The Guardian headlines “Unite or die – Sunak’s warning to Tory MPs”. Beneath a photo of Sunak receiving a hero’s welcome at Conservative headquarters in London, the paper’s deputy political editor reports that he told MPs he would “put an end to Tory psychodrama” and “prioritise ‘politics not personalities’” . The story also notes that he “will become the third Conservative prime minister in less than two months and the fifth in six years.” “He will also make history as the first Hindu to lead the country.” The Mail continues the theme, reporting that Sunak will be “our youngest modern prime minister – and first with an Asian heritage”. Under the headline ‘A new dawn for Britain’ the paper says ‘the Tory party’s counter-attack starts here’. The Sun strikes a similar glowing note with “The force be with you, Rishi.” The main image shows Sunak holding a lightsaber. “Tory MPs turned to Star Wars star Rishi Sunak as their ‘new hope’,” writes its political editor, but adds that his victory came, “without a single vote being cast”. Under the banner ‘Our new (unelected) Prime Minister’ the Mirror asks ‘Who voted for you?’ Its lead story says “twice the King, Mr Sunak will now preside over brutal public spending cuts” and carries a quote from Labour’s Angela Rayner saying “we need an election now”. Scotland’s Daily Record is even more critical, headlined ‘Death of democracy’. The newspaper notes that “he was rejected by his own party a few weeks ago, but as the only candidate with the support of just 100 MPs, Rishi Sunak is set to become Britain’s new prime minister.” The Financial Times focuses on the economic challenges ahead for the new prime minister and reports that “markets eye ‘sloth dividend’ in wake of Tris turmoil”. The paper reports that Tory MPs say they hope Sunak will “reassure markets and help contain borrowing costs”. The Times further quotes Sunak’s warning to the Tories that “failure to heal the rifts would ‘end’ [the] party”. The Telegraph takes a similar stance, saying “Prime Minister aims to bring warring factions together for ‘one shot’ at ending financial crisis”.
