The day before Liz Truss resigned Rishi Sunak briskly walked past The National and other journalists in parliament, attracting little attention.
He was gone before anyone had the chance to ask a question that might have shed some light on how he has managed in just a few days to go from being a fleeting figure on the backbenches to the very apogee of power in Britain.
Since he was beaten in the two-month long Conservative leadership race over the summer Mr Sunak has become an elusive figure in parliament, rarely seen in the House of Commons’ chamber.
It has been a seemingly deliberate ploy that has seen him rise from the temporary shadows of the backbenches to the post of prime minister this week.
The key driver for the voiceless campaign strategy has probably been to not antagonise MPs, party members and, most importantly, the Boris Johnson faction.
Some Johnson supporters remain hostile to Mr Sunak, blaming him for precipitating the former prime minister’s July departure when he resigned as chancellor.
That opened the door for 60 members of Mr Johnson's government to quit, terminally undermining his authority, triggering his resignation and the leadership race that saw Ms Truss become prime minister on September 6.
Mr Sunak was neither given nor probably wanted a ministerial post in Ms Truss’s government, instead spending much of his time at his constituency in Richmond, Yorkshire. He did appear in the Commons for the tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II, but otherwise remained unseen, and was 200 miles away in Yorkshire when Ms Truss resigned last Thursday.
That was deliberate. Mr Sunak was determined this time round that he would be absolutely free from accusations of treachery or conspiring to dethrone the leader.
The campaign strategy appears to have worked exceptionally well, with more than half of the 357 Tory MPs publicly stating they will back him for prime minister.
Since Thursday, Mr Sunak has not spoken a word in public and only issued a single statement on Twitter.
The country is facing “a profound economic crisis” he said. “That's why I am standing to be leader of the Conservative Party and your next prime minister.”
The unspoken point was that he was the man to handle the grave economic state Britain has found itself in following Ms Truss’ disastrous mini-budget of unfunded tax cuts.
During the leadership campaign Mr Sunak had warned that her “fairy-tale economics” would lead to disaster and has been very much vindicated by events.
He concluded the statement by saying that there would be “integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level of the government I lead”, a clear poke at Mr Johnson’s shambolic administration.
A poll suggested that had Mr Sunak gone up against Ms Truss again for another vote among the 166,000 Tory members he would have won with 60 per cent.
His most recent, voiceless campaign strategy suggests he has learnt that his slick, well-honed American-style campaign in July was off-putting to many.
Mr Sunak, 42, has learnt a lesson in humility and also strategy, which could leave him well placed to overcome the Tory disasters of this year and place his party and Britain in a better financial — and indeed psychological — place.
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Overall head-to-head
Federer 6-1 Cilic
Head-to-head at Wimbledon
Federer 1-0 Cilic
Grand Slams titles
Federer 18-1 Cilic
Best Wimbledon performance
Federer: Winner (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012)
Cilic: Final (2017*)
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDeveloper%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ETribute%20Games%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dotemu%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EConsoles%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ENintendo%20Switch%2C%20PlayStation%204%26amp%3B5%2C%20PC%20and%20Xbox%20One%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Read more from Johann Chacko
The alternatives
• Founded in 2014, Telr is a payment aggregator and gateway with an office in Silicon Oasis. It’s e-commerce entry plan costs Dh349 monthly (plus VAT). QR codes direct customers to an online payment page and merchants can generate payments through messaging apps.
• Business Bay’s Pallapay claims 40,000-plus active merchants who can invoice customers and receive payment by card. Fees range from 1.99 per cent plus Dh1 per transaction depending on payment method and location, such as online or via UAE mobile.
• Tap started in May 2013 in Kuwait, allowing Middle East businesses to bill, accept, receive and make payments online “easier, faster and smoother” via goSell and goCollect. It supports more than 10,000 merchants. Monthly fees range from US$65-100, plus card charges of 2.75-3.75 per cent and Dh1.2 per sale.
• 2checkout’s “all-in-one payment gateway and merchant account” accepts payments in 200-plus markets for 2.4-3.9 per cent, plus a Dh1.2-Dh1.8 currency conversion charge. The US provider processes online shop and mobile transactions and has 17,000-plus active digital commerce users.
• PayPal is probably the best-known online goods payment method - usually used for eBay purchases - but can be used to receive funds, providing everyone’s signed up. Costs from 2.9 per cent plus Dh1.2 per transaction.
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
