Why did new British PM Rishi Sunak ditch Liz Truss' Twisted Wood Podium for his address?

Rishi Sunak, the new Prime Minister of Britain, on October 25 delivered his first speech after taking the top post. Those who follow British politics close know that every Prime Minister makes a speech from a different lectern, which probably meets their style.

However, the pace of Sunak's election as Conservative leader and Prime Minister after Liz Truss's almost seven weeks term meant that the new PM had to use a leftover lectern from the previous administration.

Notably, Sunak ditched his predecessor Liz Truss' lectern which looked like a twisted stack of wooden blocks similar to Jenga blocks. According to The Daily Telegraph, lecterns usually take around 21 days to make at a cost of $4,500. Traditionally made from wood, they have metal cores to prevent them from blowing over.

Sources told the paper that former Prime Minister David Cameron's lectern aimed for a 'statesmanlike" look with the ends bulging out and thin in the middle, while Theresa May's lectern had a "feminine" look. Boris Johnson's lectern was dark brown in colour.

Sunak takes over as British PM amid economic crisis

Rishi Sunak on Tuesday formally became Britain's Prime Minister amid the economic crisis that left the country's finance in a shaky state with many citizens struggling to pay for their food and power bills.

Sunak, the youngest British prime minister in more than 200 years, pledged to put the country's need "above politics" and "fix mistakes" made by Liz truss.  He warned of "difficult decisions to come" and pointed to his record as chancellor of the exchequer during the coronavirus pandemic to promise he will bring that "same compassion to the challenges ahead".

"I will unite our country not with words but with action. I will work day in and day out to deliver for you," he added.