Rishi Sunak Prime Minister of the United Kingdom: Rishi Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys founder N R Narayana Murthy, formally entered the race to succeed Liz Truss as leader of the Conservative party and the next prime minister of the United Kingdom on the day of Diwali. Sunak has allegedly garnered support from 193 lawmakers, compared to Penny Mordaunt who had support of 26 lawmakers. And lastly she withdrawn her name.
Rishi Sunak’s Early Life and Career:
Rishi Sunak was born on May 12, 1980, grew up in Southampton and went to Winchester College. Born to African-born Hindu parents of Punjabi Indian descent, Usha Sunak and Yashvir. He is the eldest of three siblings. His father was born and raised in the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya (modern-day Kenya), and his mother in Tanganyika (which later became part of Tanzania). His grandfathers were born in Punjab province, British India, His parents are of Indian descent and came to the United Kingdom from East Africa in the 1960s. Ramdas Sunak, his paternal grandpa, was born in Gujranwala (modern-day Pakistan) and migrated to Nairobi in 1935 to work as a clerk, where he was joined by his wife Suhag Rani Sunak, who arrived from Delhi in 1937. Raghubir Sain Berry MBE, his maternal grandpa, worked in Tanganyika as tax officer had an arranged marriage with 16-year-old Tanganyika-born Sraksha, with whom he had three children, and the family relocated to the UK in 1966, sponsored by Sraksha selling her bridal jewellery. In the United Kingdom, Raghubir Berry joined the Inland Revenue and was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) as a collector in the 1988 Birthday Honours list. Usha was a pharmacist who managed a neighbourhood drugstore, and Yashvir was a medical practitioner.
Sunak went to Stroud School in Romsey, Hampshire, and then to Winchester College, a boys’ independent boarding school where he was head boy. During the summer, he worked as a server at a curry place in Southampton. Rishi Sunak went on to study philosophy, politics, and economics (PPE) at Oxford’s Lincoln College before getting an MBA as a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University in California.
Rishi Sunak’s Personal Life:
While attending Stanford University, Rishi Sunak met Akshata Murty, the daughter of N. R. Narayana Murthy, the rich Indian businessman who created Infosys. She eventually became his wife in august 2009 and has two daughters. Murty owns 0.91% stake of Infosys, which was valued at over $900 million (£746 million) in April 2022, making her one of the wealthiest women in Britain.
The Political Career of Rishi Sunak:
- Sunak was elected to the House of Commons in 2015 to succeed William Hague as the lawmaker for Richmond (Yorks) in North Yorkshire.
- Sunak voted in the 2016 referendum to exit the EU. In Theresa May’s second government, he was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government in the 2018 cabinet shuffle.
- He cast three “yes” votes for May’s Brexit withdrawal deal.
- Sunak supported Boris Johnson’s attempt to lead the Conservative Party after May stepped down. Johnson appointed Sunak as Chief Secretary to the Treasury when he was elected and given the position of Prime Minister.
- Sunak took over as Chancellor of the Exchequer after Sajid Javid resigned during the cabinet shuffle in February 2020.
- Sunak, as Chancellor, was instrumental in the government’s financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic consequences, including the Coronavirus Job Retention and Eat Out to Help Out programmes.
- Rishi Sunak was issued a fixed penalty notice for violating COVID-19 laws during lockdowns, making him the first British Chancellor of the Exchequer to be penalised for breaking the law while in office.
- This happened during the Partygate controversy. On July 5, 2022, he resigned as chancellor, citing disputes with Johnson on economic policy.
- Johnson resigned after a cabinet crisis caused by the departure of Rishi Sunak and the resignation of Javid as Health Secretary.
- He launched his candidacy for Conservative Party leader on July 8, 2022, to succeed Johnson.
- On July 20, Rishi Sunak won the most votes among Conservative MPs and was pitted against Liz Truss in a postal ballot among party members.
- With only 42.6% of the vote, he ultimately lost the conservative leadership race to Truss.
Irish Samachar English News
Kindly click the link below to join WhatsApp group chat to get important news and breaking news from Irish Samachar.