Yesterday’s election delivered a surprising twist as Rishi Sunak, faced a stunning defeat, signaling a seismic shift in political fortunes.
His reign got off to a record-breaking start in many respects. In addition to being the youngest leader of the nation in more than 200 years, Sunak was the first non-white Hindu to hold the position of leadership.
With a personal fortune of almost £650 million, he and his wife were perhaps the richest prime ministers the UK has ever had, a fact that has been the subject of constant criticism.
Though he managed to cling onto his Richmond seat in North Yorkshire, Sunak is expected to retreat from political prominence following the results of Thursday’s election.
On May 7, 2015, Sunak enters the political stage
After a 14-year career in finance, including time spent managing hedge funds and working for firms like Goldman Sachs, Rishi Sunak was first elected to the Commons.
In the 2015 General Election, at the age of thirty-four, he emerged victorious in the historically safe Tory constituency of Richmond in North Yorkshire.
The former occupant of the position was William Hague.
He quickly supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum, and under Theresa May, he was later named as a junior minister in the local government.
February 13, 2020: Sunak named Chancellor
When Sunak was named Chancellor of the Exchequer in the early stages of the Covid epidemic, his quick ascent to political prominence reached unprecedented heights.
It was just seven months before Boris Johnson became prime minister that he had gained his promotion to chief secretary for treasury.
Shortly after Sajid Javid’s resignation due to a rumored falling out with Boris Johnson over the removal of his special advisors, Sunak was appointed chancellor.
“Eat Out to Help Out” launched on July 8, 2020
With the country’s economy in freefall due to the coronavirus outbreak, Sunak suddenly found himself with more than he had anticipated.
He launched the Eat Out to Help Out program, offering 50% off meals and non-alcoholic drinks, to entice customers to return to restaurants once the initial lockdown started to loosen.
Later, when specialists said the policy encouraged the virus’s spread and charged him with disobeying scientific advice, he was obliged to defend it during the Covid-19 investigation.
Partygate fine on April 12, 2022
Just as the nation was emerging from the pandemic, political problems relating to Covid-19 had started.
Following a police inquiry that revealed they had attended an unlawful assembly in the summer of 2020, Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson were both fined.
He made his “unreserved apology” and turned down resignation requests.
5 July 2022 – Resigns as Chancellor
Rishi Sunak and Sajid Javid resigned as Chancellors when Boris Johnson struggled to win a no-confidence vote due to a leadership crisis.
He mentioned Johnson’s economic view in his resignation letter, saying, “It has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different.”
25 October 2022: Sunak takes over as PM
After Liz Truss’s turbulent and short tenure as Prime Minister, and after she lost the first Tory leadership campaign, Rishi Sunak took over as Prime Minister.
In less than two months, he took over as Conservative leader for the third time, inheriting a dire economic outlook and falling party poll ratings.
October 4, 2023: HS2’s line ends
When Sunak decided to abandon the HS2 link to Manchester, which had been planned since 2017, he faced strong criticism.
He declared that he would instead direct the billions that were initially allotted for the Birmingham-to-Manchester link toward other northern transportation initiatives.
Widespread criticism was voiced, with Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham of Labour labelling it a “betrayal of the north of England.”
November 13, 2023 – Suella Braverman retaliates
When Suella Braverman who served as Home Secretary in 2022 and 2023 before she was replaced by James Cleverly, charged that the Metropolitan Police were not doing enough to stop what she dubbed “hate marches” in support of Palestine last October, it sent shockwaves across the Tory party.
Then, under mounting pressure from the controversy surrounding the unapproved piece in The Times, Sunak decided to fire her as Home Secretary.
She responded in a caustic resignation letter saying Sunak’s “distinctive style of government means you are incapable” of accomplishing his political aims,
February 7, 2024 – Commons backfire
Calls for Sunak’s resignation surfaced in February of last year, following backlash against a statement he made during Prime Minister’s Questions regarding transgender individuals.
He stated, “Pensions, planning, peerages, public sector pay, tuition fees, childcare, second referendums, defining a woman – although in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn,” enumerating the pledges he thought Keir Starmer had broken.
He cracked the joke as murdered transgender adolescent Brianna’s mother, Esther Ghey, sat in the public gallery. Peter Spooner, Brianna’s father, described the event as “unacceptable” and “dehumanising”.
Rwanda bill is signed into law on April 23, 2024
Following two years of parliamentary back-and-forth and legal challenges, the Conservatives’ much-needed Rwanda Plan was finally allowed to become law.
Accordingly, under the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, some asylum seekers who arrive in the UK will be deported to the east African nation in an effort to combat migration.
In April, the Bill cleared the last obstacle even though human rights organizations denounced the plan as a “breach of international law”.
Nevertheless, before his premiership ended, Rishi Sunak was unable to establish any flights to Rwanda.
May 3, 2024: Local election disaster
After humiliating defeats in local elections, trouble for the Tories and calls for a general election started to simmer at the beginning of May.
The Conservatives lost about 400 seats in council elections across the United Kingdom, while Labour gained over 200 seats.
Sunak calls for a general election on May 22, 2024
On a gloomy Wednesday afternoon, Rishi Sunak braved the rain to announce a hasty general election for July 4.
The then-prime minister made a vow to “fight for every vote” while demonstrators blasted the popular D:Ream song from Labour’s 1997 campaign, Things Can Only Get Better.
June 7, 2024: The disastrous D-Day
During the General Election campaign, Rishi Sunak had to beg for pardon after receiving a lot of negative press for his decision to skip the D-Day commemoration ceremonies.
Sunak left early to go to the UK to do an interview with Paul Brand of ITV News, as other world leaders gathered to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings.
“Veterans and others can find it in their hearts to forgive me,” he expressed his wish.
July 5, 2024: Admitting loss
As the results of polls came in throughout the night, it was declared that Sunak had retained his seat in Northallerton, leading his closest opponent by almost 13,000 votes.
However, Sunak apologized to fellow Tory candidates who had lost theirs as a result of a larger Labour victory.
He said, “I take responsibility for the loss.” “To the many good, hard-working Conservative candidates who lost tonight, despite their tireless efforts, their local records and delivery, and their dedication to their communities. “I am sorry.”
What’s next?
In British politics, things happen fairly quickly. The election results are announced and the new prime minister is installed in a relatively short period of time.
Within 24 hours, Rishi Sunak will vacate 10 Downing Street and Sir Keir Starmer will take over quickly after. The King will send out a formal invitation for Sir Keir to form the next administration, when Sunak tenders his resignation to him. The meeting will take place at Buckingham Palace.
The world’s media will then see him undertake the customary walk up Downing Street before he addresses the country from the steps of Number 10.
He will thereafter be expected to extend an invitation to prominent Labour MPs to Downing Street and appoint them to his new cabinet.
