"I don’t believe he knows what towns like Halifax need" - Halifax MP reacts to Rishi Sunak becoming new Prime Minister

The Halifax MP called for a general election after the resignation of previous Prime Minister Liz Truss, and has reiterated her desire to see the public have a say after the recent upheaval at Westminster.

She said: "Rishi Sunak is now the second Conservative Prime Minister to be imposed on the electorate without a general election.

"It’s not two minutes since he was bragging to Conservative members in Tunbridge Wells about changing funding formulas to redirect money to more prosperous towns, away from deprived urban areas.

"I don’t believe he knows what towns like Halifax need, yet we stand to feel the pain of further cuts to services as they clean up the mess of their mini-budget and the funding gaps it created.

"The Conservatives have lost the trust of the people. The only right thing to do is to call a general election."

West Yorkshire Mayor Tracy Brabin said: “I must congratulate Rishi Sunak for becoming the first person of colour to become our Prime Minister - an important milestone for our brilliant and diverse nation.

"However, the jury is out on whether he’ll govern with compassion and support all parts of society including the most vulnerable.“Rishi Sunak comes to power at a time when rail services across the North of England grind to a halt due to years of underinvestment, including when he was chancellor. Therefore, he must act immediately to resolve this.“My door is open should he want to ensure plans to fix the economy deliver fairly for all parts of the country.

"But my message to the new Prime Minister is clear: we need a plan to save our economy, protect our households and rescue our public services.”

Martin Hathaway, managing director of the Mid Yorkshire Chamber of Commerce, said: “We hope that the appointment of Rishi will bring some stability to both the markets and business confidence going forward.

"Businesses need stability before they invest and let’s hope that the recent events have not caused any further confusion for the businesses in Yorkshire.”