short biography of rishi sunak

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Political career

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Rishi Sunak

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Rishi Sunak (born May 12, 1980, Southampton, England) is a British politician and financier who became the leader of the Conservative Party and prime minster of the United Kingdom in October 2022. He resigned as prime minister in July 2024 and was replaced by Labour Party leader Keir Starmer after Labour won a landslide victory in a general election. Previously Sunak had served as chancellor of the Exchequer (2020–22).

Sunak was born into a family with immigrant roots. His grandparents emigrated from Punjab , in northwestern India, to East Africa , where his mother and father were born in Tanzania and Kenya , respectively. They met and married after their families migrated in the 1960s to Southampton in southern England . Sunak’s father became a general practitioner for the National Health Service . His mother, a pharmacist, owned and operated a small pharmacy, for which Sunak, the eldest of their three children, would eventually keep the books. Later, during his political career, Sunak would draw parallels between his experiences working in the family business and the values he gained from them and those of Conservative Party icon Margaret Thatcher , the daughter of a grocer.

As a result of his parents’ sacrifices and saving to fund his education, Sunak was able to attend Winchester College , the exclusive private school that has produced no fewer than six chancellors of the Exchequer. In addition to becoming “head boy” at Winchester, Sunak was the editor of the school’s newspaper. During summer vacations he waited tables at a Southampton Indian restaurant. Sunak went on to study philosophy, politics, and economics (the degree obtained by many future prime ministers) at Lincoln College, Oxford . There he was president of the Oxford Trading & Investment Society, which provided students with opportunities to learn about financial markets and global trading. While at Oxford, Sunak also had an internship at the headquarters of the Conservative Party.

After graduating from Oxford in 2001, Sunak became an analyst for Goldman Sachs, working for the investment banking company until 2004. As a Fulbright scholar, he then pursued an MBA at Stanford University , where he met his future wife, Akshata Murthy, daughter of Narayana Murthy , an Indian billionaire and cofounder of technology giant Infosys. Returning to the United Kingdom in 2006, Sunak took a job with The Children’s Investment Fund Management (TCI), the hedge fund operated by Sir Chris Hohn, who made him a partner some two years later. In 2009 Sunak left TCI to join another hedge fund, Theleme Partners. That year he married Murthy; they would have two daughters. By virtue of Sunak’s success in business and his wife’s 0.91 percent stake in Infosys, the couple began to amass a considerable fortune, which would be estimated at about £730 million ($877 million) in 2022 by The Sunday Times . (Some sources estimated Akshata Murthy’s net worth at as much as £1 billion [$1.2 billion].)

In 2010 Sunak began working for the Conservative Party. During this period he also became involved with Policy Exchange, a leading Conservative think tank , for which he became head of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Research Unit in 2014. That year Policy Exchange published A Portrait of Modern Britain , a pamphlet that Sunak wrote with Saratha Rajeswaran, deputy head of the BME unit. In 2014 Sunak was chosen as the Conservative Party’s candidate for the House of Commons representing Richmond in North Yorkshire , a safe Conservative seat in the north of England long held by onetime party leader (1997–2001) William Hague . In May 2015 Sunak was elected by a commanding majority. He came into office a Euroskeptic and firmly in the “leave” camp on the issue of Brexit , which he said would make the United Kingdom “freer, fairer, and more prosperous.” He would be reelected to Parliament in 2017 and 2019, and he voted three times in favor of Prime Minister Theresa May ’s Brexit plans.

From 2015 to 2017 he was a member of the Environment , Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee and parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy. In January 2018 he was appointed to his first ministerial post as undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Sunak became a vocal supporter of Boris Johnson ’s pursuit of the party’s leadership, and, when Johnson became leader and prime minister, he rewarded Sunak with a promotion, appointing him chief secretary to the Treasury in July 2019.

During Sunak’s tenure as second-in-command at the Treasury ministry, tensions were rising between his boss, Chancellor of the Exchequer Sajid Javid , and Johnson. When Javid resigned in February 2020, Johnson replaced him with Sunak, who, at age 39, became the fourth youngest person ever to hold that position. Almost immediately Sunak was faced with the manifold challenges brought about by the arrival in Britain of the COVID-19 global pandemic. As the British economy was clobbered by the shutdowns imposed by the government in an attempt to stem the spread of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, the cause of COVID-19, Sunak employed the powers of his office to try to offset the economic and human damage. He instituted a broad economic-support program that dedicated some £330 billion ($400 billion) in emergency funds for businesses and salary subsidies for workers aimed at job retention and easing the burden of the lockdown for individuals and companies alike. Those rescue programs were widely popular, and the polished, poised Sunak became the welcome face of the government at daily press conferences where the prime minister appeared less composed.

Sunak’s “Eat Out to Help Out” scheme, aimed at supporting restaurants and pubs with government-subsidized food and drinks, was viewed by some observers as a rousing success, but critics pointed to it as having likely played a significant role in the emergence of a catastrophic spike in COVID-19 cases in autumn 2020. Nonetheless, the portrait of Sunak that arose during the pandemic was that of a superslick, social-media savvy, immaculately dressed, handsome, but down-to-earth politician. “Dishy Rishi” was named “Britain’s sexiest MP” in 2020.

Sunak’s gleaming brand was tarnished, however, by a series of disclosures in April 2022. Perhaps most damaging was the revelation that his wife, as an Indian citizen and non-domiciled U.K. resident, had claimed a tax status that allowed her to avoid paying British taxes on her overseas income, which may have saved her as much as £20 million ($24 million) in U.K. taxes over a roughly seven-and-a-half-year period. While not illegal, the maneuver cast a bad light on Sunak, and Murthy was quick to revise her tax status. Sunak’s patriotism was also called into question when it was revealed that he had held on to a green card for U.S. residency until late October 2021, which seemed to suggest a desire to keep his options open. Finally, in April 2022 Sunak was fined by the police for having been among the guests at a birthday party for Johnson at his office in 2020 in violation of the government’s rules against social gatherings at that stage of the pandemic. Sunak claimed that his appearance at the party was inadvertent and the result of having appeared early for a meeting with the prime minister.

The fallout from the incident for Sunak, however, was much less than what the “Partygate” scandal would bring for the increasingly embattled Johnson. When the series of scandals involving Johnson’s integrity and honesty expanded to include the prime minister’s mishandling of allegations of sexual misconduct against former Conservative deputy chief whip Chris Pincher, Sunak joined Javid, then serving as health secretary, in resigning from the cabinet on July 5, 2022. Their prominent resignations contributed greatly to the groundswell of opposition within the Conservative Party that eventually forced Johnson’s resignation as party leader. Although some Tories saw Sunak’s action as traitorous, he was quick to declare his intention to replace Johnson as leader with a cannily produced campaign video that was released hot on the heels of Johnson’s announcement that he was stepping down.

With Johnson remaining as a caretaker prime minister until the party could choose a replacement for him, the parliamentary party (sitting Conservative MPs) set about the series of votes that incrementally winnowed the field of candidates for the leadership from eight to two. At the end of that process, Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss remained as the final duo whose names were submitted for a vote by the party’s whole membership.

Sunak stood to be the first person of color and first Hindu to lead Britain. To achieve that end, he would have to overcome the perception among some Conservatives of his being too wealthy to understand the needs of the average British citizen at a time of devastating inflation and the reservations of other Conservatives who were put off by the tax increases Sunak had imposed on corporations and national insurance in an attempt to help offset the costs of the government’s pandemic relief programs. When the results of the election were announced on September 5, Sunak came up short, taking 42.6 percent of the vote, compared with 57.4 percent for Truss, who became party leader.

Truss’s tenure in office would prove to be the shortest in British history at just over six weeks. Her attempt to impose an unfunded £45 billion ($50 billion) in tax cuts while also capping energy prices for two years promised to open a gaping budget deficit and panicked financial markets. (During the leadership campaign, Sunak had warned against just such tax cuts.) After the pound plummeted, mortgage rates climbed, and the cost of U.K. government borrowing rose, the Bank of England was forced to take emergency action to calm the markets. Truss quickly replaced her Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng with Jeremy Hunt , who almost immediately rescinded Truss’s economic plan, but confidence in Truss’s leadership was damaged beyond repair. Although Conservative Party rules protected Truss from a vote on her leadership for a year, dissent among Conservative MPs grew rapidly, and calls for her resignation mounted. On October 20 Truss announced her resignation, putting into motion another leadership contest.

This time around, 100 nominations from Conservative MPs were required for candidate eligibility. Because there were 357 Conservative MPs, at most only three candidates could advance for consideration. Again the two finalists were then to be put to a vote by the party membership. Sunak, who still enjoyed broad support among MPs, was the early favorite. House of Commons leader Penny Mordaunt was the first to declare her candidacy, but support for her was limited. Defense Secretary Ben Wallace looked to be a popular choice, but he opted not to run and threw his conditional support to Johnson—who suddenly was back in the mix despite being ousted from office only months earlier—not least because of his continued popularity with the broader party membership. As tensions grew, Johnson made a dramatic return to the U.K. from a vacation in the Dominican Republic . All of this unfolded in a matter of days. On October 23, the day before nominations were due, Johnson withdrew from consideration. By early October 24 more than half the MPs had already committed to nominate Sunak. When Mordaunt dropped out shortly before the deadline, the way was clear for Sunak, as the sole remaining candidate, to be confirmed as party leader, setting the stage for him to become prime minister. He took office the following day.

Sunak assumed leadership of a party whose popularity was at a near historic low. Truss’s chaotic six-week rule had caused public support for the Conservative brand to crater, but Sunak managed to check, if not reverse, the decline. Just weeks into his prime ministership, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled that Scotland was not empowered to conduct another independence referendum without Westminster’s approval. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon responded by pledging to make the next U.K. parliamentary election a de facto referendum on Scottish independence.

In March 2023 Sunak held off a Tory rebellion and passed the so-called Windsor Framework, a post- Brexit deal to regulate trade between Northern Ireland , the rest of the United Kingdom, and the European Union . During his campaign to drum up support for the bill, Sunak stressed the “privileged access, not just to the U.K. home market, which is enormous, but also the EU single market” that Northern Ireland would enjoy under the framework. Critics were quick to observe that, prior to Brexit, the entire United Kingdom could boast this “privileged access.” Nevertheless, the European Union approved the deal, and the stage was set for the eventual restoration of Northern Ireland’s devolved government (it was suspended in February 2022 when the Democratic Unionist Party enacted a boycott over post-Brexit trade).

In November 2023 Sunak sacked controversial home secretary Suella Braverman as part of a broader cabinet reshuffle that saw the stunning return to government of former prime minister David Cameron as foreign secretary. Cameron, who was elevated to the House of Lords and created Lord Cameron of Chipping Norton in order to take his seat in the cabinet, seemed an unusual choice, as Sunak had previously endeavored to characterize his government as a break with the past. The return of Cameron to front bench politics did little to buoy Conservative fortunes, and polls of voting intent consistently showed the Labour Party holding a sizable lead over the Conservatives. Thus, it came as a surprise in May 2024 when Sunak announced that a general election would be held in July of that year, more than six months ahead of the legally mandated deadline.

That contest saw the Conservatives suffer one of the worst routs in the history of the party, with several high-ranking members of Sunak’s cabinet losing their seats. Keir Starmer ’s resurgent Labour Party ended 14 years of Conservative rule with a landslide victory, a result that Sunak described as “a sobering verdict” delivered by the British people.

Rishi Sunak

Who Is Rishi Sunak?

Following a successful early career in finance, Rishi Sunak entered Parliament as a Conservative MP from Richmond in 2015. Named Chancellor of the Exchequer just five years later, he earned praise for devising a massive bailout package to support struggling businesses and individuals amid the spread of Covid-19. Sunak fell short in his initial bid for the Conservative Party leadership, but he became the U.K.'s first prime minister of color when Liz Truss abruptly resigned from the post in October 2022.

How Old Is Rishi Sunak?

Rishi Sunak was born on May 12, 1980, in Southampton, England.

Parents and Nationality

Early years and education.

The oldest of three children, Sunak developed an early love for cricket and a knack for business by helping out at the family pharmacy.

Although an expected scholarship to Winchester College never materialized, Yashvir and Usha accepted the financial burden of sending their son to the prestigious boarding school, with Sunak contributing by working as a waiter on holidays. He went on to edit the school newspaper, The Wykehamist, and became Winchester's first "head boy" from an Indian background.

Sunak then enrolled at the University of Oxford's Lincoln College, where he studied the Philosophy, Politics and Economics curriculum. Not prominently involved with the school's political circles, he instead became president of the Oxford University Investment Society, before graduating with a first-class degree in 2001.

Sunak later attended Stanford University's Graduate School of Business on a Fulbright scholarship , earning his MBA in 2006.

Financial Career

Sunak began his professional career as a junior analyst in the London branch of Goldman Sachs, where he focused on American stocks in the media and transportation sectors. Following his time at Stanford, he returned to England to enter the booming hedge fund industry as a partner at The Children's Investment Fund (TCI).

The splintering of TCI sent Sunak back to California in 2010 to work for a former boss at the hedge fund Thélème Partners. He later took over as director for his father-in-law's investment firm, Catamaran Ventures, from 2013-15.

Before his start in politics, Sunak also served as a board member for a Boys & Girls Club in California, a governor of the East London Science School and as director of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Research Unit of the right-center think tank Policy Exchange.

Member of Parliament

Sunak launched his political career with a bid to replace longtime Conservative MP William Hague in the constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire, in 2015. Although there was concern over how he would fare in the rural, mostly white region, the newcomer won over residents to claim more than 50 percent of the vote.

His rapid rise fueled by a sharp intellect and polished manner, Sunak became a parliamentary private secretary at the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy in June 2017 and then under secretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government the following January. Along the way, the neophyte MP made a name for himself by opposing Prime Minister David Cameron to come out in favor of Brexit .

After backing the leadership campaign of former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson , Sunak was rewarded with the post of chief secretary to the Treasury in July 2019 and even stood in for Prime Minister Johnson during general election debates later that year.

Chancellor of the Exchequer

In February 2020, just seven months after joining the Treasury, Sunak became its head as the second-youngest-ever chancellor of the Exchequer.

Initially tasked with meeting a tight deadline for the budget, Sunak quickly turned his focus to emergency measures to prop up the British economy amid the rapid spread of Covid-19. After announcing a £350 billion rescue package for businesses on March 17, he soon followed with pledges to support both furloughed workers and the self-employed.

While other measures, such as his " eat out to help out " plan, failed to make much of an impact, the chancellor's popularity soared with his demonstration of capable leadership and a willingness to buck his Conservative convictions to continue financially supporting struggling businesses and individuals.

Beyond his pandemic-related management, Sunak hosted the G7 Summit in June 2021 and oversaw the western powers' agreement to establish a landmark global corporation tax . The following spring, he signaled his intention to back the emerging cryptocurrency market with the announcement that he had asked the Treasury to design a non-fungible token (NFT).

Although he endured public embarrassment for breaking lockdown rules, Sunak leveraged the resentment over Johnson's scandal-plagued premiership to resign as chancellor on July 5, 2022, setting off a wave of government departures that forced the prime minister to step down two days later.

Prime Minister

One of 11 candidates who declared their intention to succeed Johnson, Sunak decried the "fairy tale" tax cuts proposed by his competitors. Although he emerged as an early favorite for the party leadership as Conservative MPs whittled the field down to two, Sunak ultimately lost the final round of voting to incumbent Foreign Secretary Liz Truss , who became the U.K. prime minister on September 6, 2022.

However, Truss's premiership caved beneath the financial turmoil caused by her plan to slash taxes and freeze household energy bills. With most of her economic proposals overturned amid a surging inflation rate, Truss announced the end of her historically brief tenure as prime minister on October 20, 2022.

Sunak became the only candidate to receive the necessary backing of 100 fellow MPs, enabling him to take office as the first U.K. prime minister of color on October 24, 2022.

"When the opportunity to serve comes along, you cannot question the moment, only your willingness," he declared in his acceptance speech . "So, I stand here before you ready to lead our country into the future, to put your needs above politics, to reach out and build a government that represents the very best traditions of my party. Together, we can achieve incredible things."

Wife and Family

Sunak met entrepreneur Akshata Murty , daughter of Infosys founder N. R. Narayana Murthy, while enrolled at Stanford. Following their high-profile wedding in August 2009, the couple went on to have daughters Krishna and Anoushka.

Akshata came under scrutiny in April 2022 when it was revealed she did not pay U.K. taxes on her foreign earnings due to her "non-domicile" status. She later renounced that status to avoid being a "distraction" to her husband's political interests.

A devoted Hindu , Sunak is known for taking his oath of office on the Bhagavad Gita and for his public commemoration of the festival of Diwali.

Thanks, in large part, to his wife's family fortune, Sunak became the richest prime minister in U.K. history, with a reported net worth of £730 million as of May 2022. At the time, his properties included a mansion in Kirby Sigston, Yorkshire; two residences in west London; and a beach penthouse in Santa Monica, California.

Along with his professed interests in cricket, football and overall fitness, Sunak often cites his love for Star Wars on social media and reportedly owns a collection of lightsabers.

QUICK FACTS

• Birth Year: 1980
• Birth date: May 12, 1980
• Birth City: Southampton
• Birth Country: England
• Best Known For: Rishi Sunak became the United Kingdom's first prime minister of color after taking office in October 2022.
• Business and Industry
• Politics and Government
• Astrological Sign: Taurus
• Standford University
• University of Oxford
• Winchester College
• Interesting Facts
• Sunak became the youngest U.K. prime minister since 24-year-old William Pitt the Younger ascended to the role in 1783.
• Occupations
• Political Figure

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CITATION INFORMATION

• Article Title: Rishi Sunak Biography
• Author: Biography.com Editors
• Website Name: The Biography.com website
• Url: https://www.biography.com/political-figure/rishi-sunak
• Access Date:
• Publisher: A&E; Television Networks
• Last Updated: December 8, 2022
• Original Published Date: December 8, 2022
• I stand here before you ready to lead our country into the future, to put your needs above politics, to reach out and build a government that represents the very best traditions of my party. Together, we can achieve incredible things.
• I think in our country, we judge people not by their bank account, we judge them by their character and their actions.

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Rishi Sunak Biography: Birth, Age, Parents, Education, Political Career, Net Worth, And More

Rishi sunak has become the first indian-origin prime minister of the united kingdom. check rishi sunak's birth, age, wife, education, and other details. .

Rishi Sunak is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. He is one of the wealthiest politicians in Westminster, Britain as well as the first leader of colour. He replaced the former PM Liz Truss who only lasted 44 days in the job before she resigned from the position. 

Indian-origin UK politician Rishi Sunak's campaign to be the Prime Minister of Britain after the resignation of Boris Johnson on July 7, 2022, received an endorsement from the Deputy Prime Minister of Britain Dominic Raab and transport minister Grant Shapps, who decided to ditch his own leadership bid to back Sunak. 

Rishi Sunak, the 41-year-old served as the Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022, having previously served as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2019 to 2020. Rishi Sunak is a member of the Conservative Party who has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond (Yorks) since 2015. 

I’ve landed in Delhi ahead of the #G20 summit. I am meeting world leaders to address some of the challenges that impact every one of us. Only together can we get the job done. pic.twitter.com/72vE60c7Fg — Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) September 8, 2023

Let's take a look at the life of Rishi Sunak.

Rishi Sunak Biography

Rishi Sunak Biography: Birth, Age, and Parents

Rishi Sunak was born on 12 May 1980 in Southampton, Hampshire, South East England to Indian parents Yashvir and Usha Sunak who were born in Kenya and Tanzania respectively. His father was a general practitioner while his mother was a pharmacist who ran a local pharmacy. 

Rishi Sunak Education 

Rishi sunak's business career, rishi sunak: as a frontrunner for uk prime minister.

Rishi Sunak, on July 8, 2022, a day after the resignation of former UK PM Boris Johnson, announced that he would stand as a candidate in the Conservative Party Leadership Election to replace Boris Johnson. The conservative politicians who supported Boris Johnson criticized Rishi Sunak as leading the charge in bringing down the Prime Minister. 

Rishi Sunak's Political Career

In 2014, he was chosen as the Conservative candidate for Richmond (Yorks), a seat that had previously been held by William Hague. The seat has been held by the Conservative Party for over 100 years now. That year, he headed the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Research Unit of Policy Exchange and co-wrote a report on BME communities in the United Kingdom. 

In the 2015 General Election, he was elected as an MP from Richmond (Yorks). From 2015 to 2017, he served as a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee. 

He supported the EU referendum in 2016. He also wrote a report for the Centre for Policy Studies supporting the establishment of free ports after Brexit, and the following year wrote a report advocating for the creation of a retail bond market for SMEs. 

He was re-elected as MP from the same seat in the 2017 General Election. He served as the Parliamentary Under-Secretary from January 2018 to July 2019. He supported PM Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election and even co-wrote an article in a British national daily to advocate for Johnson during the campaign in June 2019. 

Sunak was re-elected in the 2019 General Election and was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury by Prime Minister Boris Johnson in July 2019 and served under Chancellor Sajid Javid. He became a member of the Privy Council on 25 July 2019. 

After a cabinet reshuffle in February 2020, Sunak was promoted to Chancellor of the Exchequer. 

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Sunak presented his first budget on 11 March 2020. As the pandemic created a financial impact, Sunak announced the £30 billion of additional spending of which £12 billion was allocated for mitigation of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

On 17 March 2020, he announced £330 billion in emergency support for businesses and a salary subsidy scheme for employees. Three days later, he announced the job retention scheme but received severe backlash as an estimated 100,000 people were not eligible for it. The scheme was extended until 30 September 2021. 

Sunak unveiled the £30 billion Eat Out to Help Out Scheme to support and create jobs in the hospitality industry. The government-subsidized food and soft drinks at participating cafes, pubs and restaurants at 50%, up to £10 per person. The offer was available from 3 to 31 August 2020 from Monday to Wednesday. While some consider the scheme to be a success as it subsidized £849 million in meals, others disagree. A study at the University of Warwick revealed that the scheme contributed to a rise in COVID-19 infections of between 8% and 17%. 

In his March 2021 budget, Sunak announced that the deficit had risen to £355 billion in the FY 2020-2021, the highest in peacetime. He increased the corporation tax from earlier 19 to 25% in 2023, a five-year freeze in the tax-free personal allowance and the higher rate income tax threshold. 

At the G7 Summit in June 2021, a tax reform agreement was signed to establish a global minimum tax on multinationals and online technology companies. In October 2021, OECD signed an accord to join the tax reform plan. 

Rishi Sunak Wife 

Non-domiciled status of rishi sunak's wife and green card.

Rishi Sunak's wife Akshata Murthy has non-domiciled status, which means that she is not required to pay tax on the income that she earned abroad while living in the United Kingdom. Murthy pays around 30,000 pounds to secure the particular status, which further allows her to avoid paying an estimated 20 million pounds in UK taxes. 

After the media controversy on the matter which arose during Rishi Sunak's announcement to run for Prime Minister, Akshata Murthy announced on April 8, 2022, that she will pay UK taxes on her global income. She further added that she does not want it to be an issue or a distraction from her husband's plans. 

Reportedly it was also revealed that Rishi Sunak continued to hold the U.S. Permanent Resident Card he had acquired in the 2000s until 2021, including for 18 months after he was Chancellor, which required filling the U.S. Tax returns. 

Also Read | Rakesh Sharma Biography: Birth, Age, Education, Career, Awards and More About Indian Astronaut

Get here current GK and GK quiz questions in English and Hindi for India , World, Sports and Competitive exam preparation. Download the Jagran Josh Current Affairs App .

• Where is Rishi Sunak from originally? + Rishi Sunak was born in Southampton to Indian parents who migrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960's.
• When was Rishi Sunak born? + Rishi Sunak was born on 12th May 1980 in Southampton.
• How old is Rishi Sunak? + Rishi Sunak is 42 years old.
• What degree does Rishi Sunak have? + He graduated in Politics and Economics from Lincoln College, Oxford and obtained an MBA from Stanford University, where he was a Fulbright scholar.
• Who is the father in law of Rishi Sunak? + Indian billionaire N.R. Narayana Murthy is the father in law of Rishi Sunak.
• Who is Rishi Sunak married to? + Rishi Sunak is married to Akshata Murthy. The couple has two daughters.
• What is the nationality of Rishi Sunak? + The nationality of Rishi Sunak is British.
• Who is Rishi Sunak? + Rishi Sunak is the Chancellor of the Exchequer since February 2020 and MP for Richmond (Yorks) in North Yorkshire since 2015. He is speculated to be the frontrunner for Prime Minister's position.
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Who Is Rishi Sunak?

Daniel Liberto is a journalist with over 10 years of experience working with publications such as the Financial Times, The Independent, and Investors Chronicle.

Rishi Sunak is a former investment banker and hedge fund manager turned politician. He was appointed as prime minister of the United Kingdom by his peers in October 2022 after several years of working in finance and then as a Conservative Party member of Parliament and Chancellor of the Exchequer. Sunak became the first non-White person to lead the country and, at age 42, the youngest to take on the role in more than a century.

Like most politicians, Sunak is revered by some and heavily criticized by others. Supporters believe his experience in finance makes him an ideal candidate to steer Britain through one of its most difficult economic moments. On the other hand, critics say he is too rich and out of touch with the electorate and, based on some documented past actions, argue that he is a poster child of inequality.

Key Takeaways

• Rishi Sunak is the prime minister of the United Kingdom and is the country's first non-White leader.
• Sunak was born in Southampton, England, to Indian parents in 1980 and studied at Winchester College, Oxford University, and Stanford University in the United States.
• Sunak turned to politics after a successful career in finance and becoming very rich.

Sunak was born in Southampton, England, in 1980 to parents of Indian descent. His mother and father moved to the U.K. from East Africa in the 1960s and met and married in southern England. The couple had three children—Rishi is the oldest.

Sunak’s father was a doctor, while his mother ran her own pharmacy. Rishi, who later helped his mother with accounting , said it was his parents’ jobs that gave him the desire to serve the public. He credited their sacrifices with getting a top education.

After finishing at the prestigious Winchester College, an expensive private school, Sunak studied philosophy, politics, and economics—a popular choice among future prime ministers—at Lincoln College, Oxford. While there, Sunak interned at the headquarters of the Conservative Party and was president of the Oxford Trading & Investment Society, which teaches students about financial markets and trading.

His passion for investing led to a job as an analyst at Goldman Sachs, where he worked for three years after graduating from Oxford in 2021. Sunak then won a Fulbright scholarship to pursue a master of business administration (MBA) at Stanford University. While in the United States, he met his future wife, Akshata Murthy.

Before his rapid rise up the political ladder, Sunak worked in finance for a number of prestigious companies. These experiences gave him a solid understanding of investing, innovation, and money management, which could come in handy in his role as prime minister, and helped boost his bank balance.

Sunak’s career in finance, and his wife’s stake in Infosys, made him extremely wealthy. According to The Sunday Times , the couple's combined fortune was £529 million as of May 2023. Their net worth dropped by about £201 million from £730 million in 2022 because of a decrease in the value of Infosys.

This wealth is both a blessing and a curse. On one hand, it shone a light on Sunak’s credentials as highly qualified to handle a nation’s finances. On the other hand, it led to accusations that he is unable to relate to the brutal cost-of-living crisis and financial struggles engulfing many people living in the country he is in charge of running.

Sunak’s super-rich status earned him a reputation for being good at managing money. It has also led to accusations that he’s out of touch and incapable of relating to the financial difficulties facing a large portion of the British population.

Sunak began working for the Conservative Party in 2010 and moved quickly up the ranks. In 2015, he was elected to represent Richmond, a town in Yorkshire, England, in Parliament, a seat he continues to hold. He also served in other government positions before landing the big job of Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2020.

As the U.K.’s chief finance minister, Sunak was tasked with steering Britain’s economy through a challenging period of COVID-19 -related shutdowns. He responded by doling out billions of pounds of aid in the form of salary subsidies for workers, business loans, and so on. Those measures came at a huge cost but were generally well-received. Not long after, and following a previous failed attempt, he was selected by his peers to replace Liz Truss as prime minister. It took just seven years for Sunak to rise from being a Member of Parliament to leading the government. He also won plaudits for becoming the first person of color and the first Hindu to lead Britain, and for achieving all these accomplishments at a relatively young age.

Personal Life

Sunak married Akshata Murthy (also spelled Murty) in 2009. She is the daughter of Narayana Murthy , an Indian billionaire and co-founder of technology giant Infosys. At that point, he returned to the U.K. from the United States and was working in the hedge fund industry, first for The Children’s Investment Fund and then for Theleme Partners.

Sunak was part of the Brexit camp that voted for the U.K. to leave the European Union.

Sunak’s reputation has been tarnished somewhat by his past actions. Among other things, he has been accused of being a traitor, greedy, unpatriotic, a tax evader , and flouting the law. Carrying such associations around is far from ideal, especially in the world of politics. The following provides further detail on these labels for Sunak.

One of the most damaging revelations was that Sunak’s wife was using a loophole to avoid paying U.K. taxes on her global income. Murty, it was confirmed, got out of paying taxes on her international earnings by registering as a non-domiciled U.K. resident. That move reportedly saved her millions in tax liabilities and led to a public outcry.

Murty promised to pay taxes on a remittance basis but continues to hold her non-domiciled status. As such, she pays £30,000 per year, which shields her from British taxes on any earnings from overseas sources.

Rich Elitist

Sunak is extremely rich and known to flaunt his wealth by wearing expensive clothes. These observations have led some to question whether he is too out of touch with the average electorate.

Some of the past comments he made haven’t helped. In 2007, Sunak was filmed claiming he does not have working-class friends. He was also caught on camera talking about taking money destined for deprived urban areas and funneling it into wealthier towns instead.

Unpatriotic

People who lead countries are generally supposed to present themselves as patriotic and happy to live there. Sunak made the public question that when it was revealed he held onto a Green Card for U.S. residency. It was reported that he surrendered his Green Card in October 2021 before he made his first trip to the United States as a British government minister.

Ignoring Lockdown Laws

In April 2022, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson, his wife, and Sunak were fined by the police for attending a party in June 2020 when the country was in a COVID-19-imposed lockdown. There were calls for Johnson and Sunak to resign—primarily from opposition MPs. They apologized but rejected any calls to step down from their positions.

When Boris Johnson, the former prime minister who gave Sunak his big break as chancellor, came under fire for his role in the 2020 “Partygate” scandal and other gaffes, Sunak was one of the politicians who turned against him. Then, to add salt to the wound, as soon as Johnson resigned, Sunak put his name forward to replace him.

Where Is Rishi Sunak From?

Rishi Sunak was born in Southampton, England. His grandparents emigrated from Punjab, India, to East Africa, and his mother and father moved to England in the 1960s.

What Is Rishi Sunak's Role?

Rishi Sunak is the prime minister of the United Kingdom. He assumed office on Oct. 25, 2022. At age 42, he was the youngest person to take on the role in more than a century. He's also the first non-White individual to lead the U.K.

Prior to this, Sunak was the Chancellor of the Exchequer between February 2020 and July 2022. He held a number of positions within the British government before 2020, including Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

What Is Rishi Sunak's Net Worth?

Rishi Sunak is considerably wealthy. His early career in finance along with his wife's stake in Infosys (her father's company) helped the two amass a sizeable fortune. As of May 2023, their net worth was about £529 million.

Rishi Sunak made headlines a lot in the past few years. His speedy rise to the top of British politics at a young age earned him plaudits, as has his experience in the finance world. Sunak also broke down barriers by becoming the first non-White leader of one the world’s largest economies.

But the news flow hasn’t all been good, though. Sunak happens to have a few skeletons in his closet that opposition politicians use as ammunition. He also finds himself in the hot seat in a difficult period. The party he leads has been in power for more than a decade and, after several enforced leadership changes, is no longer popular.  And the country he is responsible for running is in the midst of a deepening economic crisis.

The New York Times. “ Rishi Sunak Is the Youngest British Prime Minister of Modern Times. ”

YouGov. “ As He Becomes P.M., What Do People Think of Rishi Sunak? ”

Tatler. “ Inside the World of Rishi Sunak, Our New Prime Minister .”

Encyclopœdia Britannica. “ Rishi Sunak .”

RishiSunak.com. “ About Me .”

Bloomberg. “ Hedge Funds Get Their First Prime Minister in U.K.’s Rishi Sunak .”

The Sunday Times. " The Sunday Times Rich List 2023 ."

The Guardian. " Rishi Sunak’s family fortune falls by £200m in Sunday Times rich list ."

Gov.UK. “ The Rt. Hon. Rishi Sunak M.P. ”

Financial Times. “ The Coronavirus Chancellor: How Rishi Sunak Took Centre Stage .”

Gov.UK. “ Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak on COVID-19 Response .”

The Washington Post. “ Rishi Sunak and the Curious Arc of History .”

The Guardian. “ Akshata Murty May Have Avoided up to £20m in Tax with Non-Dom Status .”

The Guardian. " Akshata Murty to get almost £6.7m in Infosys dividends ."

The Independent, via YouTube. “ Resurfaced Clip Captures Rishi Sunak Suggesting He Doesn’t Have ‘Working Class’ Friends .”

The Guardian. “ Rishi Sunak Admits Taking Money from Deprived Areas .”

Financial Times. “ U.K. Chancellor Invites Government to Review His Interests .”

BBC News. " Chancellor Rishi Sunak held US green card until last year ."

Financial Times. “ Boris Johnson, Wife Carrie, and Rishi Sunak Fined Over Covid Lockdown Breaches .”

BBC News. " Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak reject calls to resign over lockdown fines ."

Axios. “ How It All Fell Apart for Boris Johnson .”

YouGov. “ Voting Intention: Con 23%, Lab 51% (25–26 Oct. 2022) .”

The Wall Street Journal. “ Britain’s Financial Disaster Is a Warning to the World .”

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7 facts about Rishi Sunak

Rishi sunak was one of the shortest serving british prime ministers in modern history, having spent less than two years in the role..

On 25th October 2022, Rishi Sunak became the 57th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, taking over from Liz Truss who lasted less than two months in the role . After just missing out in the summer leadership contest, Sunak received backing from the majority of Conservative MPs, ahead of Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the House of Commons, who could not reach the 100-vote threshold to go forward to the membership vote.

However, in July 2024, Sunak's Conservative Party lost approximately two-thirds of their seats in the general election and handed Keir Starmer's Labour Party a record-breaking landslide victory.

Read more about British History

Prime Ministerial records: From the shortest serving to the oldest

1. he was the first prime minister of south asian heritage.

Rishi Sunak was born in Southampton in 1980 to a family of Punjabi-Indian descent. His parents emigrated to the United Kingdom in the 1960s, where his father became an NHS doctor, and his mother opened a pharmacy.

He was the first Prime Minister from an ethnic minority and the first practicing Hindu. He first took the Oath of Allegiance on the Bhagavad Gita, the most revered Hindu text.

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2. he attended both the university of oxford and stanford university.

After studying at Winchester College, a public school that ranks among the most prestigious in the world, Sunak went on the read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Lincoln College, Oxford.

Upon completing his studies, he was selected as a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University in the United States. This marked him as an extremely promising, overseas student and he left the institution with an MBA.

Image Credit: Christine Bird / Shutterstock.com | Above: A photograph of the University Church of St Mary the Virgin at the University of Oxford.

3. He co-founded an investment banking firm

Prior to becoming involved in politics, Sunak worked as an analyst for the investment banking firm Goldman Sachs between 2001 and 2004. This started a business career that lasted for more than a decade. In 2009 he co-founded a hedge fund firm called Theleme Partners.

4. He is the MP for Richmond (Yorks)

After growing up on the South Coast of England, Rishi was elected Conservative MP for the Richmond constituency in North Yorkshire. He was first elected during the 2015 General Election before being re-elected on two further occasions and securing over 60% of the votes in 2019.

His constituency home is a £1.5 million Grade II listed building in the village of Kirby Sigston. Sunak holds annual garden parties on the property and invites local Conservative Party members.

Image Credit: Kaca Skokanova / Shutterstock.com | Above: An aerial view of Richmond, North Yorkshire. Rishi Sunak was Elected as the Conservative Party MP for Richmond (North Yorkshire) in May 2015.

5. He is known as ‘the richest MP’

Sunak met his wife Akshata Murty while studying at Stanford University. She is the daughter of NR Narayana Murthy, the sixth-richest man in India, and a famous fashion designer in her own right. Together they hold an estimated net worth of £730 million, making them among the richest people in the UK and earning Rishi the unofficial title of ‘the richest MP’.

However, the couple faced criticism in April 2022 when it was revealed that Akshata was using her Indian citizenship to avoid paying taxes in the UK.

Image Credit: Fred Duval / Shutterstock.com | Above: Rishi Sunak, then Chancellor of the Exchequer, leaving No. 11 Downing Street on the 11th, 2020 to present his budget at the House of Commons in London.

6. He is a massive Southampton FC fan

Sunak is known to be a dedicated fan of his hometown football club, Southampton. He has previously held a season ticket and growing up his favourite player was Matt Le Tissier. While he was at school, Sunak once got in trouble for sneaking a portable television into the strict Winchester College so he and his friends could watch England play in Euro 96.

His other hobbies include cricket and watching movies, as well as exercising, which he says he needs to do to combat his past habits of eating a double chocolate muffin and biscuits every day.

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7. he once said he never wanted to be prime minister.

Despite entering two leadership races in the space of six months, Sunak previously stated that he would never want the top job. In 2020, while working alongside Boris Johnson as Chancellor, he answered a question about his potential aspirations to be Prime Minister by saying: ‘God, no. Definitely not, seeing what the Prime Minister has to deal with.’

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Rishi Sunak in profile: From relative unknown to household name

We look at how the Southampton-born banker made his way to the top job in the Conservative Party - and Downing Street - before calling a general election.

By Faye Brown and Jennifer Scott, political reporters

Wednesday 12 June 2024 12:24, UK

Rishi Sunak became the youngest prime minister of the modern era when he took over the Conservative Party back in 2022.

As we head towards the next election on 4 July, we take a look at how the Tory leader reached his position in politics and got the keys to Number 10.

First-class Oxford degree

Born in 1980 in Southampton, he is the eldest of three children to his parents of Punjabi descent.

Mr Sunak's father was a family doctor and his mother ran a pharmacy, where he helped her with the books.

He attended England's oldest public school, Winchester College, where he became the first Indian-origin head boy and was editor of the school paper.

He has since said his experience at the boarding school was "intellectually transforming" and put him "on a different trajectory".

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Mr Sunak went on to study philosophy, politics and economics at Lincoln College at Oxford University, where he obtained a first-class degree.

After completing an MBA at Stanford University, where he met his future wife, Akshata Murthy, Mr Sunak worked for the investment bank Goldman Sachs as an analyst.

He was said to have already had job offers from investment banks under his belt while still in his second year at Oxford.

He moved to work for hedge funds in 2006 when he joined TCI, known as a very aggressive fund, and left three years later to cofound a new hedge fund.

Mr Sunak then turned his attention to politics.

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Replacing a Tory grandee

In 2014, Mr Sunak was selected as the Conservative Party candidate in the Yorkshire seat of Richmond - previously held by former Tory leader William Hague - before the following year's general election.

Nicknamed the "maharajah of the Yorkshire Dales", he recalled being introduced as "the new William Hague" to his constituents after winning the ballot, to which a Yorkshire farmer replied: "Ah yes Haguey!

"Good bloke. I like him. Bit pale, though. This one's got a nice tan."

Soon after his entry into the Commons - where, as a Hindu, he took his oath on the Bhagavad Gita - the first big political fight of his career came over Brexit.

Mr Sunak supported leaving the EU, claiming the UK would be "freer, fairer and more prosperous" outside the bloc.

His side won, and he bided his time on the backbenches, supporting Theresa May's negotiations and writing papers on the benefits of freeports, before being appointed to government in January 2018 as a junior minister at the housing department.

After Mrs May's demise, he joined with colleagues Oliver Dowden and Robert Jenrick to write an article in The Telegraph, backing Boris Johnson as the only person who could "save" the Tory party.

His support paid off, as when Mr Johnson became prime minister in July 2019, Mr Sunak secured a promotion to become chief secretary to the Treasury, and the right-hand man to Sajid Javid as chancellor.

It was the exit of that boss that led to his real rise to prominence when he was made chancellor in February 2020 - a month before COVID took hold.

From relative unknown to household name

Mr Sunak won praise throughout the pandemic for rapidly introducing support schemes worth billions of pounds to keep jobs and businesses afloat during 18 months of lockdowns.

The likes of furlough and the "Eat Out to Help Out" scheme led to "dishy Rishi" becoming a household name, and a popular one with the public.

At the height of this popularity, he was seen by many Tory MPs as the sure-fire favourite to succeed Mr Johnson when the time came.

But he seemed to fall from grace as quickly as he rose to fame.

Mr Sunak introduced a number of policies that went down badly with Tory MPs, especially the rise in national insurance to fund more money for the NHS and social care.

He was also fined for attending the prime minister's birthday party during COVID restrictions in 2020, compromising his ability to separate himself from the partygate scandal.

But it was revelations about his wife that really damaged his standing with the public.

Wife's non-dom status hits leadership hopes

Ms Murty is a multimillionaire and daughter of billionaire NR Narayana Murthy, the co-founder of the Indian technology giant Infosys.

In April 2022 it was revealed she held non-dom status, meaning she did not have to pay UK tax on her sizeable international income, and it led to an uproar.

She later confirmed she would begin to pay tax on her international earnings as it had "become clear that many do not feel [the non-dom status] is compatible with my husband's role as chancellor".

The row led to opposition parties highlighting his family's wealth, with Mr Sunak facing accusations his personal circumstances made him an unsuitable candidate to take over and tackle the cost of living crisis .

Although he remained as chancellor, many wrote off his chances of becoming the next Tory leader.

But his resignation in July sparked a ministerial exodus and Mr Johnson's resignation as PM, paving the way for his first attempt at Downing Street.

In the ensuing leadership race, Mr Sunak came out on top in each of the five parliamentary rounds of the contest, making it to the final two along with Liz Truss, who was foreign secretary in Mr Johnson's government.

But as the campaign hit its stride and widened to the party membership, Mr Sunak found himself transformed from favourite to underdog.

While he warned of "tough choices ahead" to tackle record levels of national debt incurred during the pandemic, Ms Truss promised tax cuts as a priority.

He accused his competitor of "fairy-tale" economics and peddling "something-for-nothing" plans that even former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn would baulk at.

But Ms Truss doubled down, landing blows on Mr Sunak for putting taxes up to the highest level in 70 years.

Staying in the background

She went on to win the party leadership after securing 57% of the vote, compared to 43% for Mr Sunak.

While Ms Truss embarked on a path of economic turmoil thanks to her tax-slashing mini-budget, the former chancellor kept a low profile, only appearing in the Commons for a few backbench debates and staying away from the cameras.

And after her resignation following a historically short tenure, all eyes were back on Mr Sunak as the candidate to bring back stability to the markets and, perhaps, the party.

He announced he was running to replace Ms Truss on Twitter three days later, having already reached the 100+ nominations needed to get a place on the ballot.

But that was all we saw of the favourite for PM as he again kept out of the spotlight, despite going for the highest profile job in the land.

The United Kingdom is a great country but we face a profound economic crisis. That’s why I am standing to be Leader of the Conservative Party and your next Prime Minister. I want to fix our economy, unite our Party and deliver for our country. pic.twitter.com/BppG9CytAK — Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 23, 2022

Up until two minutes before the deadline for nominations, it looked like Mr Sunak would be facing Penny Mordaunt - another former leadership contestant who fancied her chances again.

But she pulled out of the race at the last minute and so, instead, he was anointed as both leader and prime minister without challenge - the first Hindu and British Asian to reach the position in UK history.

Rocky premiership

Standing on the steps of Downing Street, the new prime minister promised a government of "integrity, professionalism and accountability" as he attempted to break away from the chaos of his predecessors.

But his tenure in office has brought its own challenges - and a steady decline in both his and his party's popularity.

The first few months of his premiership saw a raft of scandals and resignations, with both Sir Gavin Williamson and Dominic Raab quitting amid bullying allegations, and Nadhim Zahawi exiting over his tax affairs .

Mr Sunak attempted to steady the ship come January 2023 by setting out his vision through "five priorities" for government .

His pledge to half the record inflation figure was achieved by the end of the year - though debate remains over whether that was through the work of the government or the markets.

But the jury remains out on his two other economic promises - reducing debt and growing the economy.

Cutting NHS waiting lists hasn't gone to plan either, with the numbers still sitting above 7.5 million, and relations with the sector remain rocky as junior doctors continue to strike over pay and conditions.

It is perhaps his final pledge, however, that has become the flagship of his premiership - "stop the boats".

Mr Sunak adopted the Johnson-era policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda in an attempt to deter further Channel crossings, but it has continued to cause him problems, from the UK's Supreme Court ruling it unlawful through to rebellions on his backbenches calling for tougher measures - he even lost some ministers over it.

But it remains front and centre of his agenda as he heads into the next general election after the passage of the Safety of Rwanda Act despite extensive wrangling with the House of Lords.

Calling an election

On Wednesday 22 May at 7am, figures showed inflation in the UK had fallen to 2.3% - close to the Bank of England's 2% target.

Within hours, rumours started to swirl that Mr Sunak was set to make an announcement outside Downing Street.

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And then shortly after 5pm, the prime minister announced a general election would be taking place on 4 July .

Rishi Sunak had fired the starting gun on the election that had to be called by the end of the year - going earlier than some people expected, including some within his own party .

Sir Keir Starmer responded shortly afterwards, and soon all the parties entered campaign mode with their sights set on the start of July.

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August 28, 2024

Life Story of Famous People

Short Bio » Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak is a British politician who has been Leader of the Conservative Party since 24 October 2022. He was Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022 and Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2019 to 2020. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond (Yorks) since 2015.

Sunak was born in Southampton to parents of Punjabi-Indian descent who migrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s. He was educated at Winchester College, read philosophy, politics and economics (PPE) at Lincoln College, Oxford, and gained an MBA from Stanford University in California as a Fulbright Scholar. While studying at Stanford, he met his future wife Akshata Murty, the daughter of N. R. Narayana Murthy, the Indian billionaire businessman who founded Infosys. Sunak and Murty are the 222nd richest people in Britain, with a combined fortune of £730m as of 2022. After graduating, Sunak worked for Goldman Sachs and later as a partner at the hedge fund firms the Children’s Investment Fund Management and Theleme Partners.

Sunak was elected to the House of Commons for Richmond in North Yorkshire at the 2015 general election, succeeding William Hague. Sunak supported Brexit in the 2016 referendum on EU membership. He was appointed to Theresa May’s second government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government in the 2018 reshuffle. He voted three times in favour of May’s Brexit withdrawal agreement. After May resigned, Sunak supported Boris Johnson’s campaign to become Conservative leader. After Johnson was elected and appointed Prime Minister, he appointed Sunak as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Sunak replaced Sajid Javid as Chancellor of the Exchequer after his resignation in the February 2020 cabinet reshuffle.

As Chancellor, Sunak was prominent in the government’s financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, including the Coronavirus Job Retention and Eat Out to Help Out schemes. He resigned as chancellor on 5 July 2022, citing his economic policy differences with Johnson in his resignation letter. Sunak’s resignation, along with the resignation of Javid as Health Secretary, led to Johnson’s resignation amid a government crisis.

In July 2022, he stood in the Conservative party leadership election to replace Johnson and lost the members’ vote to Liz Truss. Following Truss’s resignation amid a government crisis, Sunak won the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election.

• Born: May 12, 1980
• Birth place: Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, U.K.
• Spouse: Akshata Murthy (m. 2009)
• Height: 1.7 m
• Children: Krishna Sunak, Anoushka Sunak
• Party: Conservative Party
• Books: A Portrait of Modern Britain, A New ERA for Retail Bonds, The Free Ports Opportunity: How Brexit Could Boost Trade, Manufacturing and the North Rishi Sunak
• Education: Stanford Graduate School of Business (2006), Lincoln College (2001), Winchester College

Early Life and Education

Sunak was born on 12 May 1980 in Southampton to African-born Hindu parents of Punjabi Indian descent, Yashvir and Usha Sunak. He is the eldest of three siblings. His father was born and raised in the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya (present-day Kenya), while his mother was born in Tanganyika (which later became part of Tanzania). His grandfathers were born in Punjab province, British India, and migrated from East Africa with their families to the UK in the 1960s. His paternal grandfather, Ramdas Sunak, was from Gujranwala (in present-day Pakistan) and moved to Nairobi in 1935 to work as a clerk, where he was joined by his wife Suhag Rani Sunak from Delhi in 1937. His maternal grandfather, Raghubir Sain Berry MBE, worked in Tanganyika as a tax official, and had an arranged marriage with 16-year-old Tanganyika-born Sraksha, with whom he had three children, and the family moved to UK in 1966, funded by Sraksha selling her wedding jewellery. In Britain, Raghubir Berry joined the Inland Revenue, and as a collector, was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1988 Birthday Honours list. Yashvir was a general practitioner, and Usha was a pharmacist, who ran a local pharmacy.

Sunak attended Stroud School, a preparatory school in Romsey, Hampshire, and Winchester College, a boys’ independent boarding school, where he was head boy. He was a waiter at a curry house in Southampton during his summer holidays. He read Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Lincoln College, Oxford, graduating with a first in 2001. During his time at university, he undertook an internship at Conservative Campaign Headquarters. In 2006, he gained an MBA from Stanford University, where he was a Fulbright scholar.

Business career

Sunak worked as an analyst for the investment bank Goldman Sachs between 2001 and 2004. He then worked for hedge fund management firm the Children’s Investment Fund Management, becoming a partner in September 2006. He left in November 2009 to join former colleagues in California at a new hedge fund firm, Theleme Partners, which launched in October 2010 with $700 million under management. At both hedge funds, his boss was Patrick Degorce. He was also a director of the investment firm Catamaran Ventures, owned by his father-in-law, the Indian businessman N. R. Narayana Murthy between 2013 and 2015.

Early political career

Member of parliament.

Sunak was selected as the Conservative candidate for Richmond (Yorks) in October 2014, defeating Wendy Morton. The seat was previously held by William Hague, a former leader of the party, Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. The seat is one of the safest Conservative seats in the United Kingdom and has been held by the party for over 100 years. In the same year Sunak was head of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Research Unit of centre-right think tank Policy Exchange, for which he co-wrote a report on BME communities in the UK. He was elected as MP for the constituency at the 2015 general election with a majority of 19,550 (36.2%). During the 2015–2017 parliament he was a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.

Sunak supported Brexit (the UK leaving the European Union) at the June 2016 EU membership referendum. That year, he wrote a report for the Centre for Policy Studies (a Thatcherite think tank) supporting the establishment of free ports after Brexit, and the following year wrote a report advocating the creation of a retail bond market for small and medium-sized enterprises.

Sunak was re-elected at the 2017 general election, with an increased majority of 23,108 (40.5%). He served as parliamentary under-secretary of state for local government between January 2018 and July 2019. Sunak voted for then-Prime Minister Theresa May’s Brexit withdrawal agreement on all three occasions, and voted against a second referendum on any withdrawal agreement.

Sunak supported Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election and co-wrote an article in The Times newspaper with fellow MPs Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden to advocate for Johnson during the campaign in June.

Chief secretary to the Treasury

Sunak was appointed as chief secretary to the Treasury by Prime Minister Boris Johnson on 24 July 2019, serving under Chancellor Sajid Javid. He became a member of the Privy Council the next day.

Sunak was re-elected in the 2019 general election with an increased majority of 27,210 (47.2%). During the election campaign, Sunak represented the Conservatives in both BBC’s and ITV’s seven-way election debates.

Public image

At the start of 2020, following his appointment as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sunak arrived in public discourse from relative obscurity. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was popular by the standards of British politics, described by one analyst as having “better ratings than any politician since the heydays of Tony Blair”. Various polls showed Sunak remained overwhelmingly popular among Conservative supporters and many other Britons throughout 2020.

In an Ipsos MORI poll in September 2020, Sunak had the highest satisfaction score of any British Chancellor since Labour’s Denis Healey in April 1978. He was widely seen as the favourite to become the next Prime Minister and leader of the Conservative Party. Sunak developed a cult media following, with jokes and gossip about his attractiveness widespread on social media and in magazines.

Public attitudes towards Sunak remained broadly positive in 2021, though his popularity declined steadily over time. By early 2022, with the cost of living becoming a growing focus of public concern, Sunak’s response, as the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was perceived as inadequate and he received some of his lowest approval ratings. This fall continued as the Sunak family’s financial affairs came under scrutiny.

Personal life

Sunak is a Hindu, and took his oath as an MP at the House of Commons on the Bhagavad Gita. In August 2009, he married Akshata Murty, the daughter of the Indian billionaire N. R. Narayana Murthy, the founder of the technology company Infosys. Murty owns a 0.91% stake—valued at about $900m (£746m) in April 2022—in Infosys, making her one of the wealthiest women in Britain. Infosys continued to operate in Russia following Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which led to criticism of Sunak and his family, but in April Infosys closed its Russian office. Murty also owns shares in two of Jamie Oliver’s restaurant businesses, Wendy’s in India, Koro Kids and Digme Fitness.

Sunak and Murty met while studying at Stanford University; they have two daughters. Murty is a director of her father’s investment firm, Catamaran Ventures. They own Kirby Sigston Manor in the village of Kirby Sigston, North Yorkshire, as well as a mews house in Kensington in central London, a flat on the Old Brompton Road, London, and a penthouse apartment in Santa Monica, California. Sunak is a teetotaller. He was previously a governor of the East London Science School. Sunak has a Labrador called Nova and is a cricket and horse racing enthusiast.

Sunak’s brother Sanjay is a psychologist. His sister Raakhi is the Chief of Strategy and Planning at Education Cannot Wait, the United Nations global fund for education. Sunak is close friends with The Spectator’s political editor James Forsyth, whom he has known since their school days. Sunak was the best man at Forsyth’s wedding to the journalist Allegra Stratton, and they are godparents to each other’s children. In April 2022, it was reported that Sunak and Murty had moved out of 11 Downing Street to a newly refurbished luxury West London home. The Sunday Times Rich List 2022 named Sunak and Murty the 222nd wealthiest people in the UK, with an estimated combined wealth of £730 million, making Sunak the “first frontline politician to join the rich list”.

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The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP

Rishi Sunak was Prime Minister between 25 October 2022 and 5 July 2024.

He was previously appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer from 13 February 2020 to 5 July 2022.

He was Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 24 July 2019 to 13 February 2020, and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government from 9 January 2018 to 24 July 2019.

Rishi went to Winchester College and studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University. He was also a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University (USA) where he studied for his MBA.

Political career

Rishi was elected Conservative MP for Richmond (Yorks) in May 2015 and served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from June 2017 until his ministerial appointment.

Career before politics

Rishi spent his professional career before politics in business and finance, working internationally. He co-founded an investment firm working with companies in multiple geographies. He then used that experience to help small and entrepreneurial British companies grow.

Personal life

Rishi is married with two young daughters.

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Rishi Sunak will make history as the first person of color to be Britain’s prime minister.

Born in southern England to parents of Indian heritage, he has spoken of a childhood split between the Hindu temple and cheering on the local soccer team.

By Stephen Castle Shashank Bengali and Matthew Mpoke Bigg

• Oct. 24, 2022

Rishi Sunak is poised to make history as Britain’s first prime minister of color, a milestone for a polyglot nation that has become more ethnically diverse in recent decades, albeit one roiled by occasional anti-immigrant fervor.

Mr. Sunak, who rose swiftly from newbie member of Parliament to become chancellor of the Exchequer at age 39, was born in Southampton, on the southern English coast, to parents of Indian heritage who emigrated from British colonial East Africa six decades ago.

His father was a family doctor; his mother ran a pharmacy. On his official website , Mr. Sunak says that among his first experiences in business was working in his mother’s small shop. “I grew up watching my parents serve our local community with dedication,” he writes.

Mr. Sunak’s grandparents were originally from Punjab. He has said that he experienced little racism growing up, but recounted in a BBC interview an incident from his teenage years that has stayed with him. While with his two younger siblings at a fast-food restaurant, he said, he heard some other patrons refer to them using a racist epithet.

“It stung, I still remember, it’s seared in my memory,” he told the BBC . But he added that he “can’t conceive of that happening today” in Britain.

His parents saved money to send him to Winchester College, one of Britain’s most elite and academically rigorous fee-paying schools. After graduating with a top degree from Oxford University and then attending Stanford University, he went on to make a fortune in finance, including a spell at Goldman Sachs, before winning a seat in Parliament in 2015, representing a constituency in Yorkshire.

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The rise and rise of Rishi Sunak laid bare in new biography

• 14 November, 2020
• Publications

First published in the  Daily Express  on Saturday 14 November 2020.

IN THE summer of 2019, Rishi Sunak was a junior minister in the local government department writing on his constituency website about council tax and disabled lavatories. A year later he was Chancellor of the Exchequer – a role second only in importance to that of Prime Minister – and at the forefront of the fight to defend the British economy from the devastating effects of the global Covid-19 pandemic.

The speed of his ascent and the magnitude of the crisis meant Sunak – dubbed “Dishy Rishi” and enjoying approval ratings Boris Johnson could only dream of – went from relative unknown to household name almost overnight. Tipped as a future Prime Minister, his rapid rise means the public knows little about the man who has become the undoubted political celebrity of 2020, yet his is an extraordinary story of a family’s rise to prominence through hard work.

Sunak’s maternal grandmother Sraksha grew up in rural Africa in a remote hut in the heart of Tanzania’s lion country.

Born to Hindu Punjabi parents, she learned Swahili as a child and considered Africa her home.

At the age of 16, she entered into an arranged marriage with Rishi’s Indian grandfather, Raghubir Berry, a railway engineer.

The couple had three daughters including Sunka’s mother, Usha, and in 1966 Sraksha made the bold move to Britain after selling her wedding jewellery to buy a one-way ticket.

In a move of extraordinary courage and vision, she gambled everything to give her family a better future, making her way alone to Leicester where she found a job as a bookkeeper.

A year later her family joined her in Britain.

The Chancellor’s father, Yashvir, was from an upper-middle-class Punjabi family who, before partition, came from Gujranwala, now in Pakistan.

After Yashvir’s elder brother was offered a place at Liverpool University to study electrical engineering in 1966, Yashvir joined him to complete his A-levels and, a few years later, the rest of the family joined the two boys in the UK.

While Yashvir read medicine at Liverpool University, Usha graduated in pharmacology from Aston University. Introduced by family friends, they married in Leicester in July 1977 before relocating to Southampton where Yashvir worked as a family doctor before starting a fledgling pharmacy business.

Their first child, Rishi Sunak – no middle name – was born on May 12, 1980, at Southampton General Hospital.

The family grew with another son, Sanjay, arriving in 1982, followed by a daughter, Raakhi, in 1985.

Sent to kindergarten at an old-fashioned prep school, Oakmount, Rishi made such an impression even aged just four-years-old his teacher predicted he would be a brain or heart surgeon.

In fact, the future Chancellor was so academically gifted he appears to have been moved up a year.

When the school closed suddenly in 1989, the Sunaks moved their eldest son to Stroud, a private prep school.

There, he played hockey and football but excelled at cricket, becoming team captain.

He was quickly identified as a “high achiever”.

Teacher Olly Case recalled: “The teachers would say, ‘He’s going to be a Prime Minister’.”

With much of the family’s finances going on their children’s education, holidays were not extravagant, with many summers spent on the Isle of Wight.

Other modest treats included trips to watch Southampton, where Yashvir had a season ticket.

Rishi’s childhood hero was star player Matt Le Tissier and he remains a passionate supporter of the club.

Having won a place at Winchester College, the naughtiest thing Sunak ever did at Winchester was to smuggle in a hand-held television so he did not miss any key games of Euro ’96.

During school holidays, he helped his mother with the accounts of her pharmacy business.

As a result, he began taking an interest in what the main political parties were saying about tax and spending.

He was also becoming increasingly conscious of the importance of the role his parents played in the local community.

In May 1997, during the general election, he briefly leafleted for the local Conservative candidate.

But as Tony Blair swept to a landslide victory, he wrote in the school magazine the Tories deserved to lose and “nobody elects a divided party”.

He was accepted as just one of nine undergraduates to read philosophy, politics and economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, and it was there he revealed a natural talent for ballroom dancing, even reaching the semi-finals in one competition.

After Sunak graduated with first-class honours, he accepted a position with Goldman Sachs, one of the world’s largest – and, to its critics, most rapacious – investment banks.

The punishing hours and constant review process there may go some way to explaining how well he would come to be regarded at Westminster some 15 years later.

A two-year MBA course at Stanford saw him arrive at Silicon Valley.

His time there had a profound impact on his view of the world, filling him with excitement about entrepreneurialism and giving him a global outlook.

Also at Stanford, he met the person with whom he wished to spend the rest of his life: Akshata Murthy, whose father Narayana Murthy, above, is now the sixth richest man in India, with a net worth of $2.7billion.

It is easy to see why the pair were so drawn to each other: both had grown up in households in which education and achievement were obsessions and hard work and decency were prized.

With outgoing personalities and preppy good looks, Sunak and his new girlfriend quickly became something of a power couple at Stanford.

Armed with his MBA, in 2006 Sunak had joined what was probably the UK’s best-performing hedge fund, The Children’s Investment Fund.

For a while he and his new colleagues were riding the crest of a wave.

Then the financial crisis struck.

For Sunak, seeing hundreds of millions of pounds wiped off the value of investments was a bitter foretaste of the terrifying uncertainty he would face as Chancellor more than ten years later when the UK economy plunged into recession.

When Rishi and Akshata married in August 2009, his best man was James Forsyth, his best friend from their time at Winchester together, and the future political editor of the Spectator magazine.

The couple bought a fabulous penthouse in a smart complex called the Waverly, in Santa Monica, for $7.2million, and two daughters – Krishna and Anoushka (nicknamed “Nou”) completed their family.

But in 2013, Sunak started thinking seriously about returning to the UK and moving into politics.

Forsyth helped him get a foot through the door, quietly introducing his old friend to some key players, like veteran Tory aide Dougie Smith, a colourful figure who had been a speechwriter for David Cameron, and also a one-time organiser of Fever Party sex orgies for the super-wealthy.

Sunak has told friends: “I came back from America and only knew James. No one else in politics. He introduced me to Dougie and between them, that was that.”

To stand out, Sunak volunteered to undertake research for the Policy Exchange on a subject close to his heart: Britain’s minority communities.

For too long, he felt, the media had treated BAME groups as if they were a single entity, when more than 100 different languages were spoken in London playgrounds alone.

His report made compelling reading and was splashed all over newspaper front pages.

Suddenly, he was in high demand.

When former Tory leader William Hague announced he would not seek re-election for the rural constituency of Richmond, Yorkshire, in May 2015, the race for one of the safest Tory seats in the country was on.

Even an early presentational error, when he purchased a pair of blue wellington boots, marking him out as a “townie”, was not judged too harshly, and his commitment and energy impressed observers.

To those people who said, “We remember William Hague, we like William,” he replied, “I’m the next William Hague; I’ve just got a better tan!” recalled Angus Thompson, the chairman of Richmond Conservative Association.

When Sunak became the candidate for Richmond he needed a constituency base and decided on a fabulous manor house in the village of Kirby Sigston, Hambleton, about four miles east of Northallerton.

The Grade II listed building was set in many acres of parkland and had a beautiful lake.

He and Akshata were used to multi-million-pound price tags for swanky apartments in London and Los Angeles.

This stately home was a snip at just £1½million.

Yet tempting as it was to buy it on the spot, Sunak knew this would look presumptuous.

So he struck a deal with the owner to rent the place with a view to buying it if and when he became local MP.

It was a risk.

Sunak’s choice of accommodation immediately marked him out as far wealthier than most of the people he hoped to represent and could have been a gift for his political opponents.

Strangely, however, he got away with it.

In the subsequent General Election, he secured more than 51 percent of the vote, with a majority of 19,550.

The qualities that have propelled him are evident in the story of his life: clever and talented, immensely hard-working, ambitious, eager to learn, disciplined, always well prepared.

He takes nothing for granted, absorbing information, diligently doing the less glamorous parts of his job and working in his constituency – the 54th safest in Parliament – as though it were a marginal.

“It’s a remarkable talent in politics seemingly to have no enemies and not even people who seem to be that jealous,” says one who knows him well.

The only mischievous moniker that did the rounds at Westminster after he became Chancellor was “Baby Chino”; a reference to his predecessor Sajid Javid who acquired the unfair nickname Chino, meaning “Chancellor in name only.”

In Sunak’s case it might also be a dig at his diminutive stature as he only stands 5ft 6ins tall, and it seems unlikely to affect him.

But his colleague adds: “It’s very difficult to dislike him. He’s a very easy-going, humble kind of guy.”

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Who is Rishi Sunak, the new UK prime minister?

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When Rishi Sunak was elected by Conservative MPs as their new leader and hence prime minister of the United Kingdom, the British nation breathed a sigh of relief: thank God it wasn’t Boris Johnson .

Had Johnson been re-elected leader it would have had serious consequences, not just for the Conservatives, but in the real world too.

Only the most obtuse political observer could have failed to see that the optics of cutting short your Caribbean holiday to try to resolve a cost of living crisis was not good politics. It sounds hard to believe, but this was not obvious to everyone.

Johnson garnered public support from some of the Brexiteer old guard like Jacob Rees-Mogg and in the pro-Boris media .

But in characteristic fashion, Johnson exaggerated his chances. This latest act of self-promotion backfired and he withdrew from the leadership race on Sunday (regretably having missed half his holiday). Nevertheless, the fact that many Conservatives seriously thought a chaotic government could be brought under control by someone known for chaotic management, shows how deep the ideological divisions within the party have become.

With the third contender, Penny Mordaunt, falling just shy of the 100 MPs’ votes needed to send the leadership contest to a vote of the grassroots party members – a fate to be avoided at all costs after they forfeited the confidence of MPs by installing Truss – Rishi Sunak will become the next prime minister of the UK.

Sunak’s elevation is a socially significant moment. He is the first British Asian, or any person of colour, to become PM. Much of the credit can go to David Cameron’s attempts to modernise the Conservative party in the mid-2000s. The Conservatives have done a better job than other parties in putting more women and people of colour into positions of political influence and power. In a system that only had its first openly Catholic prime minister in 2019, Sunak is the first Hindu to assume that role.

But the significance of the first person of colour as British Prime Minister will probably get lost in the class dynamics of this political moment.

Like Johnson, Sunak isn’t short of a bob or two . This will make the economic politics of Sunak’s tenure difficult. Having a multi-millionaire telling the nation to tighten its belts and make sacrifices to its already declining living standards won’t go down well.

Read more: It matters that Rishi Sunak has become the UK’s first prime minister of Indian descent

And like Johnson, Sunak also went to an elite private school. In Sunak’s case it was Winchester rather than Eton, just for a bit of variety. This will matter for perceptions of the new PM among the wider electorate. The Conservatives are seen as a party of – and for – the wealthy. They increasingly appear as a small, ageing and out of touch privileged class unable to see the true extent of the crisis that their choices in government have exacerbated.

Sunak’s in-tray is bulging. The cost of living and energy crises will be the foremost political and economic challenges, but the B-word (Brexit) still casts a shadow. It has not lived up to the over-inflated expectations of its most ardent boosters. Increasing numbers of voters think it was wrong to leave the EU. How Sunak manages this coming “ winter of discontent ” will define his premiership.

However, the policy levers he has at his disposal have been discredited by the Truss-onomics episode. Truss’s long-term legacy may well be the conclusion that neoliberal economics worked well in theory, but not in practice.

Sunak will probably enjoy a longer honeymoon period than his predecessor. His election has calmed one part of the Conservatives’ core constituency: the bond markets. However, his future with the electorate is less secure. For better or worse, leaders influence how people choose to vote; or at least parties behave as if this were true. His legitimacy with the electorate is not as strong as it could be given that he is the third Conservative leader and PM since the last election in 2019.

Read more: There’s something wrong with British politics. It’s called the Conservative Party

Calls for a general election are growing. Presumably, with the Conservatives so far behind in the polls , Sunak will try to hold on as long as possible. But this may only prolong the pain and defer a significant loss of seats whenever the next election arrives.

This all feels a bit like rearranging the deckchairs on the Titanic. Part of the difficulty for the Conservatives points to a growing structural problem for centre-right parties: intra-party ideological divisions. This issue has weakened the centre left for a couple of decades. These parties saw their support base split between tertiary-educated urban dwellers interested in post-material issues, and blue-collar supporters from declining manufacturing industries with some residual, but weakening, loyalty to social democracy.

Now such divisions seem to be affecting the right of politics too. As we saw in the 2022 federal election in Australia, the right’s traditional support base is split between affluent moderates concerned about climate change, and older social conservatives concerned about immigration. This appears to be happening in the UK too.

This internal division can be exploited by the opposition as we saw with the fracking vote . On paper, Sunak should feel secure with a 71-seat majority in a 650-seat parliament. But the Conservatives have lost confidence. The party is behaving like one that has only the slimmest of majorities and is on its way out. Sunak’s premiership may well be a case of the band playing on.

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Introduction

(born 1980). British Conservative politician Rishi Sunak became prime minister of the United Kingdom following the resignation of Liz Truss in 2022. Sunak was the first person of color and first Hindu to serve as the country’s prime minister. He resigned as prime minister in July 2024 after the Labour Party won a landslide victory in a general election.

Early Years

Sunak was born on May 12, 1980, in Southampton, England. His family had immigrant roots. His grandparents emigrated from Punjab, in northwestern India, to East Africa. There his mother and father were born in Tanzania and Kenya, respectively. They met and married after their families migrated in the 1960s to Southampton. Sunak’s father became a physician for the National Health Service. His mother owned and operated a small pharmacy.

Sunak attended boarding school in Hampshire. He later studied philosophy, politics, and economics at Lincoln College, one of the colleges that make up the University of Oxford . While at Oxford, Sunak had an internship at the headquarters of the Conservative Party.

After graduating from Oxford in 2001, Sunak became an analyst for the investment banking company Goldman Sachs. He worked for Goldman Sachs until 2004. He then pursued a master’s degree in business administration (MBA) at Stanford University in California. At Stanford he met his future wife, Akshata Murthy, daughter of Narayana Murthy, an Indian billionaire and cofounder of the technology giant Infosys.

Sunak returned to the United Kingdom after earning his MBA in 2006. He continued working in the investment industry. For a number of years he worked for firms known as hedge funds. These types of investment companies employ often high-risk strategies in the hope of obtaining large returns for their customers. In 2009 Sunak married Murthy. The couple would have two daughters.

Political Career

In 2014 Sunak was chosen as the Conservative Party’s candidate for the House of Commons representing Richmond in North Yorkshire. He was elected by a commanding majority in May 2015. Sunak was reelected to Parliament in 2017 and 2019.

Cabinet Posts

In January 2018 Sunak was appointed to his first cabinet post as undersecretary of state at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. He became a vocal supporter of Boris Johnson ’s pursuit of the Conservative Party’s leadership. When Johnson became party leader and prime minister, he rewarded Sunak by appointing him chief secretary to the Treasury in July 2019.

In February 2020 Johnson elevated Sunak to the post of chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister). Almost immediately Sunak was faced with the steep challenges brought about by the arrival in Britain of the COVID-19 pandemic . The British economy suffered as the government imposed lockdowns in an attempt to stem the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19. Sunak employed the powers of his office to try to offset the economic damage. He instituted a program that dedicated emergency funds for businesses and salary subsidies for workers. This rescue package proved widely popular.

In late 2021 reports first surfaced that Johnson and members of his cabinet and staff had violated social-distancing orders earlier in the pandemic. They were accused of having held parties during times when the government had banned such events. The resulting scandal was called “Partygate.” In April 2022 Sunak was fined by the police for having attended one of those parties. Others, including Johnson, also faced fines. Several months later Johnson faced a new scandal, this one involving his mishandling of sexual misconduct allegations against Chris Pincher, a senior official in his government.

Numerous Conservatives began calling for Johnson to step down. On July 5 Sunak joined Health Secretary Sajid Javid in resigning from the cabinet. Their prominent resignations contributed to a groundswell of opposition within the Conservative Party that eventually forced Johnson to resign as party leader. He remained in office as prime minister while the party decided on his replacement.

Conservative members of Parliament (MPs) chose Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss as the final two candidates to replace Johnson. Their names were submitted for a vote by the party’s full membership. Truss secured the party leadership with 57.4 percent of the vote, compared with 42.6 percent for Sunak. Truss became prime minister on September 6.

Truss’s tenure in office proved to be the shortest in British history at just over six weeks. She attempted to impose unfunded tax cuts that she claimed would boost the country’s still-ailing economy. However, the value of the English currency, the pound, dropped sharply. On October 20 Truss announced that she was stepping down as party leader but would remain prime minister until the Conservatives chose her successor.

Prime Minister

Sunak, who had warned against Truss’s tax-cut measures, emerged as the favorite in the party leadership contest to replace Truss. On October 24 the Conservatives announced the selection of Sunak as their new leader. He succeeded Truss as prime minister the following day.

As prime minister, Sunak succeeded in passing an important trade deal. The United Kingdom had left the European Union in 2020, in an event known as Brexit (short for “British exit”). After that, trade between Northern Ireland, the rest of the United Kingdom, and the European Union became harder. It required extra paperwork or time-consuming checks of trade goods at the borders. In March 2023 Sunak passed a deal called the Windsor Framework to do away with these extra requirements for most trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the United Kingdom.

Sunak had assumed leadership of a party whose popularity was at a near historic low. He managed to slow, but not reverse, the decline. In the general election of 2024 the Conservatives suffered one of the worst defeats in the history of the party. The Labour Party ended 14 years of Conservative rule. Sunak was replaced as prime minister by Labour leader Keir Starmer on July 5, 2024.

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The rise and rise of Rishi Sunak

Written by: darshana ramdev.

(October 26, 2022) “Trust is earned and I will earn yours,” said Rishi Sunak, soon after being sworn-in as the Prime Minister of the UK. It’s cause for celebration by Asians the world over. Understandably so – it’s an accomplishment with many firsts (he is the first Hindu and the first person of colour to hold the PM’s office. He is also the youngest and richest ever). Poetic justice has definitely been served. Although his family’s connections with Africa go back two generations, Rishi has never doubted that his roots are truly Indian.

Having grown up in the UK, Rishi found success soon after college, working with two hedge funds and going on to become partner at one.Still, he left it all behind to head for the sunny, very promising California climes, where he quickly a name for himself with hedge funds and to graduate as a Fulbright Scholar from Stanford University, where he would also meet his wife, Akshata. Despite a life of privilege (which has caused controversy), Rishi has hardly been the man to choose the easy way – whether it’s taking off across the Atlantic or choosing to enter politics as a Conservative candidate. His first bid for Prime Minister was thwarted by Liz Truss although he burst back onto the scene with the overwhelming support of 190 MPs. As congratulations pour in from around the world, Global Indian takes a look at his journey.

From Africa to the UK 

For Rishi, it has been a long way here, a journey that began with his grandparents, who left India in search of a better life nearly a century ago. His parents were both born in Africa-  his father in Kenya and his mother in Tanganyika, which later became part of Tanzania. It was part of a long and shared history – after the creation of the East African Protectorate in 1885, many Indians migrated there. Both regions were under British control at the time.

This symbiosis didn’t last long, with vast numbers of Indians leaving East Africa in the second half of the 20th century. Politics had changed and Idi Amin’s expulsion of the Indian minority from Uganda made life very difficult for the diaspora, who packed up their bags and moved. In 1966, Rishi’s maternal grandfather Raghubir Sain Berry set off to the UK with his family. His wife sold her wedding jewellery to fund that trip.

Rishi’s father went on to study medicine at the University of Liverpool while his mother studied pharmacy at Aston University. Rishi, who even did a stint waiting tables at an Indian restaurant, has spoken often of the sacrifices his parents made. “But it was Britain, our country that gave them, and millions like them, the chances of a better future.”

Warmest congratulations @RishiSunak ! As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership. — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 24, 2022

Early days 

A glowing article in  The Tatler   describes  Rishi Sunak  from his days waiting tables at an Indian ‘curry house’ named Kuti Miah. The restaurant’s owner was friends with  Rishi ‘s parents, Yashvir and Usha. Which is not to say that  Rishi   Sunak  comes with a tear-jerker of a rags-to-riches, immigrant in the UK origin story. Far from it. Born to a physician father, Yashvir, while his mother, Usha, ran a pharmacy, his life was decidedly upper-middle class.

Still,  even if there are doubts raised about his privileged upbringing,  Rishi ‘s capability as a leader is well-known and greatly appreciated among his party MPs. In 2015, he made his political debut by winning the constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire, in the general elections. Despite early hurdles, he was quickly picked out as a rising star – according to  The Tatler , this quality was spotted early on, even by his former boss at Kuti Miah. That year, in 1998, as the then 18-year-old  Rishi  was all set to enter Oxford University, his boss remarked, “You’re going to be someone,  Rishi .” Sure enough, the fiercely patriotic young man, who grew up, thanks to his parents, immersed in the local community, never looked back.

His broad grin, which he flashes generously, belies the seriousness that lies beneath –  Rishi ‘s flawless record goes back a long way, he was Head Boy at Winchester College, an independent boarding school for boys and also editor of the school paper. He went on to read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he first dipped his toe in politics, as an intern at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters. He graduated in 2001, which was also the year he gave the fateful interview about his ‘working class friends’ to Middle Classes: Their Rise and Sprawl .

California dreaming

After graduating from Oxford in 2002,  Rishi joined Goldman Sachs, where he worked for three years as an analyst. Then, he worked with The Children’s Investment Fund Management, a hedge fund firm and became a partner in 2006. After he moved to California, he worked in hedge funds and experienced the buzz of genius and enterprise that comes with being in the Silicon Valley. Eventually, he went to Stanford University for his MBA. Those were golden days in sunny California, a love affair that hasn’t quite died out for Rishi Sunak.

Appearing on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuennsberg, he said, “You make the point about California. I have lived and worked in California and I actually think it’s one of the reasons I would be good at this job.

Rishi went on to reflect on the “culture” of enterprise he witnessed during his two years living on the West Coast. “I think it’s incredibly inspiring and empowering. If I was a young person, I’d want to go and do something like that.” Rishi went on to add, causing some controversy as he geared up for the Prime Ministerial race that Liz Truss went on to win, that he will not rule out moving to his Santa Monica home if he loses the election.

Meeting Akshata Murthy 

Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murthy at their Bengaluru wedding in 2009

The first time they met, Rishi said in an interview, he knew there was “clearly something.” Akshata, the daughter of Indian billionaire and Infosys co-founder Narayana Murty was in Stanford University too and Rishi recalls re-arranging his schedule to take the same classes so he could “sit next to her.” The couple married in 2009.

In a poignant letter to his daughter in 2016, Narayana Murty describes coming to terms with the man who stole his daughter’s heart. “I, too, was a little sad and jealous when you told us you had found your life partner. But when I met Rishi and found him to be all that you had described him to be-brilliant, handsome, and, most importantly, honest-l understood why you let your heart be stolen. It was then that I reconciled to sharing your affections with him,” he wrote. Akshata continues to manage her father’s venture capital firm, Catamaran Ventures in the UK and together, the couple are the 222nd richest people in Britain, with a combined net worth of GBP 730 million as of 2022.

The political route 

  Rishi ‘s entry into politics began in 2015 when he won the constituency of Richmond, North Yorkshire in the general elections, becoming the Conservative Party’s rising star almost instantly. His entry, however, was not well-received by other conservative candidates, who resented this apparent upstart claiming territory they believed to be theirs. His victory was even more noteworthy because he contested “as a rank outsider,” according to the Business Standard, “in the 97 percent white, prosperous rural Conservative bastion of Richmond in Yorkshire, where, the joke goes, there has been no immigration since the Norman conquest in 1066.” However, his right-wing economic views –  Rishi  is an enthusiastic believer in free markets and a vocal critic of Brexit – helped him secure a historic win.

In 2018,  Rishi  was inducted in the UK government by then British Prime Minister Theresa May. Then 37-years-old,  Rishi  was a Conservative party MP (Richmond, Yorkshire) with great promise, entering the government as the parliamentary-under-secretary of state in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. Incidentally, he was joined by another Indian-origin MP, also a pro-Brexit campaigner – Suella Braverman, who was Suella Fernandes at the time.

  Rishi  went on to make several contributions in the House of Commons, on issues like digital economy, social mobility and foreign direct investment.  “From working in my mum’s tiny chemist shop to my experience building large businesses, I have seen how we should support free enterprise and innovation to ensure Britain has a stronger future,”  Rishi  told the media back in 2018.

Rishi Sunak with his family

The Conservative man of colour 

As a conservative candidate of colour,  Rishi ‘s position is always likely to be precarious. Will he usher in a post-race era, or speak up for the hyper-local, ethnic problems that minorities face in the UK? Always fiercely patriotic, his loyalty to the UK cannot be called into question. However, he remarked, to the Business Standard, “British Indian is what I tick on the census, we have a category for it. I am thoroughly British, this is my home and my country, but my religious and cultural heritage is Indian, my wife is Indian. I am open about being a Hindu.” Although he is given to phrases like “oh crikey,” he does speak a smattering of Hindi and Punjabi.

Making history 

In 2019,  Rishi became the first Indian-origin to be named Chancellor of the Exchequer, taking over 11 Downing Street as one of the most powerful people in England. His term was, admittedly, fraught with controversy – he was charged with breaking lockdown laws, for instance. Finally, Akshata stepped in, saying she would pay the taxes, not because she had to because she “wanted” to do so.

On July 5, 2022,  Rishi  resigned from his post as Chancellor of the Exchequer, withdrawing support from PM Boris Johnson over a sexual harassment scandal within the government. He contested then as something of an underdog, with Liz Truss eventually being named the Prime Minister. He tenure was short-lived and tumultuous and on October 25, Rishi Sunak, who stood unopposed, was named the Prime Minister –in-waiting of the UK. Perhaps  Rishi  will have his own chance at rewriting history after all.

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Rishi Sunak Biography: Birth, Age, Religion, Parents, Wife, Education, Net Worth and Other Details

On 25th October 2022, Rishi Sunak became the 1st non-white and also the 1st Indian origin prime minister of the United Kingdom. Rishi Sunak was born on 12th May 1980 in Southampton, England.

Rishi Sunak’s biography is not only interesting, but it is inspiring as well for a lot of young Indians, considering he became the prime minister of the UK, only 7 years after he joined politics in 2015.

Not only this, Rishi is also the youngest prime minister of the UK in more than 200 years.

In this biography, we will discuss everything you need to know about Rishi Sunak’s birth, age, early life, religion, wife, net worth, etc.

Rishi Sunak Biography

Rishi Sunak Birth, Age, Parents & Grandparents

Rishi Sunak, who is currently 43 years of age, was born on 12 May 1980 in Southampton, England.

Rishi Sunak comes from a very interesting and diverse family background.

Rishi’s paternal grandfather was from Gujranwala (currently in Pakistan, but was part of British India before 1947). Similarly, Rishi’s maternal grandfather was from Ludhiana (currently in India, but was part of British India till 1947)

Interestingly, this makes Rishi an Indian as well as a Pakistani.

Rishi Sunak’s grandparents left Gujranwala in 1935 to work in Nairobi, Kenya. Rishi’s father Yashvir was born in Kenya, while his mother Usha was born in Tanganyika (present day Tanzania).

It was around the dictatorship of Ugandan politician Idi Amin when things really got worse for the Asian communities such as Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, etc. and there were regular instances of hate crimes against the Asian people. This forced a lot of Asian population from East Africa to relocate to the UK, US, and Canada around the 1960s.

It is reported that Rishi’s grandparents had to sell their wedding jewelry to be able to finance the relocation to the UK.

After relocation to the UK, Rishi’s parents Yashvir & Usha Sunak got married in 1977 in Leicester, England.

Rishi’s father was a general practitioner in the NHS (National Health Service), while his mother ran a pharmacy.

After 3 years of marriage, Rishi was born in 1980 and he was the eldest of the siblings Rishi, Sanjay, and Rakhi.

Rishi’s brother Sanjay is a psychologist and his sister Rakhi is the chief of strategy and planning at the United Nations.

Rishi Sunak Early Life & Education

Rishi Sunak comes from a family with immigrant roots, this is why, his childhood is a perfect example of exemplary hardwork and determination.

Rishi used to assist her mother in her pharmacy store and eventually learned to manage the accounts of the store. During his summer holidays, Rishi used to work as a waiter in a local Indian restaurant in Southampton.

Thanks to Rishi’s parents’ savings, Rishi was able to attend the most prestigious institutions for his academics.

After studying at the Stroud School in Romsey, Rishi would later join Winchester college which is one of the most premier institutions in the UK (costs over 40,000 pounds or 40 lakhs a year).

Over the recent years, Rishi Sunak had made multiple donations of over 100,000 pounds to the school.

After completing his studies at the Winchester college, Rishi continued his education at the Lincoln college, Oxford university.

Rishi was also one of the 9 rare undergraduates accepted to study philosophy, politics and economics at Lincoln College.

Rishi was a natural leader even during his college days, as he later served as the President of Oxford Trading and Investment Society.

Rishi completed his graduation from Oxford University in 2001, and started working for Goldman Sachs, after which he pursued a MBA from the Stanford University in California, USA as a fulbright scholar.

Rishi Sunak Wife & Children

While Rishi Sunak was studying MBA at Stanford, he met his future wife, Akshata Murthy, who also happens to be the daughter of Indian billionaire, N. R. Narayana Murthy, founder of Infosys.

Rishi and Akshata lived in California for a couple of years before moving back to London. After knowing each other for over 4 years, the couple decided to tie the knot in August 2009 in Bengaluru.

It is believed that their wedding was not an extravagant affair, and was conducted in a short 2 day low-key ceremony.

Akshata Murthy is believed to be the world’s most powerful Indian woman with an estimated wealth of over a billion US dollars.

In 2011, Akshata gave birth to their 1st daughter Krishna and in 2013, their 2nd daughter Anoushka.

Despite the fact Rishi is UK’s prime minister, his daughters Krishna and Anoushka have managed to stay away from the media limelight.

Rishi Sunak Parents in Law

Rishi Sunak’s parents in law Narayana and Sudha Murthy do not require any introduction as the latter is the chairperson of Infosys, while the former is the co-founder of Infosys.

Narayana and Sudha met in 1974, and got married in 1978 in Bangalore with only a few friends and family, much like their to-be future daughter Akshata.

It is interesting to note that their wedding expenses came out to be only 800 rupees at that time, which was shared 50-50 by both Sudha and Narayana.

Moreover, Sudha’s father was not in favour of Narayana at that time, as he was not earning much. It was only after Narayana started working as a General manager with Patni computers in 1977, Sudha’s father agreed to the marriage.

Sudha is known to be a fearless woman in expressing her thoughts, while Narayana on the other hand has always been a shy and an introvert person.

Not many people know, but Narayana Murthy took a loan of 10,000 rupees from his wife Sudha to start Infosys, and the rest is history.

Rishi Sunak Business Career

Given the fact Rishi Sunak graduated from the top institutions across US and the UK, there was no doubt Rishi Sunak was going to be successful in his career.

Soon after completing his graduation from Oxford University in 2001, Rishi started his career as an investment banking analyst with Goldman Sachs.

Rishi worked with Goldman Sachs till 2004, after which, he moved back to London in 2006 to work with the Children’s Investment Fund Management, a hedge fund management company.

Rishi was promoted to a Partner in the same company in 2008. However, soon after his promotion, Rishi once again moved to California in 2009 to join another hedge fund, Theleme Partners.

Between 2013 and 2015, Sunak was also the director of investment firm Catamaran Ventures, founded by his father in law Narayana Murthy.

Rishi Sunak Political Career

Rishi always wanted to be a politician, that’s why, while studying at Oxford university, he took an internship at Conservative Central Office (headquarters of the British Conservative Party).

Rishi Sunak has been involved with the conservative party since 2010. Rishi was chosen to be a member of the party’s leading think tank, Policy Exchange, where he later became the head of Black and Ethnic Minority research unit.

Rishi’s political career took a sharp turn in 2014, when he was chosen as the Conservative Party’s candidate for the House of Commons representing Richmond.

From 2015 to 2017, Rishi was a member of the Environment, Food & Rural Affairs select committee.

In 2018, for the first time, Rishi was given his first ministerial position as Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in 2018.

This was the time when Rishi was working closely with the then prime minister of the UK, Boris Johnson. In July 2019, Rishi became Chief Secretary to the Treasury and in the following year 2020, Rishi replaced Sajid Javid to become the 4th youngest finance minister of the UK.

The then PM Boris Johnson announced his resignation in July 2022, which made Rishi Sunak and Liz Truss leading candidates for the post of next prime minister of the UK.

However, this did not go very well for Rishi, since he only received 42.6% of the votes as compared to 57.4% in favour of Liz Truss.

Due to the harsh state of the economy, covid impact, and some extreme changes proposed by PM Liz Truss, she announced her resignation on October 20 (only 6 weeks after she became PM).

This was a golden opportunity for Rishi, which he did not let go, and eventually, on 25th October 2022, Rishi Sunak became the 1st Hindu, non-white person to lead the United Kingdom.

In only a span of 7 years, Rishi rose from being an MP to the highest position one could get, the Prime Minister of the country.

Rishi Sunak Achievements

In 2020, when Covid was rampant throughout the globe, Rishi Sunak came up with a programme which aimed at providing 330 billion euros in emergency support for businesses. This programme was the first of its kind, and was well received.

In July 2020, Sunak further announced a plan for 30 billion euros of spending which included a stamp duty holiday, a job retention bonus for employers and the Eat Out to Help Out scheme.

This plan was introduced to create jobs in the hospitality sector. To promote this scheme, Rishi’s government subsidised food and soft drinks at participating cafes, pubs and restaurants at 50%, up to 10 euros per person.

Later next year in Oct ’21, the government proposed a budget which included substantial spending promises related to science and education.

In June ‘21, Sunak also hosted a G7 summit in London where a tax reform agreement was signed.

Rishi Sunak Controversies

In April 2022, it was revealed that Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata, who was an Indian citizen had claimed a tax status that allowed her not to pay UK taxes on her overseas income.

The decision to not pay taxes saved his wife Akshata as much as 20 million euros in a period of 7 years. However, later on she agreed to make a payment of 30,000 euros per year on her dividend earnings from overseas sources.

Rishi’s love for the UK was also questioned when it was found out that he had held onto a green card for U.S. residency until late October 2021.

Rishi also faced criticism for his thoughts about trans women in 2022, which he later clarified.

In April 2022, Rishi was fined by the UK police for violating lockdown laws since he was going to attend a party with Boris Johnson.

Rishi Sunak Religion & Nationality

Rishi Sunak is an Indian British national and follows Hinduism. Time and again, Rishi has been vocal about his Indian heritage.

Interestingly, Rishi took his vow as an MP of the house on the Bhagavad Gita.

Rishi Sunak Net Worth

As of 2022, it is reported that Rishi Sunak has an individual net worth of 200 million euros (176,000 crores).

However, if you add Akshata’s net worth to that of Rishi’s, it comes up to 700 million euros (over 600,000 crores).

This makes Rishi Sunak as one of the richest prime ministers of the country, even ahead of the monarchy present in the UK.

Rishi Sunak Interesting Facts

After Queen Elizabeth’s death, Rishi Sunak became the 1st prime minister to be appointed by King Charles.

Rishi is also known as the ‘Maharaja of the Dales’ due to his net worth.

Rishi Sunak is known to be a fan of Southampton Football club and he even snuck a portable television in his school during a EURO final in 1996 to see England play.

Rishi confirmed during one of his interviews that he is addicted to Coca-Cola.

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Explained: The significance of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s Indian ancestry

Rishi Sunaks’ personal family history could be read as a testament to the British dream: the idea that the UK is a land of opportunity where, no matter where you come from, if you work hard, you can make it right to the top

Following his uncontested run at the top job, Rishi Sunak acquires the less-than-coveted title of second successive un-elected British prime minister to take office in 2022. However, coming from Punjabi heritage, he also takes on the more esteemed title of the nation’s first British Asian leader.

Sunak was born in the southern English port city of Southampton in 1980. His father, Yashvir, was a family doctor and his mother, Usha, a pharmacist. They were born and brought up in present-day Kenya and Tanzania, respectively, before moving to the UK. Sunak’s grandparents on both sides were from India and had migrated to East Africa.

Indians share a long history with African traders in the Indian Ocean region – links that were strengthened in the 19th Century. During the time of the British empire, and especially following the creation of the East African Protectorate (also known as British East Africa) in 1885, many Indians migrated to the region, which was then under British control. The Indian population grew rapidly and prospered economically.

Many Indian immigrants and their descendants remain in East Africa today, but significant numbers left in the second half of the 20th Century. In the 1960s, the region became a less hospitable place for Indians, most infamously evidenced by the expulsion of the Indian minority from Uganda under the orders of then-President Idi Amin. It was at this time that a significant proportion of the Indian diaspora left Kenya and Tanzania. Instead of returning to India, many settled in the US, Canada and the UK.

Sunak’s parents may have been born in East Africa, but his cultural affinity lies with his Indian roots. He is a practising Hindu and does not, for example, eat beef. As he said in a 2015 interview :

British Indian is what I tick on the census, we have a category for it. I am thoroughly British, this is my home and my country, but my religious and cultural heritage is Indian, my wife is Indian.

A dream – for some

The Sunaks’ personal family history could be read as a testament to the British dream: the idea that the UK is a land of opportunity where, no matter where you come from, if you work hard, you can make it right to the top. The formula for success is simple hard work and determination.

Both his parents studied in the UK — his father, medicine at the University of Liverpool, his mother, pharmacy at my own institution, Aston University. Sunak has spoken about the sacrifices his parents made to give him “opportunities they could only dream of. But it was Britain, our country that gave them, and millions like them, the chance of a better future.”

Not all immigrants, of course, get to afford for their children the best education that money can buy — no matter how strong their work ethic. Privately educated at Winchester, one of England’s oldest and most expensive public boarding schools, Sunak’s upbringing was undoubtedly privileged.

He followed the well-worn path of many in the British political elite, studying politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford. After graduating he entered the world of investment banking, landing a job with Goldman Sachs before going to Stanford University in the US to complete an MBA.

Rishi Sunak and his wife have a combined wealth of £730 million

He married into wealth. His wife, Akshata Murty, is the daughter of an Indian billionaire, NR Narayana Murthy, co-founder of Infosys. Her shares in her father’s company make her one of the richest women in the UK. The couple has a combined wealth of £730 million. Sunak can thereby allegedly lay claim to another title — the richest man to ever sit in the House of Commons .

A scandal over his wife’s non-domiciled tax status threatened to end Sunak’s career less than a year ago but he somehow managed to recover.

Acutely aware of the potential for his fortune to jar with the experiences of the public, Sunak ensures that his image is carefully curated (with the help of a PR company). Choreographed snaps and videos more akin to a social media influencer than a politician have characterised his every move since becoming a Cabinet minister in Boris Johnson’s government in 2020.

This is nevertheless a big moment. Whatever the mixed feelings are around his personal fortune, becoming the first non-white leader of the country is important. In some ways, the Conservative party has a lot to be proud of when it comes to promoting ethnic minority colleagues. In Liz Truss’s administration, ethnic minority politicians held three of the key posts: chancellor of the exchequer, home secretary and foreign secretary — albeit only for a short while.

However, they were all also, like Rishi Sunak, privately educated. There is certainly room for a specific kind of diversity in the Conservative Party.

Interestingly, Sunak was not popular with the party’s membership when he first ran for the leadership in the summer of 2022. A possible explanation — and one which certainly warrants further research — is that the membership is less comfortable with an ethnic minority leader than it lets on.

In a now infamous radio show , a caller professing to be a Tory Party member stated that he, “along with most people”, didn’t think that Sunak was British. While this was the view of one caller on a radio show, such views are a reminder that some people still don’t accept British Asian identity to be truly British.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi referred to Sunak as “the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians”

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article .

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‘She came, she saw, she crashed’: New book about Liz Truss could keep the Tories out of power for decades

The blunt subtitle of sir anthony seldon’s account of our shortest-serving prime minister’s brief time in office says it all, writes simon walters – ‘how not to be prime minister’.

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T here is said to be a fear among some Tory MPs that voters are so disgusted by the combined incompetence and corruption of Liz Truss and Boris Johnson’s administrations, the party will be out of power for a decade. If voters read Sir Anthony Seldon ’s forensic and eloquent evisceration of Truss’s chaotic and catastrophic 49 days in No 10 , it could be two decades.

The blunt subtitle of Truss at 10 , the new book by Seldon, Britain’s leading political biographer – “How Not to Be Prime Minister” – says it all. Its opening sentence encapsulates the entire Truss saga : “She came, she saw, she crashed.”

Seldon says that when he set about writing his eighth biography of modern British prime ministers, people teased him: “I bet it will be a short one!” The 365 pages, equal to more than seven pages for each day she spent in No 10, are packed with new details of how Truss’s policies unravelled spectacularly. They contain candid on-the-record interviews with many of those involved, including Truss herself and her partner in crime, chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng . The book provides fresh insights into the personal tensions, “character flaws”, and behind-the-scenes clashes that contributed to her downfall .

Seldon’s biographies of prime ministers usually focus on the art of statecraft, and analyse policies, tactics and strategy over their years in office. He faced a different task with Truss. She only produced one policy, and we all know what happened: she slashed taxes without any thought of balancing the books, collapsed the economy, and had to resign. Seldon unpicks this, hour by excruciating hour. But it is the deeply unsettling picture the author paints of Truss’s personal failings, and how they influenced her actions in office, that I found most compelling.

Seldon is not a writer who is given to exaggeration or hyperbole. Yet his book is littered with words such as “mad”, “unhinged”, “bonkers”, “barmy”, “rage” and “paranoia” in its descriptions of Truss’s time in No 10.

You might imagine that a prime minister, on being informed by a senior minister or adviser that a proposed policy is likely to go badly wrong, would have to hand a suitable response. According to Seldon, the stock reply of Truss to anyone who questioned her was: “F*** it, we’re going for it,” or “Press ahead, I don’t want to hear any f***ing objections.” It was as crude, immature and dangerous as that.

Ministers and advisers talk of her being driven by “total self-belief” – though you are left with the clear impression that they thought there was little to back up that belief. Having known Truss through my work as a political reporter at Westminster, I am familiar with her “total self-belief” along with her zeal for headline-grabbing wheezes. On one occasion, she told me she planned to campaign to restore the “Three Rs” in schools. I asked her: “What is seven times eight?” She blinked, then blurted out: “54.”

Anyone can make a mistake. But given the above, combined with her “populist and even reckless” nature, as Seldon terms it, it did not fill me with confidence when she became, on her appointment as prime minister, first lord of the Treasury – a role in which one is required to perform more complex calculations than seven times eight.

Her many political reincarnations, from anti-monarchist to royalist, Lib Dem to Tory, Remainer to Brexiteer, made me feel queasy. Seldon’s book confirms the notion that, for all her enthusiasm and intelligence, she is strangely rootless, liable to embrace impetuously any passing fad that might help her up the greasy pole.

Searching for an explanation for her downfall, Seldon says Truss “never mastered her inner demons”. He identifies these as a lethal cocktail, comprising a weak temperament and blind faith in her convictions compounded by poor judgement and a desire to avenge those she perceived to sneer at her because of her state school background.

He describes her reaction when an adviser suggested she say in a speech that she “knows how it feels to have your potential dismissed by those who think they know better”. An ecstatic Truss exclaimed: “I love it! It’s a massive ‘Fuck you.’ It’s great. It’s kind of deeply true. It’s basically a class issue as well. That’s the other reason people call me ‘stupid’. ‘Mad’. Public schoolboys!”

Most prime ministers are capable of making tough decisions without taking out the strains of high office on those around them, says Seldon. Truss showed no such grace. “Even senior cabinet ministers were treated with contempt and humiliated in public. She regularly told her personal staff to ‘shut up’ or simply blanked them. Her team would regularly feel she was talking behind their backs and playing one off against the other.”

Drilling into Truss’s “inner demons”, Seldon says one cabinet minister told him: “She’s hard work to be with. She doesn’t emote.” A second minister observed: “No one used the word ‘autism’. But it’s what we were thinking... her reluctance to engage... her unpredictability when the s*** hits the fan.”

Hard though it is to believe, Kwarteng emerges from Seldon’s book with even less credit than Truss. Seldon acknowledges that, for all her faults, she had more “moral seriousness” than her predecessor, Johnson. But a prime minister as unpredictable as Truss needed a strong chancellor. Kwarteng, her close friend and “ideological soulmate”, was the opposite.

Seldon says Kwarteng feared, even before he became chancellor, that Truss was “losing her perspective” – and he did not agree with her on key economic matters. She only made him chancellor, he says, because he agreed to acquiesce to her. Kwarteng feebly tells Seldon: “I formed the view that the chancellor should defer to the prime minister.”

When he belatedly tried to stand up to her, fearing – rightly, as events showed – that her Budget was a massive error, she told him to go ahead, and he gave in without a word’s objection. Seldon’s assessment is damning: “It is hard to think of any chancellor in decades who would meekly have done as he was told by No 10, reversing what he knew to be right.” When Truss ruthlessly sacked Kwarteng in a forlorn attempt to save her own skin, he seemed to be in a daze. He tells Seldon: “WW2 veterans in my constituency used to tell me that, if you’re going to die, keep calm to the end.”

Having admitted that he was ready to do exactly as she ordered, Kwarteng has the temerity to say that he now regrets it and that he “should have put my foot down harder”. He adds: “Some prime ministers were brittle. But Liz took it to a whole new level. She simply wasn’t fit for the job.” He may be unaware of the following, but Seldon does not appear to be: they were both unfit for their jobs.

The author pins the blame for Truss’s rise to power on Johnson. She only became prime minister in 2022 because he backed her, says Seldon, and he did so merely to spite her rival Rishi Sunak, whom he blamed – falsely, as Seldon states – for his own downfall.

Yet shameless Johnson’s public support for Truss was fake all along, says Seldon. “When asked by MPs who they should support, he would say, with varying degrees of conviction, ‘Liz Truss.’ But in private he remained disparaging of her.” Johnson cynically “peddled the [Sunak] betrayal theory far and wide, knowing it would damage Sunak and benefit Truss”.

Nor does Seldon spare the blushes of Conservative-supporting newspapers like the Daily Mail and The Daily Telegraph , which helped Truss to win power and promoted her kamikaze budget. The Mail praised its “seismic boldness and courage”, he notes. Its support for her was so slavish that it was about to launch a campaign to defend the calamitous decision to scrap the 45p tax rate at the very moment when she was about to ditch that policy.

Seldon writes: “Kwarteng was instructed to speak to the [ Daily Mail ] editor Ted Verity to say ‘You must do as you think fit, but if you run with that story, you’re going to look rather silly because the policy is going to change.’” Craven Kwasi did as he was told – and the paper took his advice.

It is hard to disagree with Seldon’s conclusion that Truss and Johnson are chiefly responsible for the Tories’ recent landslide election defeat. “Her vanity and neediness and willingness to trample over others was of Johnsonian proportions. The party’s longstanding reputation for economic competence and cool-headed pragmatism had been severely tested since 2016, but the final thread was snapped by Truss. The British state suffered from her trashing of its institutions and personnel, hard on the heels of Johnson’s systematic undermining of them.”

The disturbing air of unreality surrounding Truss’s persona and politics is reflected in Seldon’s account of her demeanour when she knew her fate was sealed. “Rather admirably, if a little eccentric, she retained her optimism right to the very end. Seldom has a prime minister been happier after they knew the game was up. ‘She radiated positivity in her final days, as if she was almost happy it was over,’ said an aide.”

‘Truss at 10: How Not to Be a Prime Minister’ by Sir Anthony Seldon is out on 29 August

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