prime minister of “putting party before country.”