rishi sunak biography starsunfolded

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

Sunak's parents were born to Indian-origin families in East Africa before moving to England in the 1960s. His father, Yashvir, became a general practitioner in the National Health Service, and his mother, Usha, operated a pharmacy.

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

We strive for accuracy and fairness.If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us !

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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Krishna Sunak (Rishi Sunak’s Daughter) Age, Family, Biography & More

Some Lesser Known Facts About Krishna Sunak

• Krishna Sunak is known as one of the daughters of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak.

Rishi Sunak delivering the speech at Downing Street in London on Tuesday, 25 October 2022 after returning from Buckingham Palace where he was invited to form a government by Britain’s King Charles III.

Krishna Sunak with her father, Rishi Sunak, went ice skating at the Natural History Museum in London

References/Sources: [ + ]

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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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Rishi Sunak to become UK’s first Hindu prime minister

Richmond mp lost out to liz truss this summer but his dire economic warnings about her ‘fairy tale’ tax policies have been entirely vindicated by her disastrous and short-lived reign, article bookmarked.

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Rishi Sunak will be Britiain’s new prime minister – and its first Hindu leader, just in time for Diwali – after an extraordinarily turbulent year in Westminster and for him personally.

It was his resignation from government alongside Sajid Javid on 5 July that triggered the landslide – in which almost 60 Conservative ministers followed suit over a madcap 40-hour period – that finally brought an end to Boris Johnson ’s scandal-plagued premiership, setting in motion the red-hot chaos of recent months.

With Mr Johnson forced out, his former chancellor, 42, initially found himself leading the parliamentary leg of the contest to replace him but swiftly fell behind foreign secretary (and eventual winner) Liz Truss as soon as it became a straight two-horse race.

Mr Sunak’s campaign had hoped to kindle warm memories of his generosity when Covid-19 first slammed Britain into lockdown in the spring of 2020, the days of “Dishy Rishi”, the free-spending chancellor behind the £69bn furlough scheme best known for working behind his laptop in a hoodie and ferrying plates around Wagamama to promote his Eat Out to Help Out initiative.

But the Conservative Party membership were unmoved, preferring Ms Truss’s pie-in-the-sky promises to his claims that he was the ideal person to revive an ailing economy that he himself has been at the helm of for two-and-a-half-years.

The choice proved deeply unwise and Mr Sunak has since been entirely vindicated about the folly of Ms Truss’s “fairy tale” tax cuts and once again finds the keys to No 10 within his grasp.

Should his dream finally come to pass – he must still see off a challenge from Commons leader Penny Mordaunt – he would still, eventually, need to convince the British electorate that his being one of the richest MPs in government, thanks to his marriage to Indian billionaire’s daughter Akshata Murthy, need not be an obstacle to understanding the realities of poverty in the UK today.

Mr Sunak was born in Southampton on 12 May 1980, his parents Yashvir and Usha Sunak a GP and pharmacist respectively, the couple originally from East Africa with roots in Punjab, India.

The eldest of three children, Mr Sunak attended the prestigious Stroud School in Hampshire and Winchester College, where he was head boy and edited the school newspaper, waiting tables in a curry house during the school holidays to boost his coffers.

Slightly embarrassingly in hindsight, the family appeared in a BBC documentary in 2001 entitled Middle Classes: Their Rise and Sprawl , a clip of which recently resurfaced online and went viral in which the future chancellor can be seen declaring that he has working class friends, before retracting the statement as though it were absurd.

From there, he studied politics, philosophy and economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, and, according to Tatler , talked about himself as a future Conservative prime minister even then.

He then worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs before joining a series of hedge funds, marrying Ms Murthy, daughter of “India’s Steve Jobs”, NR Narayana Murthy, in August 2009 and finally entering politics by becoming the MP for Richmond in the Yorkshire Dales following the 2015 general election, succeeding William Hague .

Serving as parliamentary under-secretary for local government and then chief secretary to the Treasury, he was appointed chancellor by Mr Johnson on 13 February 2020, a matter of weeks before Covid first arrived on these shores.

Popular for much of the pandemic, even Mr Sunak could not remain entirely untainted by Partygate , which first erupted, like the Omicron variant, in late 2021.

Wave after wave of damaging stories about rule-breaking wine fridge booze-ups at Downing Street while the country was in lockdown continuously rocked the Johnson premiership throughout December and January, with only the Omicron scare and Christmas providing respite.

The scandal whipped up real anger among the British public, already incensed by Dominic Cummings ’ illicit road trip to Barnard Castle, who had been imprisoned in their own homes, frightened for the future, unable to go to work, see their friends and relatives or even say goodbye to those they lost to the virus.

Resentment festered over the PM’s apparent blithe indifference for the very people he had presumed to represent ever since they had handed him a landslide election victory two years earlier and whose faith he had repaid with a “one rule for them, another for us” approach to governance.

Mr Johnson struck an increasingly desperate and discredited figure in January as Whitehall mandarin Sue Gray gathered what looked like damning evidence against him and turned much of it over to London’s Metropolitan Police , compelling officers to launch an investigation of their own, as seething backbenchers handed in their letters of no confidence to Sir Graham Brady ’s 1922 Committee in droves.

Meanwhile, over in No 11, Mr Sunak shrewdly kept his distance until he was eventually forced to concede that he had attended a Cabinet Room birthday bash for Mr Johnson.

He apologised for doing so by saying: “I can appreciate people’s frustration. And I think it’s now the job of all of us in government and all politicians to restore people’s trust.”

During his boss’s darkest day – a particularly savage Prime Minister’s Questions in the House of Commons on 12 January – Mr Sunak absented himself in Devon and only that evening tweeted a rather half-hearted message of support , saying only that Mr Johnson had been “right to apologise” and calling for “patience”.

By 23 January, he was being accused of sounding out potential backers for a leadership challenge among Leicestershire’s “Pork Pie Plotters” .

Six days later, there were claims he had described Partygate as “unsurvivable” for Mr Johnson while his aides, including “boy genius” adviser Cass Horowitz, had reportedly “built a draft version of a campaign website, taking inspiration from his weekly No 11 newsletter, and developed a marketing strategy” in anticipation of an imminent leadership bid.

By 3 February, Mr Sunak was openly refusing to rule out running for the top job in an interview with the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg and distancing himself from the PM’s unjust smear against Sir Keir Starmer over the failure of the Crown Prosecution Service to go after notorious paedophile Jimmy Savile during his tenure as director of public prosecutions.

But before Partygate could reach the crescendo that looked inevitable, Russian president Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion of Ukraine on 24 February, the very same day that Mr Johnson ended the last of the social restrictions imposed in England to contain the coronavirus .

The pandemic was largely swept from the news agenda as the world watched events unfolding in Eastern Europe with horror, quickly rallying behind the courageous resistance mounted by the Ukrainian people.

Leading the international condemnation of Moscow, Mr Johnson was unexpectedly able to rehabilitate his image by feeding defensive weapons and aid to Ukraine and even visiting Kyiv to tour the city centre in person in a show of solidarity with president Volodymyr Zelensky .

Mr Sunak, meanwhile, was left languishing at home and endured a torrid time of it, delivering the bad news about a worsening cost of living crisis, which has seen inflation climb to a 40-year high and household energy bills rocket.

His widely unpopular Spring Statement on 23 March saw him fail to add to the £350-a-year aid package he had already announced to help families tackle the booming cost of heating their homes and fail to ditch an imminent rise in National Insurance.

Despite a crowd-pleasing cut in fuel duty, a YouGov poll concluded that 69 per cent of Britons believed the chancellor had not done enough to help working people out of financial hardship.

The days that followed saw Mr Sunak face media scrutiny the likes of which he had never previously known, resulting in a succession of gaffes that exposed his apparent inexperience and naivety.

He tried in vain to defend the proposition that he, of all people, was telling low-income families they would simply have to tighten their belts and go without.

A phone-in on LBC landed him in an uncomfortable encounter with a single mother who said she was unable to keep her radiators on and worried for her children.

A question about the price of bread in an interview with the BBC drew the response, “We have all different breads in my house”, and a publicity stunt at a Sainsbury’s petrol station saw him forced to borrow a staff member’s Kia Rio and struggle to pay at the till with his contactless card, as though he had never before had to buy a can of Coke and a Twirl in his life.

Fashion columnists had already noticed the £795 Reiss shearling jacket Mr Sunak wore on an ice skating trip to the Natural History Museum with his daughter in the New Year and were now raising eyebrows over his £335 trainers as the perception grew that the chancellor was in no position to understand the very real concerns of the electorate.

A revelation that he and Ms Murty had made a £100,000 donation to Winchester College , his old alma mater, hardly helped matters.

Nor did The Independent ’s subsequent story that Ms Murty, believed to hold a £690m stake in her father’s giant IT services company Infosys, had saved millions of pounds in tax on her earnings thanks to her non-dom status , an entirely legal strategy but not a good look in the current dire fiscal climate.

Already facing awkward questions about Infosys’s business ties to Russia, Ms Murty announced on 8 April that she would now pay tax after all but it was too late to stem the criticism of her partner.

A further story about Mr Sunak still holding a US green card – the family have a second home in sunny California – while working for the British government, provoked further demands from Sir Keir that he “come clean” about his personal affairs.

The strain beginning to show, the chancellor complained in an interview with The Sun that he believed the opposition was responsible for the leaks against his wife (the party has suggested he “look a little closer to home”) and moved his family out of Downing Street .

He wrote to Mr Johnson referring himself to Lord Geidt , then the independent adviser on ministers’ interests, asking for an investigation to be carried out into his private finances in order to establish that he was guilty of no wrongdoing.

Making matters worse, he – along with Mr Johnson and the latter’s wife, Carrie Johnson – was given a £50 fixed-penalty notice by Met Police on 12 April for attending the rule-breaking birthday bash.

Despite announcing further measures to help families through the ever-worsening economic crisis, Mr Sunak’s popularity dwindled while Cabinet colleagues Ms Truss and Ben Wallace drew plaudits for their support for Ukraine and Mr Johnson soldiered on, weathering one scandal after another.

The Chris Pincher affair finally saw the Conservative Party’s patience run dry, leading to the operatic events of early July.

Mr Sunak’s decisiveness over that issue has helped his cause immeasurably and he quickly secured the support of such influential backers as Oliver Dowden , Grant Shapps and Dominic Raab but was nevertheless unable to convince the party membership of his merits.

In the final two of the leadership battle, the former chancellor had found himself preaching fiscal responsibility and pragmaticism against Ms Truss’s gung-ho tax cut promises and arguing over who was the true Thatcherite and the most committed Brexiteer.

Since that toxic, personal and needlessly drawn-out contest was decided in Ms Truss’s favour, Mr Sunak can only have sat back and watched in glee and horror at what unfolded, his every warning entirely borne out by her disastrous tenure in Downing Street, characterised by spooked global financial markets, a massive Bank of England rescue effort to prop up pension funds and a fourth chancellor in four months.

Only Mr Johnson can have enjoyed recent events more.

Now that Ms Truss’s inevitable resignation has been confirmed , and with Mr Johnson’s mooted return aborted, Mr Sunak seems all but certain to win the day.

But such is the state the country is in, he may soon find himself wishing he had not.

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Rishi Sunak Wiki, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Rishi Sunak is an Indian-origin British Conservative Party politician. He is a Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond (Yorks) since the 2015 UK general election and assumed the office as the “Chancellor of the Exchequer” (Finance Minister) on 13 February 2020. In October 2022, he became the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, making him the first person of colour to become Prime Minister in British history. [1] The New York Times He is married to Akshata Murthy , who is the daughter of N. R. Narayana Murthy , c0-founder of Infosys, and a billionaire.

Wiki/Biography

Rishi Sunak was born on Monday, 12 May 1980 ( age 44   years; as of 2024 ) in Southampton, Hampshire. His zodiac sign is Taurus. He completed his schooling at Winchester College (a boarding school for boys in Winchester, Hampshire), where he was a head boy. He pursued a bachelor’s degree in PPE (Philosophy, Politics and Economics) from Lincoln College, Oxford University. He holds a degree in MBA from Stanford University, where he attended college as a Fulbright scholar. Before stepping into politics he worked with several top-class large investment firms.

A childhood image of Rishi Sunak with his younger sister

Physical Appearance

[2] Daily Mail Height: 5′ 6″

Eye Colour:  Black

Rishi Sunak was born into a Punjabi Hindu family, who emigrated to the UK from East Africa. [3] news18

Parents & Siblings

His father, Yashvir Sunak, is an NHS General Practitioner, and his mother, Usha Sunak, is a pharmacist.

Rishi Sunak with his parents

He has two younger siblings. His brother named Sanjay Sunak is a consultant clinical psychologist & neuropsychologist, and his sister named Raakhi Williams works as chief of strategy and planning at the United Nations global fund for education in New York.

Rishi Sunak’s younger brother Sanjay Sunak

Rishi Sunak’s sister, Raakhi Williams

Wife & Children

He met his wife Akshata Murthy , the daughter of Indian billionaire and co-founder of Infosys, N. R. Narayana Murthy in California, during his MBA course at Stanford University. They later got married on 30 August 2009 in Bangalore. Akshata runs her own fashion designing company “Akshata Designs” and is also the director of her father’s Large investment firm “Catamaran Ventures UK Ltd.”

A picture of Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, and his in-laws- N. R. Narayana Murthy (father-in-law) and Sudha Murthy (mother-in-law)

The couple has two daughters, Anoushka Sunak and Krishna Sunak .

Rishi Sunak with his wife, Akshata Murty and children

He follows the Hindu religion and often visits the temple. [4] BBC News

Signature/Autograph

Rishi Sunak’s signature

Rishi Sunak started his first job as an analyst in 2001 for an American multinational investment bank, “Goldman Sachs” in California; before leaving it in 2004. He later worked for The Children’s Investment Fund Management (a London-based hedge fund management firm), before he was made a partner of the same organisation on 15 September 2006. [5] Financial Conduct Authority He quit the firm in November 2009, to join former colleagues to launch an investment partnership firm “Theleme Partners” in October 2010 with an initial investment of $536 million. In 2013, he and his wife were appointed as the directors of a major investment firm “Catamaran Ventures UK Ltd” owned by his father-in-law and Indian businessman N. R. Narayana Murthy. He later resigned from the firm on 30 April 2015; however, his wife is still continuing as the director of the organisation. [6] Companies House

Member of Parliament

Rishi Sunak set foot in the UK Parliament for the first time in October 2014, when he was selected as a Conservative MP candidate for Richmond; following the announcement of former MP William Hague not to contest the next general election. In 2015, Sunak contested the UK general election from Richmond and won with a majority of 36.5% votes [7] General Elections Online . As a member of parliament, Sunak worked as a member of the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Select Committees from the year 2015 to 2017. In the year 2016, Sunak campaigned and also held many public Q&A sessions for the Brexit referendum; he supported the exit of the UK from the European Union. In the 2017 General elections, Sunak was re-elected as the MP of Richmond (Yorks) with an even bigger majority of 23,108 (40.5%). [8] GOV.UK He held the office of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State from 9 January 2018 to 24 July 2019.

Chief Secretary to the Treasury

After his stint as the “Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State” at the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, he was appointed as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury by the former Prime Minister of the UK Borris Johnson on 24 July 2019. [9] GOV.UK In the 2019 General elections, he was re-elected as the MP for Richmond (Yorks); marking his third consecutive victory as the Member of Parliament with an increased majority of 27,210 votes (47.2%). [10] The Times of India

Chancellor of the Exchequer

Rishi Sunak’s booming political career witnessed yet another promotion when the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, dramatically stepped down from his post, and Sunak was appointed for the second-most powerful political job in Britain as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) on 13 February 2020. On 5 July 2022, he took to Twitter to announce his resignation as Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) citing his differences with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning. My letter to the Prime Minister below. pic.twitter.com/vZ1APB1ik1 — Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 5, 2022

Conservative Party Leadership Election in 2022

On 20 July 2022, he became the top choice amongst Conservative MPs and competed against Liz Truss in a postal vote of party members; however, he lost the Conservative leadership race to Truss; Sunak received 42.6% votes, while Truss received 57.4% votes. [11] The Telegraph

57th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Following the short-lived tenure of Liz Truss as Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak became the top choice for the post after his only remaining opponent, Penny Mordaunt, withdrew from the race to become the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and on 25 October 2022, King Charles III appointed him as the new Prime Minister. [12] The Guardian

King Charles III appointed new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace on 25 October 2022

2024 General Elections

The Conservatives lost the election to Labours following which Keir Starmer replaced Sunak as Prime Minister.

Books Written by Rishi Sunak

Rishi Sunak, apart from being an established businessman and politician, has also tried his hand at writing books. In May 2014, he collaborated with Saratha Rajeswaran on his first book “A Portrait of Modern Britain,” published by Policy Exchange. [13] Rishi Sunak This book discussed Demography, Social Change, and Ethnic Groups in the UK. On 14 November 2016, amid his campaigning in the favour of BREXIT, Sunak released his second book “The Free Ports Opportunity: How Brexit Could Boost Trade, Manufacturing and the North.” This book discussed how BREXIT will lead to the creation of new ports and will further enhance new trade opportunities for Britain. The following year, he published another book titled “A New Era for Retail Bonds: How Our Savings Could Help SMEs Grow.” This book demanded the government to back and lift up the SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises) in the UK by creating a new exchange for SME bonds.

Controversies

Wife’s tax arrangements.

In April 2022, the opposition questioned Sunak about the income of his wife, Akshata Murthy, who, according to some media reports, claimed a non-domiciled tax status in the UK that exempted her to pay taxes on dividend benefits received from overseas companies. He also faced allegations over his wife’s income from Russia, where Murthy’s company, Infosys, was operating even during the Russia-Ukraine War in 2022. Later, in a statement, Infosys announced the withdrawal of its services from Russia. [14] The Hindu

Transwomen are not women

In 2022, in an interview, when he was asked, “Yes or no. Is transwoman a woman?,” he answered, “No”. This answer of his was not welcomed by netizens and supporters of trans rights. In another video posted on Youtube in April 2022, he said,

It is important to have compassion and respect for people’s views. When it comes to questions like toilets or sports, you know, I’m of the view that biology is important, it’s fundamental, it’s critical to how we approach those types of questions.” [15] Outlook

Earlier, contrary to this statement of his, he was in support of the transgender community. Reportedly, while speaking to LGBT+ Conservatives, he said,

Prejudice against trans people is wrong. The Conservative Party is an open, welcoming family to everybody across society, no matter who they are and irrespective of their background. I have the track record of delivery, a clear plan to fix the biggest problems we face and I will deliver on the promise of the 2019 manifesto.” [16] Outlook

When he was running for the Prime Ministerial elections, he said that Britain should become a safe and secure country for queer people and people should come out as who they are. In the 2019 manifesto, he talked about trans rights and said,

We will vigorously combat harassment and violence against all religious groups, and against LGBT people.” [17] Outlook

Car Collection

Rishi Sunak’s Volkswagen Golf GTI

Rishi Sunak getting in his car, Jaguar XJ L

Rishi Sunak walking past by his car Land Rover Discovery

Rishi Sunak getting out of his Land Rover Range Rover Sentinel

Assets & Properties

Rishi Sunak’s mansion in the Yorkshire village of Kirby Sigston

Rishi Sunak’s penthouse apartment on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, California

Rishi Sunak’s mews mansion in Kensington, West London

• A first-floor flat in Old Brompton Road, Kensington worth $300,000. Rishi Sunak owns this property. [19] Daily Express [20] Housing

As of 2022, his net worth was reported to be £200 million. His collective net worth along with his wife Akshata Murty was roughly estimated to be $810 million. [21] Forbes As of Sunday Times Rich List 2022, the couple was ranked 222 on the rich list. [22] The Times

• Food: Idli, Sambar, Dosa, double chocolate muffin, biscuits
• Drink: Coca-Cola
• Film: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• Author: Roald Dahl
• Sport: Cricket, Football
• Footballer: Matt Le Tissier

Facts/Trivia

Rishi Sunak giving his first speech as the PM of the UK at 10 Downing Street

It was obviously marvellous. It meant a lot of things to a lot of people. As chancellor, I was able to light my Diwali Diyas (lamps) on the steps of Downing Street. It said something wonderful about our country that was possible, but also that it wasn’t a big deal. It was in a sense, gosh, this is great, but also that’s just Britain. Hopefully, it’s a source of collective pride across the country.” [23] India Today

• Sunak is the first Prime Minister of the UK, who was appointed by King Charles III.
• According to sources, Rishi Sunak’s net worth is double that of King Charles III. This fortune came to Sunak after he got married to Akshata Murty. [24] CNBC
• Rishi Sunak is the youngest Prime Minster of the UK in the history of 200 years.
• He participated in the Prime Ministerial elections two times in 2022; he won the second time.
• Sunak is locally labelled “Maharaja of the Dales.”
• He is called ‘Dishy Rishi’ by many news agencies for his charming and confident appearance.
• Sunak volunteered for the election campaign of the Conservative party in 2014 before entering politics.
• Rishi took his oath at the House of Commons by the Bhagavad Gita. [25] HindustanTimes
• Sunak is a sports enthusiast. He is a fan of Southampton football club and England’s cricket team. He even went to Edgbaston cricket stadium to watch a game of the 2019 cricket world cup played between India vs England. Reportedly, when he was studying at Winchester College, he secretly took a portable television to watch England play in Euro 96 (Football Championship).

View this post on Instagram Great to witness a fantastic win for England with Yorkshire’s Jonny Bairstow leading the way. #engvind #cricketworldcup A post shared by Rishi Sunak (@rishisunakmp) on Jun 30, 2019 at 11:23am PDT

I’m a total Coke addict, Coca-Cola addict to be totally clear, I have seven fillings to show for it.” [26] The Times

Rishi Sunak barbecuing on a holiday

• At the age of 18, before he went for studying at Oxford University, he waited tables at a curry house in Southampton during his summer holidays.

Rishi Sunak in the Star Wars section in a toy shop

Rishi Sunak with his dog, Nova, and wife, Akshata Murty

• Rishi Sunak has the unofficial title of ‘the richest MP’ as he and his wife, together, has a whooping net worth of approximately $810 million.

Economics, absolutely my major academic love, I love economics, I still read lots of economics.”

• After Rishi Sunak became the first Indian to become chancellor of the exchequer, The Spectator, the British magazine, named him “Politician of the Year.”

God, no. Definitely not, seeing what the Prime Minister has to deal with.” [27] History

• Sunak is a skilled and eloquent public speaker, which was why he was chosen to represent the Conservative party in airwaves and debates.

I was just out with my younger brother and younger sister, and I think, probably pretty young, I was probably a mid-teenager, and we were out at a fast food restaurant and I was just looking after them. There were people sitting nearby, it was the first time I’d experienced it, just saying some very unpleasant things. The ‘P’ word. And it stung. I still remember it. It seared in my memory. You can be insulted in many different ways.” [28] BBC News

• In January 2023, during the filming of a promotional video related to the government’s latest round of “levelling up” spending in Lancashire, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was fined £100 by British police for not wearing a seatbelt following which he apologised for the mistake. This was the second time he had received a fixed penalty notice. In April 2022, Mr. Sunak, along with Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie, received a fixed penalty notice for attending a birthday gathering for the then-Prime Minister in Downing Street in June 2020, which was in violation of the Covid lockdown guidelines in the country. [29] The Telegraph

Of course I have experienced racism, growing up, in particular, and of course I know it exists. It stings you in a way that very few other things do.”

• In September 2023, a London court found five former metropolitan officers guilty of making racist slurs and derogatory remarks against Rishi Sunak, Queen Elizabeth II , and others. The charges were based on their involvement in sending racist messages on WhatsApp between the years 2020 and 2022. [31] India Today

References [+] [−]

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