For Sunak, it will be the first in the UK Hindu Prime Minister, victory could not have come on a better day than Diwali. By Monday afternoon, he had amassed public nominations from nearly every major Tory lawmaker, beating his only remaining rival – Penny Mordaunt – who had the public support of just 26 lawmakers.
Here’s everything you need to know about Rishi Sunak, the new UK PM …
Indian roots
Sunak will create history by becoming the first person of Indian descent and the first person of Hindu faith to lead Britain.
His grandparents were from Punjab and emigrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s.
They arrived with “very little,” Sunak told MPs in his inaugural address in 2015.
His father was a family doctor in Southampton on the south coast of England, and his mother ran a local pharmacy.
Growing up, Sunak served tables at a local Indian restaurant, before moving on to Oxford and then to Stanford University in California.
He insists that both his own family experience and that of his very wealthy wife are a “very conservative” story of hard work and aspiration.
In addition to English, he knows both Hindi and Punjabi.
A “proud Hindu”
Sunak is a devout Hindu and is a regular visitor to the temple where he was born in Southampton.
Her daughters, Anoushka and Krishna, are also rooted in Indian culture.
When he became Prime Minister, he swore allegiance to the Bhagavad Gita.
Sunak has even publicly stated that although he is a British citizen, he also remains a “proud Hindu”.
The Murthy connection
Sunak met his wife, Akshata Murthy, a fashion designer, when he was studying for an MBA at Stanford University in California.
They married in August 2009.
Akshata is the daughter of Infosys co-founder and one of India’s richest men, Narayana Murthy, and philanthropist Sudha Murty.
Sunak has often claimed to be “incredibly proud of his in-laws”.
Fabulously rich
Sunak is said to be the richest man in the House of Commons with a whopping net worth of £ 730 million. Some reports have indicted that his wife Akshata is even richer than the queen (now the king).
Sunak and his wife made their debut on the annual Sunday Times Rich List earlier this year.
Most of their wealth is believed to come from Murty’s £ 690 million stake in Infosys. But Sunak also had a lucrative career in finance before entering politics in 2015 as a member of the Conservative Party.
The couple have homes in London, Sunak constituency in Yorkshire and Santa Monica, California.
Rishi Sunak and Akshata Murty were constantly in check for their wealth.
Political career
Sunak’s political career began with winning a secure seat in the Richmond Conservatives in Yorkshire in 2015 and minor roles in the Treasury.
He was suddenly catapulted to the office of Chancellor of the Exchequer when his former boss, Sajid Javid, resigned in February 2020.
It proved that doubters who feared his inexperience in high office would see him overwhelmed by his new boss, Johnson, were wrong as he credibly led the economic response to the Covid pandemic.
He was constantly touted as Johnson’s heir apparent until that was beaten with some of his less popular tax hike policies in the wake of the pandemic.
Sunak’s opponents targeted him for his record as chancellor until his resignation hastened Johnson’s exit.
He has remained firm on his focus on inflation rather than any winning tax cut that promises to court a traditionally low-tax base of Conservative Party members.
Controversy
Earlier this year, wife Akshata sparked controversy when she claimed to claim non-domicile tax status, meaning she does not have to pay UK taxes on income earned elsewhere.
The revelation suddenly cast doubt on Sunak’s political future, and he had to reject requests for his resignation.
It also emerged that he had retained a US green card, which would have allowed him to live permanently in the United States, even while he was chancellor.
Sunak renounced his green card last October and in the spring his wife said she would pay British taxes on her overseas income.
The Indian-born leader was also slapped with a partygate fine for attending a Johnson birthday event in violation of the lockdown rules.
