Facts About Rishi Sunak: First Indian Origin Prime Minister To Serve In The UK; Youngest PM In Over 200 Yrs

Add as a preferred source on Google

Rishi Sunak has been elected to lead the Conservative Party and will become Britain's next Prime Minister - the third this year. He is the first Indian-origin Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and the youngest Prime Minister in over 200 years.

After Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak emerges as the third Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in less than two months.

As Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022, Rishi Sunak previously served in the cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2019 to 2020. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond (Yorks) since 2015.

On 8 July 2022, during the Conservative Party leadership elections, Sunak had announced he would run as a candidate to replace Johnson.

Facts About Rishi Sunak

1. Sunak was born in Southampton to Indian parents who migrated from East Africa. He attended Winchester College. Later, as a Fulbright Scholar, he earned an MBA from Stanford University after studying Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at Lincoln College, Oxford.

2. In October 2014, Sunak was selected as the Conservative candidate for Richmond (Yorks).

3. At Stanford University, he met his wife, Akshata Murty, the daughter of N. Narayana Murthy, the Indian billionaire who founded Infosys.

4. During the June 2016 membership referendum, Sunak supported the UK's exit from the European Union.

5. In April 2022, Sunak was issued a fixed penalty notice for violating COVID-19 regulations during lockdowns. It is the first time in British history that a Chancellor has been found to have broken the law while in office.

6. By British political standards, he was extremely popular during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

7. During Rishi Sunak's first television debate, he was roasted on Twitter after viewers pointed out that there was a spelling error on his campaign banner. There was a spelling error in the word campaign, which was spelt as 'campiagn'. In response to the Twitter banter, Rishi Sunak replied, 'Ready for spellcheck' in a tweak of his slogan, 'Ready for Rishi'.

8. According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2022 ranking of the wealthiest people in the UK, Sunak and Murty were ranked 222nd, with a combined wealth of £730 million, making them the "first frontline politician on the list".

9. Rishi Sunak is heavily criticized for his tax moves during the pandemic. At the same time, his wife, Akshata Murty, daughter of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy, is said to be richer than even the Queen. Earlier, Akshata Murty's tax evasion due to her non-dom status was also brought to public attention.