British finance minister Jeremy Hunt said on Monday it was time for "honesty" about the economic challenges facing the country as he congratulated Rishi Sunak on becoming the next prime minister.

"This is a time for honesty about the huge economic challenges we face, and courage in addressing them," Hunt wrote on Twitter.

"We have a PM who can be trusted to do just that - and give us all confidence in the huge potential of our country."

(Reporting by Sachin Ravikumar; Editing by William Schomberg)