Rishi Sunak
Rishi Sunak is a notable British politician who made history as the first person of color and the first Hindu to serve as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, assuming office on October 25, 2022. Born on May 12, 1980, in Southampton to parents of Indian ancestry, Sunak's academic journey includes prestigious institutions such as Winchester College and the University of Oxford, where he studied economics, philosophy, and politics. He furthered his education at Stanford University, earning an MBA on a Fulbright scholarship. Before entering politics, he gained experience in the finance sector, working for Goldman Sachs and contributing to Conservative Party think tanks.
Sunak was elected to the House of Commons in 2015, representing Richmond, North Yorkshire, and quickly emerged as a prominent supporter of Brexit. He served as Chancellor of the Exchequer during the tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic, addressing significant economic challenges. His leadership faced scrutiny amid rising inflation and political scandals, leading to his resignation in July 2022. After a brief succession of leadership changes, he became Prime Minister following Liz Truss's resignation. Despite ongoing challenges, including economic issues and a critical election in 2024 that resulted in a loss for the Conservative Party, Sunak remains a significant figure in British politics and continues to serve as an MP. He is married to Akshata Murthy, and they have two daughters.
On this Page
Rishi Sunak
- Born: May 12, 1980
- Place of Birth: Southampton, United Kingdom
Rishi Sunak is a British politician who became the first person of color to serve as prime minister of the United Kingdom. Sunak, who was named prime minister on October 25, 2022, and served until his party's election loss in July 2024, was also the first Hindu and the youngest person in the office in more than two centuries. Prior to being elected to Parliament's House of Commons in 2015, he had amassed a fortune in the finance industry. Recognized as a member of a significant segment of the population of the United Kingdom (UK), Brits of Indian ancestry, his rise to the pinnacle of government was of keen interest to Indians around the world. He took the helm of a government reeling from financial and political upheaval.
Overview
Sunak’s grandparents emigrated from India to East Africa. His father was born in Kenya, while his mother was born in Tanzania. In the 1960s, his parents’ families moved to England, where they met and married. The couple moved to Southampton, where Sunak was born on May 12, 1980. Two siblings were born later.
His father worked as a general practitioner, while his mother was a pharmacist who ran her own pharmacy. Sunak attended Winchester College, where he was the editor of the student newspaper. He studied economics, philosophy, and politics at Lincoln College of the University of Oxford. He completed an internship at the Conservative Party headquarters and graduated in 2001 with a first-class degree. He attended Stanford University in California on a Fulbright scholarship. He earned a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at Stanford in 2006. From 2001 to 2004 he worked as an analyst for Goldman Sachs. After he completed his MBA, he moved back to the UK.
In 2010, Sunak became involved with the Conservative Party. He also worked with a major Conservative think tank, Policy Exchange, and in 2014 was tapped to lead its Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Research Unit. The Conservative Party put Sunak forward as its House of Commons candidate, representing Richmond in the north of England. The North Yorkshire seat had been reliably Conservative for decades. Sunak was elected to the seat in May 2015. He won reelection in 2017 and 2019.
From the start of his tenure in the House of Commons, Sunak supported Britain’s separation from the European Union (EU), an event called Brexit. The EU is a free-trade zone formed by multiple European countries that not only facilitated trade but also became a global political force. The UK joined the EU in 1973, but many Britons were never fully supportive of membership. They saw it as an expensive undertaking and blamed it for what they believed was excessive immigration. In the 2010s, demand to leave the EU increased in the UK, and citizens voted on a referendum in 2016. The result was a 52 percent vote in favor of Brexit. The vote, which caused global shockwaves in financial markets, kicked off a series of steps required of any country that wanted to leave the EU. Conservative David Cameron, who was PM at the time but opposed Brexit, resigned. His replacement, Theresa May, undertook the process of removing the UK from the trading bloc. She was replaced in 2019 by Boris Johnson, who had championed Brexit in 2016 as mayor of London.
Johnson appointed Sunak chief secretary to the Treasury in 2019. The UK formally and legally revoked membership in the trading bloc in January 2020. Johnson promoted Sunak to the post of chief finance minister, also known as the chancellor of the Exchequer, on February 13, 2020. He immediately faced challenges as the COVID-19 pandemic caused financial pandemonium around the globe.
In 2022, Johnson faced scandals and loss of confidence. Top aides resigned and he was criticized for holding parties during the pandemic. Inflation was soaring, but Sunak did not postpone an income tax increase in March. He refused to impose windfall profits taxes on fuel companies as energy prices increased, although he relented in May with a 25 percent tax. Sunak also faced criticism and paid a fine for attending one of Johnson’s parties during lockdown.
Sunak resigned on July 5, triggering flight by multiple other ministers. Johnson resigned as party leader on July 7. On September 6, Liz Truss became PM. After her policy of tax cuts and borrowing caused financial instability, she resigned on October 24.
Sunak had vied with Truss to become PM. He had been loudly critical of her economic plan, insisting tax cuts could only be implemented once inflation was under control. Following Truss’s resignation, Conservatives elected Sunak head of the party and thus PM.
After receiving some domestic and international criticism upon an announcement that he was not planning to attend the COP-27 climate summit in November, Sunak ultimately did attend the event. By mid-2023, Sunak and his administration, despite some members of his cabinet facing scandalous allegations, had begun attempting to work through some of the lingering, prominent issues that had not been resolved by previous governments. In addition to striking a Brexit-related deal with Northern Ireland, as of March he had also made progress in overseeing a parliamentary bill essentially banning undocumented migration into Great Britain by small boat. In June, he made his first visit to the United States to meet with officials on matters such as the war in Ukraine.
Though public support for Sunak and the Conservative Party remained lower over ongoing issues with the economy, the party's image and cohesion, health care, and more, in May 2024 the prime minister called for an early general election, which ultimately took place in July. A major Conservative loss in the election, which saw party members removed from 251 seats in Parliament, meant that Sunak conceded the PM post to the majority-winning Labour Party's leader, Keir Starmer. At that time, Sunak continued to serve as a member of Parliament and the Conservative Party's leader.
Personal Life
While studying at Stanford, Sunak met fellow student Akshata Murthy. Her father, N.R. Narayana Murthy, founded Indian technology company Infosys. Murthy likewise attained her business degree in 2006 but remained in California, living in San Francisco while working in finance and marketing for several years. The couple married in 2009 in Bengaluru, India. Their daughter Krishna was born in 2011, and their daughter Anoushka was born in 2013.
Bibliography
“Biography: The Rise of Rishi Sunak, Britain’s Youngest Prime Minister.” The Street Journal, 26 Oct. 2022, thestreetjournal.org/biography-the-rise-of-rishi-sunak-britains-youngest-prime-minister/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Davies, Caroline. “Spotlight on Rishi Sunak’s Family as They Prepare to Enter No 10.” The Guardian, 24 Oct. 2022, www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/24/spotlight-on-rishi-sunaks-family-as-they-prepare-to-enter-no-10. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Davies, Caroline, and Dan Sabbagh. "Labour Comeback, Tory Collapse: Five Key Takeaways from the General Election." The Guardian, 5 July 2024, www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/jul/05/labour-bounceback-tory-collapse-five-key-takeaways-from-the-general-election. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Elgot, Jessica, et al. “Sunak Vows to Bring ‘Integrity’ to No. 10 but Gambles by Restoring Braverman.” The Guardian, 25 Oct. 2022, www.theguardian.com/politics/2022/oct/25/sunak-vows-to-bring-integrity-to-no-10-but-gambles-by-restoring-braverman. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Kottasová, Ivana, and Luke McGee. “Rishi Sunak: The Super-Rich Former Banker Who Will Be the First Person of Color to Lead Britain.” CNN, 25 Oct. 2022, www.cnn.com/2022/10/24/uk/profile-rishi-sunak-uk-politics-intl-gbr. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
McDonald, Andrew. "Can He Fix It? Rishi Sunak the Problem-Solver, Rated." Politico, 17 Mar. 2023, www.politico.eu/article/britain-prime-minister-rishi-sunak-150-day-report-card/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Pylas, Pan. "Rishi Sunak's Campaign in the UK Election Showed His Lack of Political Touch." AP, 5 July 2024, apnews.com/article/sunak-conservatives-labour-starmer-resigns-cf3bef68c6ce6fb92180e008b9e51268. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Puri, Anjali. “Next UK PM Rishi Sunak on Being British, Indian and Hindu at the Same Time.” Business Standard, 25 Oct. 2022, www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/lunch-with-bs-rishi-sunak-115080601060‗1.html. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
“The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP.” Government of the United Kingdom, www.gov.uk/government/people/rishi-sunak. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
“Rishi Sunak: The Star Wars Fan Turned Political Force.” BBC, 25 Oct. 2022, www.bbc.com/news/business-51490893. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Seddon, Paul. "Rishi Sunak Announces UK General Election for Thursday 4 July." BBC, 22 May 2024, www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-69050450. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.
Walker, Nigel. “Brexit Timeline: Events Leading to the UK’s Exit from the European Union.” UK Parliament House of Commons Library, 6 Jan. 2021, commonslibrary.parliament.uk/research-briefings/cbp-7960/. Accessed 13 Oct. 2024.