With the UK prime ministerial race gaining momentum with each passing day, one of the names that are doing rounds is Rishi Sunak – the Indian-origin British MP from Richmond (Yorks) and the Conservative Party member. In confirmation with the last updates, the former British Chancellor Rishi Sunak, 42, received the most votes in the 2nd round of voting to emerge as the leader of the Conservative Party succeeding Boris Johnson, and as a contender for the UK prime ministerial race.
Let’s explore some interesting facts about Rishi Sunak, Britain’s PM contender and conservative party MP in this article.
Origins
Rishi Sunak was born on May 12, 1980, in Southampton, southern England, to Indian-origin parents Yashvir and Usha Sunak, and is the eldest of three siblings.
Rishi Sunak’s Indian-origin lineage can be traced to his grandparents who were born in the then British India’s Punjab Province, and thereon moved to East Africa and migrated with their children to the United Kingdom in the 1960s.
Education And Schooling
Rishi Sunak did his preparatory schooling at Stroud School in Hampshire, and Winchester College, He also served as a waiter at a curry house in Southampton during his summer vacations.
Rishi Sunak completed his graduation in 2001 from Lincoln College, Oxford in Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE) and undertook an internship at the Conservative Campaign Headquarters while at the university.
In 2001, Rishi Sunak was interviewed alongside his parents for the BBC documentary titled, “Middle Classes: Their Rise and Sprawl.” In 2006, Rishi Sunak obtained an MBA Degree from Stanford University, where he also was a Fulbright scholar.
Business And Political Career
Rishi Sunak worked as an analyst for Goldman Sachs – a leading global investment bank between 2001 and 2004 and went on to work for The Children’s Investment Fund Management eventually becoming a partner in September 2006.
He joined his former colleagues at Theleme Partners – a new hedge fund firm, which was launched in October 2010 with $700 million under management after leaving the former in 2009.
Rishi Sunak served as the director of Catamaran Ventures – an investment firm, owned by Indian Businessman N. R. Narayana Murthy, who also happens to be his father-in-law.
Rishi Sunak was selected as the Conservative candidate for Richmond (Yorks) in October 2014 and was elected as an MP for the constituency in the 2015 general election.
In 2019, Sunak was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury by Prime Minister Boris Johnson and was elevated to the position of Chancellor on 13 February 2020 which he stepped down from on 5 July 2022.
Rishi Sunak announced his candidature in the Conservative party leadership election to replace Boris Johnson on 8 July 2022.
Rishi Sunak is married to Akshata Murty, daughter of Indian billionaire and Infosys founder N. R. Narayana Murthy in August 2009
These are some of the interesting facts about Rishi Sunak, the Indian-origin British politician in the UK prime ministerial race.