As he left 10 Downing Street (this time without rain), Sunak apologised to voters and the Conservatives. He will step down as party leader when a replacement is found.
Rishi Sunak apologized twice in his final speech as Prime Minister: to voters, from whom he heard “the discontent and disappointment” materialized in the election results; and to the Conservatives and others involved in the campaign, for not seeing their “efforts” rewarded. Sunak leaves Downing Street some 20 months after his arrival, as does the leadership of the Conservative Party, which faces two challenges: the ability to “rebuild” itself and constitute an effective opposition force.
Flanked by his wife, who did not put down her umbrella on another grey day in London, presumably to avoid a repeat of the image of her husband in the rain, as he announced early elections for 4 July, Sunak said he had “given” his all to his position, but that he could not ignore the “clear signal” that the UK government “must change”. “I have heard their discontent and disappointment. And I take responsibility for this defeat,” he said.
Sunak leads party to biggest ever defeat despite personal choice. “I take responsibility”
With Labour holding an absolute majority, Sunak’s resignation was a formality. But there were expectations about whether he would also give up the leadership of the Conservatives or whether he would lead efforts to rebuild the party that had not been in opposition for 14 years. Sunak chose the first option: he will leave, but with no immediate effect: he will wait for a replacement to be chosen.
He called on Conservative candidates and campaigners to “regret” that they had “collectively failed to live up to their efforts” and regretted that not all who had contributed to their communities and the country had won a seat in Parliament.
Sunak believes that the country is “safer” and “stronger” than it was 20 months ago and “more resilient and prosperous” than it was in 2010, the last time the Labour Party was in power. And he lists some of his achievements, of which he says he is proud: the reduction of inflation (which was a trend in Europe after the peak in 2022), the growth of the country, the leadership in supporting Ukraine (in fact, Volodymyr Zelensky has already returned (to thank the good “friend” Sunak), the strengthening of alliances with its allies.
Regarding Keir Starmer, he stresses that he is a “decent man, with a spirit [de serviço] public,” so he and his family deserve “understanding” during the “big transition to their new lives.”
Sunak thanks his wife, who accompanied him during the speech a few steps back, and his daughters for their support, for the “sacrifices they made so that I could serve our country.” And he recalls how, two generations after his grandparents arrived in the United Kingdom, he was able to become Prime Minister. “We have to remain true to this idea of who we are, to this vision of goodness, decency and tolerance that has always been the British way,” he said. His government was criticized by some sectors of society for its restrictive immigration policy, including the controversial plan to deport immigrants to Rwanda.
He ended his speech by acknowledging that it was “a difficult day, at the end of several difficult days.” “But I leave office honoured to have been your Prime Minister,” he said, adding that “this is the greatest country in the world. And that depends entirely on you, the British people, the true source of all our achievements, our strength and our greatness. Thank you.” He then headed to the car that took him for the last time to Buckingham Palace where he formally submitted his resignation to King Charles III, who accepted it and minutes later named Keir Starmer as the new Prime Minister.
Source: Observadora
