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Then, the former finance minister repeatedly described his predecessor's ideas as "fairytale" economics that would spook the markets. He will also be the first person of colour to become Britain's prime minister. "I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and I could not even imagine a non-white prime minister in my lifetime... COVID CHAMPIONSunak rose swiftly up the ranks of the Conservative Party, becoming, in 2020, one of the youngest finance ministers. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit Britain, Sunak dropped the Conservatives' small-state instincts to borrow massively and stave off the risk of an economic depression.

☆ Boris Johnson will run for UK leadership and has the numbers needed, minister says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Boris Johnson will enter the race to replace Liz Truss as British prime minister, Northern Ireland Secretary Chris Heaton Harris told Sky News on Sunday, saying the former leader had enough support from lawmakers to pass the 100-vote threshold. Asked if Johnson would run, Heaton Harris said: "Yes, I think so." "We do have the numbers... that's not an issue." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Paul Sandle, Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ British Foreign Secretary Cleverly endorses Boris Johnson for PM
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly endorsed Boris Johnson's bid to return to 10 Downing Street as prime minister on Sunday. "I know Boris has learned lessons from his time in No. 10 and will ensure the focus is on the needs of the country from day one," Cleverly said on Twitter. "I will be supporting him to return to the role of PM." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rishi Sunak: I am standing to be British prime minister
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Britain's former finance minister Rishi Sunak confirmed on Sunday he was standing to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. "That's why I am standing to be leader of the Conservative Party and your next prime minister." Even before declaring on Sunday, Sunak had received more support from Conservative lawmakers than his rivals - former defence minister Penny Mordaunt and Johnson, who is attempting a comeback. Sunak quit Johnson's government in July, helping trigger a rebellion that bought him down. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Kate Holton, editing by Paul SandleOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Johnson battling to win support for fresh PM bid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Leading figures who previously backed Johnson, came out in support for former finance minister Sunak ahead of a first vote by Conservative lawmakers on Monday. Johnson was forced out of office in July when Sunak quit, triggering a wider rebellion that prompted Johnson's ministers to resign en masse. Baker said the country now needed a period of stability after Truss sparked turmoil in finance markets, and that meant not voting for Johnson again. "What we can't do is have him in as prime minister in circumstances where he's bound to implode, taking down the whole government with him," he said. Mordaunt-backer Damian Green dismissed reports that she was struggling to meet the threshold, telling Sky News that she would not pull out.

☆ UK PM candidate Penny Mordaunt says 'in it to win it', no deal with Boris Johnson
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-23 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 23 (Reuters) - Penny Mordaunt said she was staying in the race to become British prime minister despite trailing rivals Rishi Sunak and Boris Johnson in the number of declared backers, dismissing a report that she had discussed a deal with Johnson. "I'm very confident about the progress we are making. I say to you that I'm in this to win it," she told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme. She said a report that she had discussed pulling out with Johnson in return for the promise of a job was "completely false". Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Paul Sandle; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Factbox: Conservative leadership race: who will replace Liz Truss as UK prime minister?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-21 | by ( Kate Holton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Oct 21 (Reuters) - A fast-tracked Conservative Party leadership election is underway to replace Liz Truss, who said on Thursday she would resign just six weeks after being appointed as British prime minister. If the person in second place does not drop out, then the Conservative Party membership will vote, with results announced by Friday. BORIS JOHNSONFormer prime minister Johnson, a journalist, has loomed large over British politics ever since he became London Mayor in 2008. Conservative lawmakers said Johnson, who has been on holiday in the Caribbean, could stand in the leadership contest and was taking soundings. Wallace, a former soldier, was defence minister for both Johnson and Truss, leading Britain's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

He said Russia acknowledged that the incident took place in international airspace, adding that patrols have now resumed, and British aircraft were now being accompanied by fighter aircraft escorts. Wallace visited Washington earlier this week, prompting speculation as to whether a specific threat or piece of intelligence had prompted the trip. Ukraine has retaken territory in eastern Ukraine, leading President Vladimir Putin to order a partial Russian mobilisation and also step up nuclear rhetoric. Wallace repeated that there would be "severe consequences" for Russia if it used nuclear weapons in Ukraine, adding that he discussed Ukraine's battlefield successes and the possible Russian response to them on the trip. He emphasised that the incident with the Russian fighter and the UK "Rivet Joint" plane highlighted the risks of miscalculation in interacting with Russia.

General view of signage outside the Chinese Consulate General in Manchester, Britain, October 17, 2022. REUTERS/Phil NobleLONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Britain expects China to waive diplomatic immunity for any official facing police charges over an attack on a protester who was dragged inside the grounds of a Chinese consulate, a junior British foreign office minister said on Thursday. China has disputed the account of events which took place during a demonstration on Sunday against Chinese President Xi Jinping, saying protesters had stormed its grounds. "Let me be clear that if the police determine there are grounds to charge any officials, we would expect the Chinese Consulate to waive immunity for those officials. The Chinese Consul-General Zheng Xiyuan told Sky News it was an emergency situation and his colleagues' life had been threatened.

☆ UK's Truss says she will resign as PM
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Liz Truss said on Thursday she would resign as prime minister, brought down by her economic programme that sent shockwaves through the markets and divided her Conservative Party just six weeks after she was appointed. A leadership election will be completed within the next week to replace Truss, who is the shortest serving prime minister in Britain's history. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register"I recognise though, given the situation, I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected by the Conservative Party. I have therefore spoken to His Majesty the King to notify him that I am resigning as leader of the Conservative Party," she said. "I will remain as prime minister until a successor has been chosen.

☆ Soaring food prices push UK inflation back to 40-year high
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - The biggest jump in food prices since 1980 pushed British inflation back into double digits last month, matching a 40-year high hit in July in a new blow for households grappling with the cost-of-living crisis. The Office for National Statistics said the consumer price index (CPI) increased by 10.1% in annual terms in September. Hotel prices also increased in September, the ONS said. "Today's release highlights the danger that underlying inflation remains strong even as the economy weakens," said Paul Dales, chief UK economist at consultancy Capital Economics. He pointed to rising core inflation, a measure that excludes volatile food and energy prices, which hit a new 30-year high of 6.5%.

☆ 'Fighter' Truss mocked in parliament as UK PM defends her record
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Andrew Macaskill | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

Truss repeated her apology to the British people but accused Labour of not grasping "economic reality", which was met with howls of laughter from the opposition benches. Just last week, she taunted the opposition Labour Party that her two-year energy subsidy programme would help families through this winter and next. Starmer said Truss's economic plan had been built on "fantasy economics" and had ended in disaster. The Labour leader pointed out that Truss had insisted last week there would be no government spending cuts. "What's the point of a prime minister whose promises don't even last a week?"

"I think it is a shambles and a disgrace," he said, in a video that a couple of other Conservative lawmakers tweeted in agreement. "I have made a mistake, I accept responsibility, I resign," she said in a letter to the prime minister. As a replacement, Truss appointed former minister Grant Shapps, who said recently that Truss faced a massive battle to survive. He also failed to offer a ringing endorsement of the prime minister. "I have been very clear that I am sorry, and I have made mistakes," Truss told jeering opposition lawmakers in parliament.

☆ Child sex abuse in Britain is epidemic, UK inquiry says
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Michael Holden | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

"This is not just a historical aberration which happened decades ago, it is an ever-increasing problem and a national epidemic." The inquiry heard from 725 witnesses during 325 hearings which began in Feb. 2017, processing nearly 2.5 million pages of evidence. More than 6,000 victims and survivors of abuse also related their experiences to the inquiry's 'Truth Project'. Even while it was carrying out its investigations, the scale of online abuse had risen dramatically, the inquiry said. Lawyers who represented victims involved in the inquiry welcomed its findings, but said the recommendations did not go far enough.

☆ UK foreign minister says incident at Chinese consulate "unacceptable"
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said on Wednesday an incident where a protester was seen being pulled into the grounds of a Chinese consulate and beaten was "unacceptable". The incident, which occurred in Manchester, northern England, during a demonstration against Chinese President Xi Jinping, led to Britain summoning China's Charge d'Affaires in London on Tuesday to explain what had happened. "That was unacceptable," Cleverly said of the incident, adding the protests had been peaceful and legal. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by William James, writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Protester Bob Chan, who was seen being pulled into the grounds of a Chinese consulate in Manchester and beaten, attends a news conference, in London, Britain, October 19, 2022. Bob Chan, who is aged in his 30s and originally from Hong Kong, said the attack started when masked men came out of the consulate to take away banners from peaceful protesters. I held on to the gate where I was kicked and punched," he told reporters. "I could not hold on for long and was eventually pulled into the grounds of the consulate." Points of contention include a British programme allowing almost three million people in Hong Kong to apply for visas.

☆ British PM Truss: Right thing now is to 'get on with the job'
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Liz Truss apologised to the House of Commons on Wednesday for reversing large parts of her proposed tax cuts and said it was now right to "get on with the job." "I have been very clear that I am sorry, and I have made mistakes," Truss told parliament as she faced questions from lawmakers. "But the right thing to do in those circumstances is to make changes, which I've made, and to get on with the job and deliver for the British people." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by William James, writing by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ UK PM Truss commits to pension spending, no comment on benefits, foreign aid
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Liz Truss said on Wednesday she was committed to increasing state pension payments in line with the level of inflation, but declined to give the same reassurance for welfare payments and foreign aid. Truss has been forced to hunt for deep spending cuts after the prime minister's now-scrapped economic programme shattered investor confidence in Britain's government and sent borrowing costs surging. Asked if the same reassurance could be given for welfare benefit payments, Truss said the country had helped the poorest by providing energy subsidies and that it would always help the most vulnerable. Asked about the country's foreign aid budget, Truss said more details would be set out in due course. Britain cut a long-standing policy of spending 0.7% of economic output on foreign aid during the coronavirus pandemic, reducing it to 0.5%.

☆ Factbox: Who are the candidates to replace UK PM Truss?
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-19 | by ( Kate Holton | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) - Liz Truss said on Thursday she would resign as British prime minister just six weeks after she was appointed. A leadership election will be completed within the next week to replace Truss, who is the shortest serving prime minister in British history. Wallace, a former soldier, was defence minister for both Johnson and Truss, leading Britain's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Boris JohnsonFormer prime minister Johnson, a journalist, has loomed large over British politics ever since he became London Mayor in 2008. The Times reported that Johnson is expected to stand in the Conservative Party leadership contest.

LONDON, Oct 19 (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Liz Truss sought to reassert authority over her fraught party on Wednesday with Conservative enforcers telling lawmakers they had to support her fracking policy as a vote treated as a test of confidence in the government. She has admitted her radical economic plans had gone "too far and too fast" after investors dumped the pound and government bonds. Polls indicate Conservatives are some 30 points behind the opposition Labour Party, and her own ratings are calamitous. I think many of us are asking exactly what does Liz Truss now believe and stand for?" Conservative 'whips', responsible for enforcing discipline among members of parliament, sent a message to their lawmakers saying the vote would be treated as a "confidence motion in the government".

With Jeremy Hunt taking up the role on Friday, Britain has had four finance ministers in just four months. Prior to the 2016 Brexit vote, Britain had four finance ministers in 23 years, underlining a sense of stability that is now gone. The response was brutal: the pound slumped, government borrowing costs surged, lenders pulled mortgage deals and the Bank of England had to intervene to stop some pension funds from going under. While Truss had touted low corporation tax as a way to attract business investment, the executives said they wanted stability. British business investment, which flatlined after the 2016 Brexit vote and then fell sharply during the pandemic, was 6% lower in the second quarter of this year than its level of six years ago, in stark contrast to international peers.

"I do want to accept responsibility and say sorry for the mistakes that have been made," Truss told the BBC late on Monday. The Daily Mail, which had hailed Truss's plan, ran a front page with the prime minister leaving parliament on Monday underneath the headline "In office, but not in power" while the also supportive Sun newspaper called her "The Ghost PM". James Heappey, a minister for the armed forces, said on Tuesday Truss, his boss, could not afford to make any more mistakes. With Britain's economic reputation shattered, Hunt may now have to go further in finding public spending cuts than the government would have done had Truss not unleashed her economic plan at a time of surging inflation. One area of spending already to go is Truss's vast two-year energy support package that was expected to cost well over 100 billion pounds.

☆ Road near Downing St closed after suspicious package found - UK police
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - A road in the centre of London's government district, near Downing Street where Prime Minister Liz Truss's office and residence is, was closed on Tuesday due to a suspicious package, a policeman at the scene said. A government official said some of the government buildings along Whitehall were being emptied. A Reuters reporter said hundreds of people were gathered at Horse Guards Parade, behind Downing Street. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Andrew MacAskill, Writing by Kylie MacLellan; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Bank of England says report of decision to delay bond sales is inaccurate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - The Bank of England said on Tuesday that a report in the Financial Times about a new delay to the start of its sales of government bonds was inaccurate. "This morning's FT report that the BoE has decided to delay MPC gilt sales ('QT') is inaccurate," a spokesperson for the central bank said. Earlier, the Financial Times said the BoE was likely to push back the start of its sales of government bonds from its latest scheduled date of Oct. 31, having already delayed it from an original date of Oct. 6. ($1 = 0.8776 pounds)Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterWriting by William Schomberg; Editing by Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Britain's Truss wants to level with public, says spokesperson
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-18 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

LONDON, Oct 18 (Reuters) - Prime Minister Liz Truss told her cabinet team of top ministers on Tuesday she wanted to level with the public that times would be tough, but she could put Britain on a stronger path. "The prime minister said she wanted to be honest with the public that times would be tough but by addressing long-standing issues now, we can put the country on a stronger path for the future," her spokesperson quoted her as telling ministers a day after her new finance minister ripped up most of her economic growth plan. "(The finance minister Jeremy Hunt) made clear that public spending would continue to rise overall but departments continued to be asked to look at finding ways to find taxpayers money." Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Elizabeth Piper. Editing by Andrew MacAskill and Kate HoltonOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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