He will hope that Monday’s coronation will help to unite his fractured party, whose wings span culture-warrior free-marketeers to liberal centrists who would not look out of place in the American Democratic party.
Even tougher will be bringing economic calm and stability, as Britain faces a cost-of-living crisis already forcing some people to go hungry, and a painful recession that has no obvious solution.
Truss’ short tenure fueled a crisis that sent interest rates spiraling and the pound plunging, with markets now expecting that the government will cut spending and increase taxes as a result. Sunak has not said what his policies will be, but has been a longtime advocate of budgetary restraint.
Teetotal and whip-smart, Sunak is seen by many within the party as a technocratic, stabilizing influence following the mayhem of the Johnson-Truss era. During his leadership election with Truss last month, he warned that many of her tax-cutting policies would bring economic disaster — and he was right.
Though Johnson ultimately chose not to fight this contest, it is the latest flashpoint between two men who have become fierce rivals having served at the top of government together just a few months ago.
Sunak was Johnson’s finance minister, the second most powerful position in government. But after yet another scandal emerged raising questions of Johnson’s relationship to the truth, Sunak resigned and ultimately helped bring down his then boss.
And while Sunak is not as synonymous with the revelations about boozy lockdown-busting parties as Johnson, police found that he too had broken the law over the “partygate” affair and issued him with a fine.
Earlier this year, he and his wife, Akshata Murthy, 42, came under intense criticism after it emerged she had paid million less in tax because she legally claimed “non-domicile” status in the U.K., meaning she was treated as foreign-based for tax reasons.
Though he is a former banker, it’s through his wife’s father, Indian software tycoon NR Narayana Murthy, that they sit on an estimated 730 million-pound fortune ($825 million) — making the couple richer than the king and Camila, Queen Consort.
As well as their new residence in Downing St., they have four homes including a penthouse apartment in Santa Monica, California, overlooking the beach where “Baywatch” was filmed.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Nbcnews.com
