Rishi Sunak has promised to place “integrity” and “accountability” at the heart of his premiership, but batted back calls for a general election in his first speech as Prime Minister.
“I will unite our country, not with words but with action,” Sunak said. “This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level,” he added, in an attempt to distance himself from the tenure of Boris Johnson which was brought down by repeated scandals over dishonesty.
“Trust is earned, and I will earn yours,” Sunak said. “I understand too that I have work to do to restore trust after all that has happened,” he later added.
“I always be grateful to Boris Johnson for his incredible achievements as Prime Minister, and I treasure his warmth and generosity of spirit,” he went on.
It was a warm nod to his rival, but perhaps a political necessary one given calls that Sunak pursue an early general election to seek his own mandate.
“I know he will agree that the mandate my party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of any one individual,” Sunak said, a direct attempt to rebuff those calls.
