LONDON — British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is holding the first meeting of his new Cabinet before facing the opposition in Parliament on Wednesday for the first time as leader.
Sunak took office on Tuesday and appointed a government that combines allies with experienced ministers from the governments of his two predecessors, Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, as he tries to solve many problems. economy of Great Britain.
Sunak’s office said the formation “makes a unified party” and aims to ensure “at this uncertain time, there is continuity at the heart of government.”
But in the regular session of the House of Commons known as the Prime Minister’s Question, opposition politicians will likely focus on the baggage the new ministers take with them from the government of Johnson – who quit his job on Sunday. July after a series of ethics scandals – and Truss, whose government lasted just seven weeks.
An unpaid tax cut that Truss announced last month has spooked financial markets with the prospect of mounting debt, driving the pound to a record low and forcing the Bank of England to intervene. – weakened Britain’s fragile economy and wiped out Truss’s power in the Conservative Party.
Sunak is seen by Conservatives as a safe hand that they hope can stabilize a slumping economy – and prevent the party’s dwindling popularity.
Sunak brought people from different wings of the Conservative Party into his Cabinet. He removed about a dozen members of Truss’ government but kept a number of senior figures, including Secretary of State James Cleverly and Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace.
He faced backlash for re-appointing Interior Secretary Suella Braverman, who resigned last week after violating ethics rules by sending a sensitive government email from a private account. core. She used her resignation letter to criticize Truss, prompting the then prime minister’s rapid fall.
A leading light of the Conservative right-wing, who infuriate liberals, Braverman is tasked with executing a controversial, stalled plan to send a number of asylum-seekers. to England on a one-way trip to Rwanda.
Opponents expressed surprise that Braverman was able to return to her job less than a week after her resignation and before an investigation into her ethical violations.
Cleverly defend the choice.
“People make mistakes in their work,” he told the BBC. “No one works with the intention of making mistakes.”
Sunak also holds the position of Treasurer Jeremy Hunt, who was appointed by Truss two weeks ago to stabilize the market. His removal will likely cause new concussions.
Hunt is expected to show soon how the government plans to put out billions of pounds (dollars) to fill the financial hole left by soaring inflation and a sluggish economy, and exacerbated by it. by Truss’s destabilizing plans.
The government has not confirmed whether Mr Hunt’s statement, scheduled for October 31, will be delayed because of the change of chancellor.
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