New British premier Sunak fields his 1st Prime Minister's Questions

LONDON

Britain's new premier Rishi Sunak on Wednesday attended his first Prime Minister's Questions in parliament, where he was pressed on his decision to reappoint Suella Braverman as home secretary.

Braverman resigned just a week ago after breaching the ministerial code by sharing sensitive information outside of the government through her personal email.

In her resignation letter to Sunak's predecessor Liz Truss, she cited this as her reason for stepping down but also sharply criticized the government's direction, especially on immigration, which Braverman wanted to see more tightly controlled.

Opposition Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked Sunak if it was right to re-appoint Braverman in light of her breach of the ministerial code, citing the commitment Sunak made in his speech outside 10 Downing Street on Tuesday that he would bring integrity, professionalism, and accountability to the government.

Sunak replied: "The home secretary made an error of judgment but she recognized that. She raised the matter and she accepted her mistake. That is why I was delighted to welcome her back into a united cabinet that brings experience and stability to the heart of government."

Starmer then pressed Sunak on whether he would abolish non-dom tax status, in which non-citizens do not need to pay UK tax on their overseas income.

This came after Sunak received harsh criticism when it emerged that his wife, Akshate Murthy, the daughter of an Indian billionaire and an Indian national who does not hold British citizenship, was using non-dom status. While this was not illegal and there was no suggestion of wrongdoing, the matter was nonetheless seen as embarrassing for Sunak, who was chancellor at the time.

Murthy subsequently relinquished her non-dom status and volunteered to pay UK tax on all her income, both in Britain and abroad.

Starmer did not mention Sunak's wife by name, but said: "I don't need to explain to the prime minister how non-dom status works -- he already knows all about that."

Sunak declined to directly address the question, and instead replied by restating his belief that he would "have to take difficult decisions to restore economic stability."

Starmer then called for a general election, which Sunak dismissed.

"Our mandate is based on a manifesto that we were elected on to remind him, an election that we won and they lost," said Sunak.