short biography of rishi sunak

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

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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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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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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 Related Stories Picture Puzzle IQ Test: Only 1 in 10 Can Spot the Hungry Person in 9 Seconds! Are You Up for the Challenge? Brain Teaser: Spot Who Is His Wife? Only Sharp Minds Pass This IQ Test In 5 Seconds! Brain Teaser IQ Test - Only the highly observant can find 3 mistakes in the picture in 11 seconds! — 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. 

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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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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 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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Sunak, Rishi

Variously described as ‘Dishy Rishi’, ‘Britain’s economic Jedi’, Rishi Sunak became leader of the Conservative Party and the UK’s 57th prime minister in October 2022.

In doing so, Sunak became the second youngest ever UK prime minister.  He is a year younger than Tony Blair and David Cameron, both of whom entered Downing Street at the age of 43. Only William Pitt the Younger, who became prime minister at the age of 24 back in 1783, was younger than Sunak.

Sunak also became the UK’s first ever non-white prime minister.  He is the first practising Hindu to become prime minister.  He is shortest male prime minister since Winston Churchill.

In 2020, Sunak was voted Britain’s sexiest MP, narrowly pipping Sir Keir Starmer to the post.

Sunak doesn’t drink alcohol.  It has been reported that he often starts his day at 6am with a session on his ‘Peleton’ exercise bike listening to songs by Britney Spears.  Mr Sunak, who is also known for his sweet tooth and love of coca cola, is then said to follow up with a Greek yoghurt for breakfast.

Sunak was first elected as the Conservative MP for Richmond, North Yorkshire, in 2015. He was reelected in 2019 with a majority of 27,210.

Sunak served as Chancellor of the Exchequer between February 2020 and July 2022, having first entered the Cabinet in 2019 as Chief Secretary to the Treasury. He resigned in July 2022 citing economic differences with the prime minister, alongside concerns around the way government was being conducted under Boris Johnson.

Sunak was the runner up to Liz Truss in the 2022 Conservative leadership election.  Although he topped the ballot amongst Conservative MPs, he lacked the same support from party members.  Sunak was previously defeated by then foreign secretary, Liz Truss, polling 43% to Truss’ 57%..

Chancellor of the Exchequer

On 13 February 2020, Sajid Javid resigned as Chancellor following a proposed Dominic Cummings-led, Downing Street-endorsed take-over of the Treasury.

Johnson, then under the spell of Cummings, had intended to replace all of Javid’s advisors with individuals hand-picked by Cummings. Javid resigned in protest. Sunak was picked to replace him.

This appointment coincided with the beginnings of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has thus far defined Sunak’s tenure at the Treasury. The pressure of the pandemic and Sunak’s subsequent stardom have increased his public and media profile considerably.

Sunak’s first budget took place on 11th March 2020, this included £30 billion of additional spending – £12 billion of which was allocated for mitigation of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On 17th March, Sunak announced a £330 billion emergency ‘furlough’ scheme to support businesses and employees impacted by the pandemic. These furlough payments have been extended and reintroduced several times throughout Britain’s 3 lockdowns.

The government’s ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme – which subsidised food and soft drinks at participating cafes, pubs and restaurants at 50%, up to £10 per person – gave Sunak another opportunity to increase his profile. The carefully managed marketing of the campaign featured Sunak front-and-centre. In total, the scheme subsidised £849 million in meals.

In 2022 Rishi Sunak’s popularity as Chancellor was seen to take a significant hit.  In the face of a cost of living crisis, the Chancellor came under criticism in relation to his wife’s tax affairs and the fact that he had only recently given up his own American ‘green card’ visa.

In April 2022, Mr Sunak was also issued with a fixed penalty notice for attending a lockdown gathering in the Cabinet Office with the prime minister.  He resigned from the government in July 2022.

Political Career

Sunak was first elected for William Hague’s old seat of Richmond at the 2015 General Election.

During the 2015–2017 parliament he was a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.

Sunak backed the ‘Leave’ campaign in the 2016 Brexit referendum, saying it would make Britain ‘freer, fairer and more prosperous’.

Re-elected with an increased majority at the 2017 General Election, he was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Local Government in 2018. Sunak voted for Theresa May’s Brexit deal on all three occasions.

During the 2019 Conservative leadership contest, Sunak co-wrote the article ‘The Tories are in deep peril. Only Boris Johnson can save us’ with fellow Tory MPs, Oliver Dowden and Robert Jenrick. All three individuals were subsequently rewarded with senior government posts by the new Tory Prime Minister. Sunak became Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

During the 2019 General Election campaign, Sunak represented the Conservative party in both the BBC and ITV’s election debates.

Before Politics

Sunak studied at the independent Winchester College where he was Head Boy. He later studied at the University of Oxford and undertook an MBA at Stanford University.

After graduating, Sunak worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs, and later as a partner in a hedge fund. Sunak was also a director of investment firm Catamaran Ventures, owned by his father-in-law, Indian businessman N. R. Narayana Murthy.

Personal Life

Sunak’s parents came to the UK from east Africa and are both of Indian origin. His father was a GP and his mother ran her own local chemist shop.  He grew up in Southampton and is a fan of Southampton Football Club.

While studying for an MBA at Stanford University, Sunak met his future wife, Akshata Murthy , the daughter of Narayana Murthy, Indian billionaire and co-founder of IT services giant Infosys.

Thanks to Murty’s wealth, in May 2022, Mr and Mrs Sunak were ranked as the 222nd richest people in the UK. The couple were estimated to have a fortune of some £730 milion.

Murthy and Sunak were married at a two-day traditional wedding ceremony in 2009, in Bangalore. The couple have two daughters.

Unlike most politicians, ‘Brand Rishi’ has embraced Instagram.  In the spring of 2022, the then Chancellor had over 158,000 followers.

Who is the next Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak?

Further Details

Twitter — @RishiSunak

Instagram – rishisunakmp

Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/rishisunak

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