Sunak delivers one of longest first speeches by a new prime minister

PTI, Oct 25, 2022, 6:25 PM IST

Image credit: AP / PTI / File

London: Rishi Sunak, Britain’s first Indian-origin prime minister, delivered one of the longest first speeches as the new premier in Downing Street in recent decades.

The 42-year-old devout Hindu formally took charge as Britain’s first Indian-origin Prime Minister after an audience with King Charles III on Tuesday, a day after he was elected the new leader of the Conservative Party in a historic leadership run. The investment banker-turned-politician is the youngest British prime minister in 210 years.

Speaking outside 10 Downing Street here – the prime minister’s official residence, Sunak said he would confront the ”profound economic crisis” with compassion and lead a government of “integrity, professionalism and accountability.” He spoke for five minutes and 56 seconds – longer than the time taken by nearly all of his predecessors when they made similar remarks at the start of their premiership, The Independent newspaper reported.

The one exception is Boris Johnson, who spoke for 11 minutes and 13 seconds in Downing Street after being appointed prime minister in 2019.

Sunak spoke for almost two minutes longer than Liz Truss, who took four minutes and four seconds to deliver her first speech in September 2022.

His speech also outran that of Theresa May in 2016 (four minutes and 42 seconds), David Cameron in 2010 (four minutes exactly), Gordon Brown in 2007 (two minutes and 49 seconds), Tony Blair in 1997 (five minutes and 17 seconds) and John Major in 1990 (two minutes and 49 seconds), the report added.