As Rishi Sunak Bids Farewell To 10 Downing St, A Look At The Reasons For His Defeat In UK Elections
Despite his loss, 44-year-old Sunak’s place in the history books as Britain's first Prime Minister of Indian heritage is secure
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak conceded the Conservative Party's defeat in the 2024 general election on Friday and saying the opposition Labour Party had won.
"The Labour Party has won this general election and I have called Sir Keir Starmer to congratulate him on his victory. Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner, with goodwill on all sides. That is something that should give us all confidence in our country's stability and future," Sunak said after winning his parliamentary seat in northern England.
Sunak will now tender his resignation to head of state-- King Charles III-- with the monarch then asking his opponent Starmer, as the leader of the largest party in parliament, to form a government.
Despite his loss, 44-year-old Sunak’s place in the history books as Britain's first Prime Minister of Indian heritage is secure. He is also the United Kingdom’s first Hindu leader, first leader of color, and at 42 he was the youngest to take the job in over 200 years. He’s also probably the richest person to govern from No. 10 Downing St.
A look At Sunak's Political Career
Sunak was elected Conservative Party leader on Diwali day in October 2022, when he entered 10 Downing Street as the youngest British Prime Minister in 210 years and the country's very first non-white leader.
He had pitched himself as a stable pair of hands to replace his predecessor Liz Truss and reminded voters that he had warned Conservative Party members about the recklessness of Truss’s economic plan when he challenged her to succeed Johnson.
“I was right then, when I warned about Liz Truss,” a PTI report quoted him as saying. “That’s why all of you can trust me now.”
Sunak had enjoyed a rapid rise to the top within Conservative ranks. He was plucked from seemingly nowhere four years ago to become Treasury chief on the eve of the coronavirus pandemic.
Within weeks, he had to unveil the biggest economic support package any Chancellor of the Exchequer has ever had to outside wartime.
Smooth, confident and at ease with the march of modern technology, he was dubbed “Dishy Rishi” and quickly became one of the most trusted and popular faces within Johnson’s administration during the rigors of the pandemic.
As Treasury chief, Sunak was lauded for rolling out a COVID-19 job retention package that arguably saved millions of jobs. But it came at a cost, bringing the country’s tax burden to its highest level since the 1940s.
Possible Reasons For Sunak's Defeat
Sunak was undoubtedly the underdog in the election, coming at the end of a long line of Conservative Party leaders over 14 tough years that underwent some seismic shocks in the form of Brexit and then the COVID pandemic.
However, he took charge at a particularly volatile period amid soaring inflation made worse by predecessor Liz Truss’ disastrous mini-budget. While he succeeded in his aim to bring inflation back down, the wider sense of anti-incumbency against his deeply divided party has only intensified.
In his 20 months as prime minister, Sunak has reportedly struggled to keep a lid on bitter divisions within his Conservative Party. One side wants him to be much tougher on immigration and bolder in cutting taxes, while another urged him to move more to the centerground of politics, the space where, historically, British elections are won, a report by Associated Press said.
His decision to call a snap summer election triggered the scandal of Tory candidates betting over this earlier-than-expected date sometime in the autumn.
Sunak's gamble to reveal July 4 as the election date was perhaps never going to be a safe bet, given all opinion polls widely predicting a landslide in favour of the Opposition Labour Party.
Sunak's Indian Link
Southampton-born Sunak’s parents – retired doctor Yashvir and pharmacist Usha Sunak – are of Indian descent, tracing their migration route from Kenya to the UK in the 1960s.
He met his Indian wife--Akshata Narayana Murty, daughter of NR Narayana Murthy, a founder of the Indian multinational IT company Infosys-- while they were students at Stanford University and went on to be elected Member of Parliament from the Tory stronghold of Richmond in Yorkshire in 2015.
Sunak has time and again embraced his Hindu lineage. "It is dharma which guides me in my approach to public service,” stated Sunak as per a PTI report, adding that while he’s proud to be the first British Indian Prime Minister, he is “even prouder that it is not a big deal”.
However, he has consistently maintained that “never let anyone tell you that this is a racist country. It is not."
Now, having celebrated a few Diwalis lighting diyas and decorating rangolis on the most famous street in the UK, Sunak has hit a new milestone in his political career.
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