London, 25 Oct (Xinhua) -- After becoming the leader of the ruling Conservative Party, former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak was approved by the British king on 25 October to officially succeed Truss as British prime minister. British media reported that he was the first Asian prime minister in British history and the youngest British prime minister in more than 100 years.
Analysts pointed out that frequent changes of prime ministers have caused intra-Conservative party strife and chaos in the British political arena, coupled with the current challenges to the British economy and people's livelihood, Sunak is facing complex governing problems.
British media: "The trouble has just begun"
Sunak was born in England in 1980 and graduated from Oxford University. He was elected to the House of Commons in 2015 and Chancellor of the Exchequer since 2020, resigning in early July and subsequently contesting the Conservative Party leadership election, but losing to Truss. After Truss announced his resignation on the 20th, the Conservative Party immediately began to elect a new party leader. On the 24th, within the specified time limit, Sunak alone won the support of more than 100 Conservative members of the House of Commons and became the new leader according to the rules.
On October 24, in London, England, Rishi Sunak left the headquarters of the Conservative Party. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ying
From his defeat in September to his election in October, things were on a roller coaster, and Sunak finally got his wish. However, the British Sky News channel commented that for the young new prime minister who has been in politics for only 8 years, "the trouble has just begun", and the Conservative Party faces more difficulties in governing than when Truss came to power more than a month ago.
Economic livelihood is the biggest challenge
First, as Ian Berger, a scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science, argues, Sunak's biggest challenge is to revive the economy.
Since the beginning of this year, the problems of serious inflation in the UK, slow economic growth, and soaring living costs have not been alleviated, and the ruling party's public opinion support rate has been declining. The aggressive tax cuts introduced by the Truss government in late September triggered a sharp shock in financial markets and exacerbated the downturn in the British economy.
Sunak has experience as Chancellor of the Exchequer, and the fiscal plan introduced during the coronavirus pandemic to protect employment has won praise. But Britain's current economic woes are different from those during the pandemic, and Sunak must reapply the right treatment. Berger believes he has had to "deal with a series of complex issues in a very unfavorable fiscal environment" and "walk tightropes" in multiple areas at the same time.
A pedestrian walks past a closed shop in Manchester, England, on October 7. Xinhua News Agency (Photo by Jon Hueper)
Another conundrum Sunak needs to answer is bridging divisions within the party. After assuming office as party leader, he promised to make uniting the Conservative Party and stabilizing the country a top priority. In this regard, Jon Town, professor of political science at the University of Liverpool, bluntly said that the Conservative Party can no longer afford to change the leader again in the short term.
Opposition parties such as the Labour Party and the Liberal Democratic Party again called for an immediate general election on the 24th. On the same day, a petition calling for a snap election has garnered more than 870,000 signatures in Britain. Recent polls suggest that the Conservatives would lose to Labour if the current general election were to be held. But the British media believe that a snap election is very unlikely.
The British people are disillusioned with the system
In less than half a year, the British have welcomed 4 chancellors, 3 home secretaries and 3 prime ministers. Such a farce in British politics made Berg lament, "This is really not what the government should be."
Some analysts believe that the political turmoil in the UK has exposed the divisions and chaos within the ruling Conservative Party, and also exposed the failure of the government in governing the country and society. This has led to growing frustration with the British people's democratic institutions.
Boris Johnson (second from left) leaves by car after delivering his last speech before leaving office at 10 Downing Street, London, England, on September 6. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ying
A study released by the British Institute of Public Policy Research in the first half of this year pointed out that the Conservative government has further undermined the trust of the public, especially young people, in the British political system. A recent survey of young Britons aged 16 to 24 by pollster Ipsos found that only 17% of respondents were optimistic about the UK's political outlook.
The chaos in British politics is also triggering reflection in Western public opinion. CNN linked to America's own democratic dilemma: "The enduring strength of the American and British political systems has been its stability, orderly transfer of power... On both sides of the Atlantic, that foundation is now being questioned. (Reporters: Du Juan, Xu Feng, Han Yan, Zhao Xiaona; Reporters: Larry Nielder, Ray Don; Editor: Wang Pei, Ma Xiao)
Source: Xinhua News Agency