Rishi Sunak will meet King Charles before his first public appearance

Rishi Sunak will meet King Charles and deliver his first speech in his new role at Downing Street this morning, in what will be a busy first day as a new prime minister. Mr Sunak won the Conservative leadership race yesterday (October 24) after rival Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the election after failing to secure the 100 nominations from Tory MPs needed by 2pm.

It follows the departure of Liz Truss, who became the shortest-serving prime minister in UK history, resigning after just 44 days. Ms Truss will hold her final cabinet meeting this morning before heading to Buckingham Palace for a final audience with King Charles.

It will then be Mr Sunak’s turn to visit the palace, where the monarch will invite him to form Britain’s next government. After being formally appointed as Prime Minister, Mr Sunak is expected to head to Downing Street to address the public outside No 10 at around 11.35am.

Mr Sunak is not only Britain’s first Hindu Prime Minister and the first Asian Prime Minister, he is also the youngest in more than 200 years at the age of 42. The youngest Prime Minister of Great Britain was William Pitt the Younger, who took office in 1783 when he was only 24 years old.

The young prime minister now faces the daunting task of leading Britain through a cost-of-living crisis exacerbated by Liz Truss’s policies, with sterling at an all-time low. Mr Sunak has already faced pressure to overhaul the Cabinet on his first day and is reported to have told Tory MPs they must “unite or die” to deliver on society’s priorities.

Mr Sunak’s team has remained tight-lipped about potential reshuffles, but some of his long-time supporters, including former justice minister Dominic Raab and House of Commons finance committee chairman Mel Stride, are rumored to be in the cabinet.