Rishi Sunak Becomes New UK Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak officially became Britain’s 57th prime minister on Tuesday, vowing to fix the mistakes made by his predecessor, Liz Truss, and to regain the trust of British voters after months of political upheaval set off by the ouster of her scandal-scarred predecessor, Boris Johnson.

“I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda,” a somber Mr. Sunak said in his first address as leader in front of 10 Downing Street. Minutes earlier, he met King Charles III at Buckingham Palace and formally became the country’s fifth prime minister in six years. “That work begins immediately.”

The 42-year-old politician is Britain's youngest prime minister in more than a century, the country's first nonwhite leader and the first Hindu to take the job.

In a short statement on Monday, Sunak paid tribute to outgoing Prime Minister Liz Truss, saying she had dealt with "exceptionally difficult circumstances."

He said he wanted to give back to country he "owed so much to."

"There is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge," he said. He added that the country needed "stability and unity", and pledged to would bring his party and the country together.

Sunak promised to serve with "integrity and humility."