Who is Rishi Sunak? Meet Britain’s New Prime Minister

Rishi Sunak outside of 10 Downing Street, giving his first speech as prime minister. Photo: New York Times

Rishi Sunak of the Conservative Party officially became England’s prime minister on October 25, following the resignation of Liz Truss. He is the country’s third prime minister in seven weeks and its first non-white.

Sunak, 47, became the expected winner after Boris Johnson dropped out of the race on October 23. 

“I will deliver on its [conservative party’s manifesto] promise. A stronger NHS; better schools; safer streets; control of our borders; protecting our environment; supporting our armed forces; leveling up and building an economy that embraces the opportunities of Brexit, where businesses invest, innovate, and create jobs,” said Sunak, in his first speech as prime minister. 

He also acknowledged the difficulties that Britains face today, citing a profound economic crisis–one further destabilized by his predecessor, Liz Truss. However, Sunak is no stranger to dealing with crises; he previously served under Boris Johnson as his Chancellor to the Exchequer during the COVID pandemic, from February 2020 to July 2022. 

As the Chancellor to the Exchequer during COVID, he partly abandoned his Conservative roots of minimal state intervention and introduced the government furlough scheme. 

This scheme allowed businesses to get government grants in order to pay a majority of their employees’ salaries that were not currently working due to COVID restrictions. 

However, sticking closer to his political beliefs, as Chancellor he rejected President Biden’s proposed draft plan that would introduce a 21% global business tax. He did agree to a plan that included a 15% global minimum corporation tax. 

Prior to being named Chancellor, he worked as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (July 2019-February 2020), Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing (January 2018-July 2019), and Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department of Business (June 2017-January 2018). He was first elected as Conservative MP for Richmond (Yorks) in May 2015.

Sunak speaking in front of the British Parliament for the first time as prime minister. Photo: Columbia Missourian

Sunak has been largely quiet concerning LGBTQ+ rights and has skipped many parliamentary votes concerning these issues, including the 2019 vote regarding legalizing same-sex marriage in Northern Ireland. 

His climate change policy is also worrying to advocates, since he has generally voted against measures to combat climate change. 

Sunak, the child of immigrants, has generally voted for stronger enforcement of immigration rules from 2015-2021, but has been absent from votes concerning immigration in 2022. 

Before going into politics, Sunak worked in business and finance, in which he founded a small investment firm. 

Sunak is not only the wealthiest prime minister ever but also the first to be wealthier than the reigning monarch. Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, have a combined net worth of approx. $810 million, according to Forbes. 

A significant portion of this wealth comes from Akshata Murty’s father, Indian billionaire N.R. Narayana Murty, who has an estimated $4.5 billion net worth. 

The optics of having one of the richest men in the U.K. as its prime minister has worried some, especially as it was revealed that Akshata had previously had a tax status in which she was not required to pay taxes on earnings from outside the UK, according to the Independent.  

Sunak understands and addresses people’s hesitancy and worry about the state of the government and country, saying: “I will unite our country, not with words, but with action…This government will have integrity, professionalism, and accountability at every level. Trust is earned, and I will earn yours.”