Rishi Sunak is to formally become the UK's youngest Prime Minister in over 200 years today, with Liz Truss already out of No 10 a mere six weeks after appointing office, following weeks of chaos at Downing Street.
The race to become Britain's next Conservative leader following Truss' departure ended on Monday, when it was announced Sunak was to become PM after Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the race after failing to secure 100 nominations from her backers.
It was announced Rishi Sunak would officially become Prime Minister on Tuesday morning (October 25) once Liz Truss has chaired her final Cabinet meeting and visited the King at Buckingham Palace
READ MORE What Rishi Sunak could do about the cost of living, the NHS, immigration, energy and Brexit
It is not yet clear what Mr Sunak's government policies will entail, however, he faces the task of balancing out the economy and calming down markets during a cost of living crisis. Number 10 has issued the key timings for this morning as the transition of the nations' Prime Minister happens:
9am - Prime Minister Liz Truss to chair a meeting of Cabinet.
10.15am - Truss is to make a statement outside No10 before travelling to Buckingham Palace for an Audience with His Majesty the King. After this, the new Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak will travel to Buckingham Palace for his Audience with His Majesty the King.
11.35 - The new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will then travel to Downing Street where he is expected to make a statement.
It is customary for the new prime minister to be greeted by the Cabinet Secretary at the door of No 10 and get clapped in by staff before heading into the Cabinet Room to receive security and intelligence briefings from civil servants. Mr Sunak will be handed the nuclear codes and write “letters of last resort” to commanders of submarines carrying Trident nuclear missiles with orders on what to do if the Government has been wiped out in a nuclear attack.
He is likely to use the rest of the day to start putting together his new Cabinet as he seeks to fix a fractured party. Liz Truss, who is to make way for Mr Sunak less than two months after she beat him in the last contest, congratulated her soon-to-be-successor and told him “you have my full support” on Monday afternoon.
In an 86-second address to the nation, Mr Sunak promised to serve with 'integrity and humility' as he praised Ms Truss for having served the nation with 'dignity and grace' during 'exceptionally difficult circumstances'. He said he was 'humbled and honoured' to have been chosen as the next prime minister, which he described as the 'greatest privilege of my life'.
He added:“The United Kingdom is a great country but there is no doubt we face a profound economic challenge. We now need stability and unity and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together.”
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