Rishi Sunak facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rishi Sunak
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Official portrait, 2022
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| Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 25 October 2022 – 5 July 2024 |
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| Monarch | Charles III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Liz Truss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Opposition | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 5 July 2024 – 2 November 2024 |
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| Monarch | Charles III | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Prime Minister | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Deputy | Oliver Dowden | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Preceded by | Keir Starmer | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Kemi Badenoch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Leader of the Conservative Party | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In office 24 October 2022 – 2 November 2024 |
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| Preceded by | Liz Truss | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Succeeded by | Kemi Badenoch | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Member of Parliament for Richmond and Northallerton |
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| Assumed office 7 May 2015 |
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| Preceded by | William Hague | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Majority | 12,185 (25.1%) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 12 May 1980 Southampton, Hampshire, England |
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| Political party | Conservative | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Spouse |
Akshata Murty
(m. 2009) |
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| Children | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relatives |
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| Education |
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Rishi Sunak (born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024. He was Leader of the Conservative Party from October 2022 to November 2024. The first British Asian to hold those offices, he previously held two Cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, latterly as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022. Sunak has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond and Northallerton, previously Richmond (Yorks), since 2015.
Contents
Early life and education
Sunak was born on 12 May 1980 in Southampton General Hospital in Southampton, Hampshire, to East African-born Hindu parents of Indian Punjabi descent, Yashvir and Usha Sunak. He attended Stroud School, a preparatory school in Romsey, and later studied at Winchester College as a dayboy, becoming head boy of the college. He worked as a waiter in a curry house in Southampton during his summer holidays. He read philosophy, politics and economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, graduating with a first in 2001. During his time at university, he undertook an internship at Conservative Campaign Headquarters and joined the Conservative Party. In 2006, Sunak earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Stanford University as a Fulbright Scholar. While at Stanford, he met his future wife Akshata Murty, the daughter of Indian billionaire N. R. Narayana Murthy of Infosys.
Sunak's paternal grandfather was from Gujranwala (in present-day Pakistan), while his maternal grandfather was from Ludhiana (in present-day India); both cities at the time were in Punjab province, British India. His grandparents migrated to East Africa, and then to the United Kingdom in the 1960s. His father, Yashvir Sunak, was born and raised in the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya (present-day Kenya), and is a general practitioner in the National Health Service. His mother, Usha Sunak, born in Tanganyika (which later became part of Tanzania), was a pharmacist and owned the Sunak Pharmacy in Southampton between 1995 and 2014, and has a degree from Aston University.
Business career
Sunak worked as an analyst for the investment bank Goldman Sachs between 2001 and 2004. He then worked for hedge fund management firm The Children's Investment Fund Management, becoming a partner in September 2006. He left in November 2009 to join former colleagues in California at a new hedge fund firm, Theleme Partners, which launched in October 2010 with $700 million under management (equivalent to $939m in 2022). At both hedge funds, his boss was Patrick Degorce. Sunak was also a director of the investment firm Catamaran Ventures, owned by his father-in-law, the Indian businessman N. R. Narayana Murthy of Infosys, between 2013 and 2015.
Political career
Sunak was elected to the House of Commons for Richmond in North Yorkshire at the 2015 general election. As a backbencher, Sunak supported the successful campaign for Brexit in the 2016 European Union membership referendum. Following the 2017 general election, Sunak was appointed to a junior ministerial position in Theresa May's second government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government in the 2018 cabinet reshuffle. He voted three times in favour of May's Brexit withdrawal agreement, which was rejected by Parliament three times, leading to May announcing her resignation. During the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election, Sunak supported Johnson's successful bid to succeed May as Conservative leader and prime minister, after which Johnson appointed Sunak as Chief Secretary to the Treasury in July 2019.
Following the 2019 general election, Johnson promoted Sunak to Chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2020 cabinet reshuffle after the resignation of Sajid Javid.
During his time in the position, Sunak was prominent in the government's financial response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, including the Coronavirus Job Retention and Eat Out to Help Out schemes. He was also involved in the government's response to the cost of living crisis, UK energy supply crisis, and global energy crisis. Sunak resigned as chancellor in July 2022 amid a government crisis that culminated in Johnson's resignation.
Sunak stood in the July–September Conservative Party leadership election to succeed Johnson. He had received the most votes in each of the series of MP votes, but lost the members' vote to Foreign Secretary Liz Truss. After spending the duration of Truss's premiership on the backbenches, Sunak stood in the October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election to succeed Truss, who resigned amid another government crisis. He was elected unopposed as Conservative leader and appointed prime minister.
Premiership (2022–2024)
In his first speech as prime minister, Sunak promised "integrity, professionalism and accountability," and said that "we will create a future worthy of the sacrifices so many have made and fill tomorrow, and everyday thereafter with hope." Of his predecessor, Sunak said that Truss "was not wrong" to want to improve growth, but admitted that "some mistakes were made", and that he was elected prime minister in part to fix them. He promised to "place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government's agenda".
Environment
In a reversal of his predecessor's policy, Sunak reinstated the ban on fracking on 26 October as outlined in the 2019 Conservative manifesto.
Sunak attended a reception held by the king at Buckingham Palace on 4 November. Sunak told the meeting of approximately 200 politicians and campaigners that the UK would continue with its environmental aims after the end of its COP26 presidency. In his speech, Sunak said that climate change would cause long-lasting human suffering, and that because of inaction, people risked giving their children a desperate inheritance. Sunak also paid tribute to the king's longstanding work for the environment.
On 7 November at the COP27 summit, Sunak launched The Forest and Climate Leaders' Partnership (FCLP), building on a policy called the Glasgow Climate Pact, originally started at COP 26. The partnership aims to halt and reverse deforestation by 2030, bringing 26 countries and the European Union together. These countries account for 60% of global GDP and over 33% of the world's forests and together with private funding, the partnership has total funds of $23.8bn. In his speech to the Forest and Climate Leaders' Summit, Sunak said that the world's forests have been undervalued and underestimated, yet were one of the natural wonders of the world. He then asked attendees to build upon what had already been achieved to secure an incredible legacy for generations to come. The FCLP will hold annual meetings and starting in 2023, it will publish an annual Global Progress Report that includes independent assessments.
Foreign policy
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Following the 2022 missile explosion in Poland, Sunak met US president Joe Biden and gave a speech about the explosion. He later met Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his first visit to Kyiv, and pledged to give Ukraine £50 million in aid.
Sunak visited Ukraine on 12 January 2024 to sign a new U.K.-Ukraine Agreement on Security Cooperation with Zelenskyy promising £2.5 billion in military aid to Ukraine, including long-range missiles, artillery ammunition, air defence and maritime security, in addition to £200 million to be spent on military drones, making the UK the largest deliverer of drones to Ukraine out of any nation according to Downing Street.
2024 general election
On the afternoon of 22 May 2024, Sunak announced that he had asked the King to call a general election for 4 July 2024, surprising his own MPs.
The Conservatives lost the 2024 general election to Labour. On July 5, Sunak conceded the election. Keir Starmer succeeded Sunak as prime minister.
Post-premiership (2024–present)
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After Starmer succeeded Sunak as prime minister, Sunak immediately became Leader of the Opposition and formed his shadow cabinet on 8 July.
Sunak remained leader until his successor, Kemi Badenoch, was elected in the 2024 Conservative Party leadership election, after which he returned to the backbenches.
Political positions
European Union
Sunak supported the Leave campaign during the 2016 United Kingdom European Union (EU) membership referendum. Speaking in 2022, Sunak said: "I voted for Brexit, I believe in Brexit." Sunak also said the UK would not be pursuing a relationship with the EU post-Brexit if the UK had to align with EU laws. In January 2023, Sunak confirmed intentions to remove EU legislation from the UK statute book that year, saying that it should be a "collective effort". In February 2023, Sunak negotiated a proposed agreement with the EU on Northern Ireland's trading arrangements which was published as the "Windsor Framework". On 27 February, Sunak delivered a statement to the House of Commons, saying that the proposed agreement "protects Northern Ireland's place in our Union. On 22 March, the date of the parliamentary vote, 22 Conservative MPs and six DUP MPs voted against the government legislation. The vote ultimately passed by 515 votes to 29.
Energy and the environment
Sunak signed the Conservative Environment Pledge (CEP), as shown on the Conservative Environment Network (CEN) website which has the support of approximately 127 MPs. The CEP's five main commitments are using Brexit freedoms for the environment and sustainable farming, backing British clean energy suppliers to boost energy security, encouraging the use of domestic insulation and electric vehicle charging points, implementing the Environment Act, and backing technologies that will help to achieve clean growth. During the leadership contest held over summer 2022, Sunak told the CEN that he was engaged with the protection of the environment for future generations.
Sunak has said he is committed to keeping the legal commitment of reaching net zero by 2050. During the summer, he said that he intended to make the UK energy independent by 2045, while advocating for more offshore windpower, more solar panels on rooftops and improved insulation of homes to make them more energy efficient. Sunak is said to have listened to fellow MPs with a green agenda and that he was a believer in net zero for the UK. Sunak also voted against a call for the UK to eliminate most greenhouse gas emissions from transportation by 2030.
While campaigning in August 2022, Sunak wrote that he would restrict the use of solar panels on farmland but would make sure solar is installed on commercial buildings, properties and sheds, saying "on my watch, we will not lose swathes of our best farmland to solar farms." The trade association Solar Energy U.K. said the solar industry was "deeply concerned" with both candidates intentions.
Sunak has backed fracking, where it is supported by local residents. On 19 October in the debate on "Ban on Fracking for Shale Gas Bill (Division 66)", he voted with the government against the ban on fracking. Fracking had been banned by the government in November 2019 after a report by the Oil and Gas Authority found that it was not possible at that time to predict the probability or strength of earthquakes caused by fracking.
While chancellor, Sunak attended COP26 in Glasgow. During the speech he gave on 3 November, he said that he felt optimism despite daunting challenges and that by bringing together finance ministers, businesses and investors, COP 26 could begin to deliver targets from the Paris Agreement. He outlined three actions: First, the need for increased public investment, with the UK committing £100 million to the Taskforce on Access to Climate Finance. He announced support for a new Capital Markets Mechanism which will issue green bonds in the UK to fund renewable energy in developing countries. Second, mobilising private finance, with the Glasgow Financial Alliance for Net Zero bringing together organisations with assets over $130 trillion to be deployed. Third, the rewiring of the entire global financial system for net zero, which would include better climate data, mandatory sustainability disclosures, climate risk surveillance and stronger global reporting standards. Also announced was that the UK will become the first ever 'Net Zero Aligned Financial Centre'.
During an interview in July 2022, Sunak said that wind generation would be a part of his governments' energy policies, but he wanted to reassure communities that there would not be a relaxation of the current onshore planning laws, with more of a focus on offshore wind farms. This stance was confirmed by the PM's press team in October, who said that Sunak wants "offshore not onshore wind". When asked about wind generation by MP Alan Whitehead at Prime Minister's Questions on 26 October, Sunak responded that, as outlined in the Conservative manifesto of 2019, he would focus on long term energy security, including more offshore wind. Onshore wind generation was made difficult by the National Planning Policy Framework 2016 Update, but as part of his predecessors' policies, the planning laws were set to be relaxed.
Foreign policy
In July 2022, during his run for the Conservative Party leadership, he called China the "biggest long-term threat" to the UK. He accused China of supporting Russian president Vladimir Putin and that it was "stealing our technology and infiltrating our universities". Sunak softened his attitude after becoming prime minister, calling the country a "systemic challenge" instead of a "threat", and that the West would "manage this sharpening competition, including with diplomacy and engagement".
Sunak described Saudi Arabia as a "partner" and "ally", but said that the British government does not ignore human rights violations in Saudi Arabia. According to Sunak, "It's absolutely right that" the British government "engages with our partners and allies around the world as we contemplate how best to ensure energy security for this country." During his chancellorship, Sunak also opposed US president Joe Biden's plan to introduce a minimum 21 percent global business tax. Additionally, Sunak supported the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
Immigration
Sunak has expressed support for lowering net migration. On 4 January 2023, Sunak set out his priorities for 2023, which included: "We will pass new laws to stop small boats, making sure that if you come to this country illegally, you are detained and swiftly removed."
Personal life
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In August 2009, Sunak married Akshata Murty, the daughter of N. R. Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murty. His father-in-law is the founder of the technology company Infosys, in which Murty owns a stake. Sunak and Murty met while studying at Stanford University in the US; they have two daughters: Krishna (born 2011) and Anoushka (born 2013). They own several houses, including Kirby Sigston Manor in the village of Kirby Sigston, North Yorkshire, a mews house in Earl's Court in central London, a flat on the Old Brompton Road, South Kensington, and a penthouse apartment on Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica, California. In April 2022, it was reported that Sunak and Murty had moved out of the flat above 10 Downing Street to a newly refurbished West London home for domestic reasons. In October 2022, the Sunaks resumed residence of their former official home at 10 Downing Street, this time as prime minister and reversing the trend started in 1997 of prime ministers living in the four bedroom flat above 11 Downing Street.
He was previously a governor of the East London Science School.
Interesting facts about Rishi Sunak
- Sunak is the eldest of three siblings. His brother, Sanjay (born 1982), is a psychologist and his sister, Raakhi Williams (born 1985), works in New York as chief of strategy and planning at the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies.
- Sunak is a Coca-Cola addict and now has seven dental fillings due to excessive consumption when he was younger.
- Sunak is a steadfast Southampton F.C. fan. When asked what his ideal job would be if he was not a politician, he replied that if he could "run Southampton Football Club" he would be a "very happy man".
- He took his oath as an MP at the House of Commons on the Bhagavad Gita.
- Sunak has a Labrador called Nova.
- He is a cricket and horse racing enthusiast.
- As chancellor, Sunak rose early for a daily Peloton workout and was a fan of fitness instructor Cody Rigsby.
- Sunak is a Hindu and identifies as British Indian, stating that he is "thoroughly British" but with an Indian religious and cultural heritage.
- During the coronation of Charles III, Sunak gave a reading from the New Testament book of Colossians – Colossians 1:9–17.
Images for kids
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Official portrait, 2017
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Sunak recording a video concerning government financial support for businesses amidst COVID-19, April 2020
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Sunak with Boris Johnson in March 2020
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Sunak holding a red box in October 2021
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Sunak (right) and Sajid Javid (left) (the first two cabinet members to resign on 5 July) pictured with Johnson (centre)
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Sunak chairing the first meeting of his cabinet
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Sunak with Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy during his first visit to Kyiv in November 2022
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Sunak and Jeremy Hunt holding a "Levelling Up" sign
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See also
In Spanish: Rishi Sunak para niños
