Canada-U.K. relation to stabilize with Rishi Sunak as British PM, expert says

Sunak is set to meet with King Charles on Tuesday, where he is expected to become the third British prime minister following the resignations of both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

Canada‘s relations with Britain, and negotiations for a new free trade deal, should get some stability with news that former U.K. finance minister Rishi Sunak will become prime minister, one expert on the file said Monday.

“He will be much more traditional, much steadier —more predictable in a sense, in his foreign policy,” said Tony McCulloch, a University College London professor of North American studies.

Sunak is set to meet with King Charles on Tuesday, where he is expected to become the third British prime minister in less than two months, following the resignations of both Boris Johnson and Liz Truss.

Johnson had not been the prime minister for two years yet when he announced July 7 that he would resign when a new leader was chosen. He stepped down after losing the confidence of his caucus amid a series of scandals, including being fined for breaking his own COVID-19 lockdown rules.

Truss was chosen to replace him in September but spent just six weeks in the role before she was forced to step down following economic turmoil made worse by her proposed tax cuts.

After her resignation, Johnson was among the contenders for leadership of the U.K. Conservative Party, but he pulled out of the race Sunday. The only other candidate, Penny Mordaunt, withdrew Monday, paving the way for Sunak to claim the win.

McCulloch said that means a return to classic Tory economic policy.

“Johnson, apart from his issues about reliability and truthfulness, didn’t seem to have very clear, fixed principles, as far as economic issues were concerned,” he said from London.