US President Joe Biden and Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak agreed in talks Tuesday to work together to support Ukraine and stand up to China, the White House said.
They spoke for the first time hours after Sunak became Britain’s third prime minister this year, inheriting an economic crisis after the resignation of Liz Truss after a mere 49-day tenure.
The two leaders also reaffirmed the “special relationship” that exists between the United States and Britain, and said they would work together to advance global security and prosperity, the White House said in a read-out of the conversation.
“The leaders agreed on the importance of working together to support Ukraine and hold Russia accountable for its aggression,” the statement said of the war triggered by the Russian invasion of its pro-Western neighbor in February.
The White House said Biden and Sunak also agreed to “address the challenges posed by China,” which Washington has identified as its top geopolitical and economic rival on the world stage today.
Downing St had earlier released its own read-out of the call in wich it said the pair “discussed the extent of UK-US cooperation, both bilaterally and in regions such as the Indo-Pacific,” as well as the more contentious issue of Northern Ireland.
Earlier on Tuesday Biden had congratulated Sunak in a tweet.
On Monday Biden described the naming of Britain’s first non-white prime minister as “pretty astounding, a groundbreaking milestone.”
Britain has been a key European ally of the United States in arming and supporting the Ukrainian military as it tries to repel the Russian invasion, which began last February.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with Sunak on Tuesday and voiced confidence that ties between their two countries would grow.
“I believe that the partnership between our states, as well as Britain’s… leadership in defending democracy and freedom, will continue to strengthen further,” Zelensky said after the phone call, in his daily address to the nation.
The Ukrainian leader also invited the British premier to visit Ukraine.
Later, in a post on Twitter Zelensky added: “In an excellent conversation with @RishiSunak we agreed to write a new chapter in Ukraine-UK relations but the story is the same — full support in the face of Russian aggression.”
In its own statement, Downing Street said Sunak assured Zelensky of the UK’s “steadfast support”.
“The prime minister said the United Kingdom’s support for Ukraine would be as strong as ever under his premiership, and President Zelensky could count on his government to stand in continued solidarity,” a Sunak spokeswoman said.
Sunak on Tuesday became Britain’s third prime minister this year, vowing to overcome an economic crisis provoked by the “mistakes” of Liz Truss’s calamitous 49-day tenure.
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Some relatives of UK PM Rishi Sunak who live in Punjab’s Ludhiana expressed their happiness after he assumed the office. “There is also joy in Ludhiana. The children of our family often visit London. I’m confident that Rishi Sunak will improve UK’s economy. It is a moment of pride to see him as the Head of the country which once ruled India,” said Subhash Berry, a cousin of Rishi Sunak’s mother Usha Sunak.
Some relatives of UK PM #RishiSunak who live in Punjab's Ludhiana expressed their happiness after he assumed the office. pic.twitter.com/gQVvkxTbEX
— ANI (@ANI) October 26, 2022
Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi on Wednesday congratulated Rishi Sunak on his elevation as British Prime Minister and hoped India’s ties with the UK will further deepen during his tenure. “I am delighted at your taking over as Prime Minister of Great Britain. It is certainly a matter of pride for all of us in India,” she said in her letter to Sunak, who is of Indian origin.
“India-Britain relations have always been very special and I am confident that they will be further deepened during your tenure,” Gandhi said.
This morning I set out to Cabinet the enormous task we face, and why I am confident that this government can rise to the challenge and deliver for the whole United Kingdom.
Now is the time to get to work and earn the trust of the British people. pic.twitter.com/uncUjSCfsL
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 26, 2022
Backbench Labour MP Richard Burgon took a swipe at Rishi Sunak’s wealth in a question as he called for more taxes on the rich. Burgon said a nurse would have to work more than “20,000 years” to “match the vast wealth of this prime minister”, Sky News reported.
After Labour leader Keir Starmer questioned re-appointment of Suella Braverman as home secretary, Sunak said she made an error of judgement, but she had recognised that.
He adds that he is delighted to welcome her back into a “united” cabinet that brings “experience and stability to the heart of government”.
He says she’ll be focused on “cracking down on criminals” and “defending borders”, while the party in opposition remains “soft on crime” and in favour of “unlimited immigration”, BBC reported.
Russian President Vladimir Putin did not congratulate Rishi Sunak on his appointment as UK prime minister because Britain is considered an “unfriendly” countries by Moscow, the Kremlin said Wednesday.
“Britain currently belongs to the category of unfriendly countries. So no, a (congratulations) telegram was not sent,” Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, AFP reported.
In his first Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street, PM Rishi Sunak told ministers that “economic stability and fiscal sustainability would be at the heart” of his government’s mission, according to BBC.
PM Rishi Sunak on Wednesday held his first Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street, BBC reported.
The UK’s eagerly awaited budget plan has been postponed until November 17, the office of new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on Wednesday.
“The Chancellor updated the cabinet on the timing of the fiscal event. The Prime Minister and the chancellor agreed that the fiscal event would now take place on the 17th November,” a readout of Sunak’s first cabinet meeting said, AFP reported.
Prime Minister @RishiSunak & Chancellor @Jeremy_Hunt have agreed the Autumn Statement will be delivered on 17 November with an @OBR_UK forecast. It will contain the UK’s medium term fiscal plan to put public spending on a sustainable footing, get debt falling & restore stability. pic.twitter.com/3wiSAU1iaK
— HM Treasury (@hmtreasury) October 26, 2022
Britain’s new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak could delay the announcement of a plan to repair the country’s public finances, foreign minister James Cleverly said on Wednesday, suggesting a little more time might be needed to spell out the details, according to Reuters.
After Rishi Sunak became the new UK PM, a picture of him with Sonam Kapoor, Sarod maestro Amjad Ali Khan and director Shekhar Kapur is being widely shared. Read more
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Tuesday spoke to his British counterpart James Cleverly on a day Rishi Sunak took charge as the UK’s first Indian-origin prime minister. In the Cabinet reshuffle being effected by Sunak, Cleverly is set to stay as the foreign secretary.
In a tweet, Jaishankar said he and the British foreign secretary discussed counter-terror cooperation, bilateral ties and the Ukraine conflict. “Received a call from UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly. Discussed counter-terrorism, bilateral relations and the Ukraine conflict,” Jaishankar said.
On his part, Cleverly said, “Great to speak with India’s External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar today.” “We discussed the Russia-Ukraine crisis and that the UK will be challenging Russia’s rhetoric and allegations during the UNSC today,” he said. In his first address at the doorstep of 10 Downing Street in London, Sunak said that he takes over at a time when the UK is facing a “profound economic crisis” as it deals with the aftermath of COVID and the Russia-Ukraine conflict. India and the UK have been engaged in negotiations for a free trade agreement. Over a week ago, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said both sides holding negotiations for an early finalisation of the pact that could be beneficial to both sides.
According to IAS officer Shah Faesal, Rishi Sunak’s appointment as UK Prime Minister may come as a surprise in Pakistan, where minorities are barred from holding top government positions, but not in Indian democracy. The IAS officer’s praise for India comes amid a spat between the BJP and the opposition sparked by the appointment of Rishi Sunak. While Congress leaders P Chidambaram and Shashi Tharoor questioned the BJP’s majority, BJP leaders cited Manmohan Singh, Abdul Kalam, and Draupadi Murmu as examples.
It's possible only in India that a Muslim youngster from Kashmir can go on to top the Indian Civil Service exam, rise to top echelons of the government, then fall apart with the government and still be rescued and taken back by the same government. Rishi Saunak's appointment 1/4
— Shah Faesal (@shahfaesal) October 25, 2022
Rishi Sunak, the new and third UK PM this year, wades into murky waters as the country faces economic turmoil. Now, an old video of Sunak’s stance on trans women is getting criticised on social media. During the TalkTV leadership hustings on August 25, both Sunak and Liz Truss were asked if they thought trans women were women. Both of them simply replied “No”, reported PinkNews. In a similar stance earlier, Sunak told Mumsnet that trans people should be respected, but that biology is “fundamental” when it comes to subjects like toilets or sports. READ MORE
Some relatives of Rishi Sunak who live in Ludhiana in Punjab on Tuesday expressed happiness on him becoming the prime minister of Britain and said it is a moment of pride to see an Indian-origin person as the head of the country which once ruled India. Among the relatives who live here is Subhash Berry, a cousin of Rishi Sunak’s mother Usha Sunak.
Subhash Berry said his uncle and Rishi Sunak’s maternal grandfather Raghubir Berry had visited Ludhiana at the time of his wife’s death. Raghubir Berry, 92, currently lives in London. He said Raghubir Berry, along with some other family members, had migrated to East Africa. Later, Raghubir Berry migrated to the UK. The Berry family earlier resided in Karimpura mohalla of the city and currently lives in Civil Lines.
Ajay Berry, another member of the Berry family, expressed extreme happiness on Rishi Sunak becoming the prime minister of the United Kingdom. He said it is a moment of pride to see an Indian-origin person becoming the prime minister of the country which once ruled India. (PTI)
Rishi Sunak will on Wednesday face off against opposition lawmakers for the first time as British prime minister, in a likely raucous parliamentary session following weeks of political turmoil.
It comes after he took power Tuesday as the first UK leader of colour, vowing to repair the damage wrought by outgoing leader Liz Truss through her disastrous budget, which sparked economic carnage.
Pledging also to unite his fractured Conservatives, and an increasingly unimpressed country, Sunak began his tenure by re-appointing a host of ministers from his predecessor’s top team.
The former finance minister retained Jeremy Hunt as chancellor of the exchequer, bidding to keep markets on side after he stabilised the situation with his initial appointment nearly two weeks ago.
He also kept Truss’s foreign, defence, trade and culture ministers, among others, as well as controversially bringing back recently fired Home Secretary Suella Braverman.
The line-up “reflects a unified party and a cabinet with significant experience, ensuring that at this uncertain time there is continuity at the heart of government”, a Downing Street source said.
The largely same-look cabinet could hold an inaugural meeting Wednesday before Sunak heads to the House of Commons for his first weekly “Prime Minister’s Questions”, when he will battle Labour leader Keir Starmer and other opposition lawmakers. (AFP)
Indian Americans on Tuesday celebrated the swearing-in of Indian origin Rishi Sunak as the United Kingdom’s Prime Minister and said it was a big day for the overseas Indian community. This was a big Diwali present for the diaspora. Rishi was already on the Indiaspora government leaders list and we welcome him and wish him well as he takes office! Silicon Valley-based entrepreneur and Indiaspora founder M R Rangaswami said.
It’s a special Diwali this year as the UK has its first prime minister of Indian origin. Congratulations, Gita Gopinath, the first deputy managing director of the International Monetary Fund. Dr Sampat Shivangi, who chairs the Mississippi State Board of Mental Health, hailed Sunak for scripting history. What a proud moment for an Indian to see Rishi occupying the highest seat of power just 75 years ago, Britons were the rulers of colonial India, he said. Dr Shivangi said he has known Rishi and his family personally for several years as their relatives hail from Athani in Karnataka. Sudha Murthy’s (Sunak’s mother-in-law) father was my professor in my medical school, he recalled.
I look forward to a successful transformation of the UK economy in the coming days I wish Sunak that he brings glory and tremendous credibility to his nation, the Indian diaspora and to his ancestral land, he said. Al Mason, a real estate businessman from New York lauded Sunak for being the first British prime minister of South Asian heritage, the first Hindu and the youngest to hold the post.
Canadian parliamentarian Chandra Arya in a statement congratulated Sunak on being the UK’s first Hindu prime minister. May his achievement motivate a new generation of Canadians to get more actively involved in public service, he said. (PTI)
With Rishi Sunak the first non-White Prime Minister of Britain, arch-rivals India and Pakistan are on the cusp of history to share a pride, though none of them played a role in it. The 42-year-old former chancellor, a devout Hindu, was elected unopposed as the new leader of the governing Conservative Party on Diwali as Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the race. READ MORE
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had spoken with Sunak on Tuesday and voiced confidence that ties between their two countries would grow.
“I believe that the partnership between our states, as well as Britain’s… leadership in defending democracy and freedom, will continue to strengthen further,” Zelensky said after the phone call, in his daily address to the nation.
The Ukrainian leader also invited the British premier to visit Ukraine.
Later, in a post on Twitter Zelensky added: “In an excellent conversation with @RishiSunak we agreed to write a new chapter in Ukraine-UK relations but the story is the same — full support in the face of Russian aggression.”
In its own statement, Downing Street said Sunak assured Zelensky of the UK’s “steadfast support”. (AFP)
The combined fortune of Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty is estimated at £730 million, the double estimated wealth (£300 million-£350 million) of King Charles III and Camilla, the Queen Consort. READ MORE