It has officially been announced that Rishi Sunak will become the next Prime Minister of the UK after rival, Penny Mordaunt, failed to win the backing of Tory MPs.
The former chancellor won the support of Conservative colleagues to succeed Liz Truss as Tory leader as he prepares to enter Downing Street less than two months after he lost the last race.
Liz Truss has already congratulated the new PM tweeting: "Congratulations @RishiSunak on being appointed as Leader of the Conservative Party and our next Prime Minister. You have my full support."
READ MORE: Everything Liz Truss said in her speech as she resigns as Prime Minister
In the coming days, he will formally be appointed to the role in a handover of power overseen by King Charles III. Mr Sunak will be the UK’s first Hindu prime minister, the first of Asian heritage, and the youngest for more than 200 years at the age of 42.
Taking to Twitter to congratulate the new PM, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon wrote: "Congratulations to @RishiSunak - I wish him well and, notwithstanding our political differences, will do my best to build a constructive working relationship with him in the interests of those we serve.
"That he becomes the first British Asian to become PM is a genuinely significant moment. It certainly makes this a special Diwali."
Adding to her tweet, the FM took the opportunity to say that once in office, a general election should be called adding that "Scotland needs independence" now.
She concluded: "As for the politics, I’d suggest one immediate decision he should take and one he certainly should not. He should call an early General Election. And he should not - must not - unleash another round of austerity. Our public services will not withstand that."
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