NEW DELHI: The contest within the UK’s Conservative Party to elect a new leader to succeed Boris Johnson as British Prime Minister has gathered momentum. British Indian former Chancellor of the Exchequer (finance minister) Rishi Sunak formally launched his leadership bid on Friday.
The new PM is expected to be in place at 10 Downing Street by September. Often called ‘dishy Rishi’ by the British tabloid press, Sunak joins fellow Indian-origin candidate Suella Braverman, the UK Attorney General who is among the early Tory MPs to announce her plan to contest. After he quit the ministerial position, triggering a wave of resignations, Sunak told the media: “We need to make sure that’s not the end of the British Indian story. There are lots more we can achieve. There’s lots more we can do. And I’m really excited about the future.”
Sunak could go on to be the first British Indian Prime Minister of the UK. The 42-year-old Sunak is son-in-law of Narayana Murthy, Indian IT major Infosys’ co-founder. Sunak was born on May 12, 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.
Sunak’s grandparents were born in Punjab, British India, and emigrated to the UK in the 1960s from East Africa. Sunak is the eldest of three siblings. The prospective occupant of 10 Downing Street proved his mettle in the early months of the Covid pandemic with a series of mini-budgets. His popularity dipped in recent months amid the cost-of-living crisis. He married Akshata Murthy in 2009. The couple has two daughters. Rishi began his political career in 2014. Sunak was re-elected in the 2019 election and was appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury in July 2019. He served under Chancellor Sajid Javid.
After a cabinet reshuffle in February 2020, Sunak was promoted to Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Extraordinary journey
Sunak’s parents came to the UK from east Africa and are both of Indian origin.
He attended Oxford to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
While studying for an MBA at Stanford University he met his wife Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Narayana Murthy.
From 2001 to 2004, Sunak was an analyst for the investment bank, Goldman Sachs.
Since 2015 he has been the Conservative MP for Richmond in Yorkshire.
He became a junior minister in former Prime Minister Theresa May’s government.