London

In his first address to the nation via a televised statement in front of 10 Downing Street, now his official residence-cum-office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Britain's first non-white, non-Christian head of government Rishi Sunak pledged: "I will unite our country not with words, but with action."

He did not mince words about the "mistakes" made by his immediate predecessor, Liz Truss and said: "I have been elected as leader of my party and your Prime Minister in part to fix them." He added: "This will mean difficult decisions to come."

Sunak promised that he will be as caring as he was as Chancellor of the Exchequer during the Covid pandemic, saying: "I will bring that same compassion to the challenges we face today." But he indicated the current generation of Britons has to settle the country's debt, instead of leaving this for their children or grandchildren.

At the end of his five and a half minute speech, he waved to the assembled journalists and camera crews before entering the historic door and building.

Earlier, British monarch King Charles III granted Sunak an audience at Buckingham Palace and formally invited him to constitute a government.

Sunak is the youngest Prime Minister of Britain in 200 years. He has risen to this position after only seven years in politics. He was previously an investment banker and hedge fund manager.

He is of Indian origin by virtue of his grandparents hailing from pre-partition India, though his parents were brought up in East Africa.

He was born in Southampton. His wife Akshata Murthy, a businesswoman, is Indian.New UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in his first speech at 10 Downing Street on Tuesday vowed to earn the trust of Britons amid economic and political turmoil.

He also paid tribute to former PM Boris Johnson. The new UK PM said that he will always be grateful to Johnson for his "incredible achievements" as Prime Minister. He will treasure Johnson's warmth and generosity of spirit.

Responding to Sunak's tribute, Johnson tweeted, "Congratulations to @RishiSunak on this historic day, this is the moment for every Conservative to give our new PM their full and wholehearted support."

Sunak added that he knows the mandate the Conservative Party earned in 2019 is not the sole property of one person, rather "it is a mandate that belongs to and unites all of us".

He pledged "a stronger NHS, better schools, safer streets, control of our borders, protecting our environment, supporting our armed forces and levelling up."

Sunak became the new UK prime minister after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace.

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Sunak will be UK's third leader in seven weeks after winning a Tory leadership contest triggered by Truss stepping down.