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UK PM Sunak says he discussed migration plan with Rwanda’s Kagame

UK PM Sunak says he discussed migration plan with Rwanda’s Kagame

BRITISH Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said he discussed plans to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda with President Paul Kagame as he finalises his response to a block on the policy in the Supreme Court in London. Sunak's government has said it is working on a new treaty with Rwanda, as well as new domestic legislation after the UK's top judges ruled the policy unlawful last month. Asked by reporters what he discussed with Kagame on the sidelines of the COP28 climate conference in Dubai, Sunak said he was "confident" about his government's proposals but the two leaders wanted to get the details…
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Diwali delight for Indians as Rishi Sunak set to become UK PM

Diwali delight for Indians as Rishi Sunak set to become UK PM

KRISHNA N. DAS MANY Indians are delighted at the prospect of Rishi Sunak becoming the first person of Indian origin to become British prime minister, just as Hindus like him celebrated Diwali across the world on Monday. Sunak was set to take the top job after his rivals Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the race to replace Liz Truss as leader of the Conservative Party. Truss quit after a month and a half as her support evaporated and Sunak was poised to formally take over as prime minister later on Monday or Tuesday. Sunak's expected rise to the premiership had already…
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Boris Johnson pulls out of UK Conservative leadership race

Boris Johnson pulls out of UK Conservative leadership race

FORMER prime minister Boris Johnson pulled out of the contest to become Britain's next leader, saying he had the support of enough lawmakers to progress to the next stage but was well behind front-runner former finance minister Rishi Sunak. "There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative Party members - and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday," Johnson said in a statement. "But in the course of the last days, I have sadly come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to…
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Boris Johnson returns to UK in bid for rapid political comeback

Boris Johnson returns to UK in bid for rapid political comeback

ANDREW MACASKILL and MUVIJA M BORIS Johnson returned to Britain as he considers an audacious attempt to win a second term as prime minister only weeks after he was forced to step down, with some colleagues warning his comeback could create more political chaos. Potential candidates to replace Prime Minister Liz Truss, who quit on Thursday after six weeks in office, were embarking on a frantic weekend of lobbying to secure enough nominations to enter the leadership contest before Monday's deadline. Johnson, who was on holiday in the Caribbean when Truss resigned, has not commented publicly about a bid for his old…
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Race to be next UK PM begins as momentum grows behind Boris Johnson

Race to be next UK PM begins as momentum grows behind Boris Johnson

ELIZABETH PIPER, KYLIE MACLELLAN and ANDREW MACASKILL FOUR senior ministers threw their weight behind Boris Johnson to return as British prime minister after Liz Truss's resignation triggered a contest to quickly replace her as Conservative Party leader. Former defence minister Penny Mordaunt became the first candidate to officially declare, but Johnson and Rishi Sunak, once his finance minister, led potential contenders as candidates canvassed support ahead of voting next week. With the Conservatives holding a large majority in parliament and able to ignore calls for a general election for another two years, the new party leader will become prime minister…
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UK’s Truss sacrifices finance minister, scraps tax plan in fight to survive

UK’s Truss sacrifices finance minister, scraps tax plan in fight to survive

ELIZABETH PIPER, KATE HOLTON and ALISTAIR SMOUT BRITISH Prime Minister Liz Truss fired her finance minister Kwasi Kwarteng and scrapped parts of their unpopular economic package in a desperate bid for political survival less than 40 days into her premiership. With financial markets in turmoil, a chastened Truss said she accepted her government's plans for unfunded tax cuts had gone "further and faster" than investors were expecting. "I have acted decisively today because my priority is ensuring our country's economic stability," she told a brief news conference in Downing Street. "I want to be honest, this is difficult. But we…
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Race to become UK PM down to final two: Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss

Race to become UK PM down to final two: Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss

FORMER finance minister Rishi Sunak and foreign secretary Liz Truss will battle it out to become Britain's next prime minister after they won the final lawmaker vote, setting up the last stage of the contest to replace Boris Johnson. Sunak has led in all rounds of the voting among Conservative lawmakers, but it is Truss who seems to have gained the advantage so far among the 200,000 members of the governing party who will ultimately choose the winner. The final stretch of a weeks-long contest will pit Sunak, a former Goldman Sachs banker who has raised the tax burden towards…
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Ex-finance minister Sunak launches bids to be UK PM as rival backs him

Ex-finance minister Sunak launches bids to be UK PM as rival backs him

ELIZABETH PIPER and KYLIE MACLELLAN EX-FINANCE minister Rishi Sunak, the favourite to become Britain's next prime minister, kicked off his campaign promising "honesty", in an increasingly testy and divisive battle to succeed Boris Johnson. An initial 11 candidates put their names forward to become the leader of the governing Conservative Party and Britain's next premier after Johnson was forced to say he would step down when support drained from him over a series of scandals. Only those who get nominations from 20 of their 358 Conservative colleagues in parliament on Tuesday will go forward to the first vote on Wednesday.…
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Two more minsters join lengthening list of candidates vying to be UK PM

Two more minsters join lengthening list of candidates vying to be UK PM

KYLIE MACLELLAN TWO cabinet ministers have joined the race to succeed Boris Johnson as British prime minister, as the committee overseeing the contest looks to speed up the process of whittling down candidates in what is expected to be a crowded field. The Conservative Party's so-called 1922 Committee of legislators will set out the exact rules and timetable for the contest next week after Johnson was forced to quit by his own party. Many lawmakers are pushing for a fast-tracked process. On Saturday, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps and finance minister Nadhim Zahawi became the latest Conservative lawmakers to officially declare…
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