Rishi Sunak, United Kingdom’s next Prime Minister

UK PM Liz Truss’s resignation, Indian-origin Rishi Sunak is all set to fill the top seat at 10 Downing Street. The 42-year-old PM-designate will become Britain’s first person of colour and Asian descent and of Indian origin to lead the country.

He takes office as the third Conservative Prime Minister since the party won the last general election in 2019.

Born on May 12, 1980, in Southampton, Sunak is of Indian origin. His father, Yashvir Sunak was a general practitioner in the National Health Service, while his mother, Usha Sunak ran a pharmacy. His grandparents are from the Punjab State in India and migrated to East Africa. Since 2017, Sunak was observed to have taken the oath to the office on the Bhagavad Gita.

He is married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy, and is the father of two young daughters, Krishna and Anoushka. With a combined net fortune of 730 million pounds, the couple ranked 222 in the ‘Sunday Times Rich List 2022’.

Prior to entering politics, the Oxford University and Stanford graduate worked with Goldman Sachs. He later worked with Hedge Fund management and also co-founded a large investment firm Theleme Partners.

Sunak first became an MP from Richmond, Yorkshire, in 2015 on a Conservative Party ticket. Rising the party ranks he soon became popular among the masses, especially during the pandemic for his economic package to aid businesses and employees.

He was often referred to as ‘dishy Rishi’ by the British media owing to his polished appearance. In February 2020, he made history by being appointed as The Chancellor of the Exchequer.

In recent times, he found himself embroiled in two controversies — the ‘party gate’ scandal where parties were organised at government offices breaching Covid rules during the lockdown, and he faced criticism for his wife’s non-domicile tax status, allowing her to pay tax in the UK only on her UK income.