PM Shehbaz felicitates Rishi Sunak for becoming UK PM

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday congratulated Rishi Sunak on his nomination as leader of the Conservative Party and the next prime minister of the United Kingdom.

“I look forward to working with him to advance shared interests and further deepen the abiding Pakistan-UK partnership,” the PM wrote on his official Twitter handle.

Sunak will become Britain's youngest prime minister in modern times after he won the race to lead the Conservative Party, tasked with steering a deeply divided country through an economic downturn set to leave millions of people poorer.

One of the wealthiest politicians in Westminster, Sunak, 42, will become the country's first leader of colour – and its third prime minister in less than two months – as he takes over during one of the most turbulent eras in British political history.

Also read: Rishi Sunak becomes UK’s first Indian-origin prime minister

He replaces Liz Truss, who only lasted 44 days before she resigned, needing to restore stability to a country reeling from years of political and economic turmoil, and seeking to lead a party that has fractured along ideological lines.

He told his lawmakers in parliament on Monday that they faced an "existential crisis" and must "unite or die". He told the country it faced a "profound economic challenge".

"We now need stability and unity, and I will make it my utmost priority to bring our party and our country together," he said.

(With input from Reuters)