Rishi Sunak

"Sunak" redirects here. For other uses, see Sunak (disambiguation).

The Right Honourable Rishi Sunak MP
Official portrait, 2022
Leader of the Opposition
Incumbent
Assumed office 5 July 2024
Monarch	Charles III
Prime Minister	Keir Starmer
Preceded by	Keir Starmer
Leader of the Conservative Party
Incumbent
Assumed office 24 October 2022
Preceded by	Liz Truss
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 25 October 2022 – 5 July 2024
Monarch	Charles III
Deputy	Dominic Raab Oliver Dowden
Preceded by	Liz Truss
Succeeded by	Keir Starmer
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 13 February 2020 – 5 July 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Sajid Javid
Succeeded by	Nadhim Zahawi
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 24 July 2019 – 13 February 2020
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	Liz Truss
Succeeded by	Steve Barclay
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government
In office 9 January 2018 – 24 July 2019
Prime Minister	Theresa May
Preceded by	Marcus Jones
Succeeded by	Luke Hall
Member of Parliament for Richmond and Northallerton Richmond (Yorks) (2015–2024)
Incumbent
Assumed office 7 May 2015
Preceded by	William Hague
Personal details
Born	(1980-05-12) 12 May 1980 Southampton, Hampshire, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Akshata Murty ​ (m. 2009)​
Children	2
Parents	Yashvir Sunak (father) Usha Sunak (mother)
Relatives	N. R. Narayana Murthy (father-in-law) Sudha Murty (mother-in-law) Rohan Murty (brother-in-law)
Residence(s)	Kirby Sigston Manor, Kirby Sigston, North Yorkshire
Education	Winchester College University of Oxford (BA) Stanford University (MBA)
Signature
Website	rishisunak.com

Rishi Sunak (born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from October 2022 to July 2024. He has been Leader of the Conservative Party since October 2022. After the 2024 general election, he became Leader of the Opposition. The first British Asian prime minister, he previously held two cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, latterly as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022. Sunak served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond (Yorks) from 2015 to 2024, and following boundary changes has been MP for Richmond and Northallerton since 2024.

Sunak was born in Southampton to parents of Indian descent who immigrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s. He was educated at Winchester College, studied philosophy, politics and economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, and earned a Master of Business Administration from Stanford University in California as a Fulbright Scholar. During his time at Oxford University, Sunak undertook an internship at Conservative Central Office, and joined the Conservatives. After graduating, Sunak worked for Goldman Sachs and later as a partner at the hedge fund firms the Children's Investment Fund Management and Theleme Partners.

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, 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 furlough 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, and stood in the leadership election to succeed him. He 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 was elected unopposed in the leadership election to succeed Truss, who resigned amid another government crisis; at 42, he became the youngest prime minister since Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, in 1812.

During his premiership, Sunak was credited with improving the economy and stabilising national politics following the premierships of his predecessors, although many of his pledges and policy announcements ultimately went unfulfilled. He did not avert further unpopularity for the Conservatives—who, by the time of Sunak's election, had been in government for 12 years. This was reflected in the party's poor performances in the 2023 and 2024 local elections. In 2023, Sunak outlined five key priorities: halving inflation, growing the economy, cutting debt, reducing NHS waiting lists, and stopping the illegal small-boat crossings of the English Channel. On foreign policy, Sunak authorised foreign aid and weapons shipments to Ukraine in response to the Russian invasion of the country, and pledged support for Israel after the 7 October attacks which began the Israel–Hamas war whilst later calling for a ceasefire following the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip. The Conservatives lost the 2024 general election in a landslide to the opposition Labour Party led by Keir Starmer, who succeeded Sunak as prime minister.

Early life and education (1980–2001)

Rishi 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. His father was born in pre-colonial Kenya in 1949, while his mother was born in Tanzania. His paternal grandfather Ramdas Sunak had migrated from Gujranwala, located in present day Pakistan, to the Kenyan capital of Nairobi in 1935, while his maternal grandfather, Raghubir Berry, grew up in Punjab before eventually moving to Tanzania as an engineer. Both of Sunak's parents had moved to the UK in 1966. While in the UK they eventually met and would get married in 1977.

Sunak 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, at the curry house Kuti's Brasserie 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.

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 part of the Punjab province in 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 was a general practitioner in the National Health Service. His mother, Usha Sunak, born in Tanganyika (which later became part of Tanzania), was a pharmacist who owned the Sunak Pharmacy in Southampton between 1995 and 2014, and has a degree from Aston University. 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 Education Cannot Wait, the United Nations Global Fund for Education in Emergencies and Protracted Crises.

Career

Business career (2001–2015)

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 (TCI), 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 $978 million in 2023). 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.

Backbencher (2015–2018)

Official MP portrait, 2017

Sunak was selected as the Conservative candidate for Richmond (Yorks) in October 2014. The seat was previously held by William Hague, a former leader of the party who had served in various cabinet positions under Cameron, and was represented by a member of the party for over a century. In the same year Sunak was head of the Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Research Unit of the conservative think tank Policy Exchange, for which he co-wrote a report on BME communities in the UK. He was elected as MP for the constituency at the 2015 general election with a majority of 19,550 (36.2%). During the 2015–2017 parliament he was a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.

Sunak supported the successful campaign for the UK to leave the European Union in the June 2016 European Union membership referendum, criticising the EU's immigration laws: "We are discriminating against countries with whom we have ties of history, language and culture" That year, he wrote a report for the Centre for Policy Studies (a Thatcherite think tank) supporting the establishment of free ports after Brexit, and the following year wrote a report advocating the creation of a retail bond market for small and medium-sized enterprises. Following Cameron's resignation, Sunak endorsed Michael Gove in the 2016 Conservative Party leadership election, and later endorsed successful candidate Theresa May after Gove was eliminated in the second round of voting.

Sunak was re-elected at the 2017 general election with an increased majority of 23,108 (40.5%). In the same year, Sunak wrote a paper for Policy Exchange on the importance and fragility of the UK's undersea infrastructure. Sunak was re-elected at the 2019 general election with an increased majority of 27,210 (47.2%). Following boundary changes in the 2024 general election, Sunak won the seat of Richmond and Northallerton, which replaced his former seat of Richmond (Yorks).

Local government under-secretary (2018–2019)

Sunak was appointed to a junior ministerial position in May's second government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government in the 2018 cabinet reshuffle. Sunak voted for May's Brexit withdrawal agreement on all three occasions, and voted against a second referendum on any withdrawal agreement. May's withdrawal agreement was rejected by Parliament three times, leading to May announcing her resignation in May 2019.

Sunak supported Boris Johnson's successful bid to succeed May in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election and co-wrote an article with fellow MPs Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden to advocate for Johnson during the campaign in June.

Chief secretary to the Treasury (2019–2020)

Sunak was appointed chief secretary to the Treasury by Johnson, serving under Chancellor Sajid Javid. He became a member of the Privy Council the next day.

Chancellor of the Exchequer (2020–2022)

Main article: Chancellorship of Rishi Sunak

In the weeks leading up to Johnson's first cabinet reshuffle in February 2020, a number of briefings in the press had suggested that a new economic ministry led by Sunak might be established, to reduce the power and political influence of the Treasury. By February 2020, it was reported that Javid would remain in his role as Chancellor and that Sunak would stay on as Chief Secretary to the Treasury, in order to "keep an eye" on Javid.

On 13 February 2020, the day of the reshuffle, Javid resigned as Chancellor, following a meeting with Johnson. During the meeting, Johnson had offered to allow Javid to keep his position on the condition that he dismiss all his advisers at the Treasury and replace them with ones selected by 10 Downing Street. Upon resigning, Javid told the Press Association that "no self-respecting minister would accept those terms". Sunak was promoted to chancellor to replace Javid as part of Johnson's first cabinet reshuffle later that day.

Some political commentators saw Sunak's appointment as signalling the end of the Treasury's independence from Downing Street, which began during Gordon Brown's chancellorship under Tony Blair, with Robert Shrimsley, chief political commentator of the Financial Times, arguing that "good government often depends on senior ministers – and the Chancellor in particular – being able to fight bad ideas".

COVID-19 pandemic

Further information: British government response to the COVID-19 pandemic § Financial response

Sunak at a COVID-19 press conference, October 2020

On 17 March 2020, amid the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, Sunak became prominent in the government's response. He introduced a programme providing £330 billion in emergency support for businesses, as well as a furlough scheme for employees. This was the first time a British government had created such an employee retention scheme. The scheme was introduced on 20 March 2020 as providing grants to employers to pay 80% of a staff wage and employment costs each month, up to a total of £2,500 per person per month. The cost was estimated at £14 billion a month to run.

The Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme initially ran for three months and was backdated to 1 March. Following a three-week extension of the countrywide lockdown the scheme was extended by Sunak until the end of June 2020. At the end of May, Sunak extended the scheme until the end of October 2020. The decision to extend the job retention scheme was made to avoid or defer mass redundancies, company bankruptcies and potential unemployment levels not seen since the 1930s.

In July 2020, Sunak unveiled a plan for a further £30 billion of spending which included a stamp duty holiday, a cut to value-added tax (VAT) for the hospitality sector, a job retention bonus for employers and the Eat Out to Help Out scheme, aimed at supporting and creating jobs in the hospitality industry. The government subsidised food and soft drinks at participating cafes, pubs and restaurants at 50%, up to £10 per person. The offer was available from 3 to 31 August on Monday to Wednesday each week. In total, the scheme subsidised £849 million in meals. Patrick Vallance (the Chief Scientific Adviser) and Chris Whitty (the Chief Medical Adviser) were not informed of the scheme. Some considered the scheme to be a success in boosting the hospitality industry, whilst others disagreed. A 2020 study found that the scheme contributed to a rise in COVID-19 infection, which Johnson acknowledged but the Treasury rejected. It was later said by the government's chief medical adviser Sir Patrick Vallance during the UK COVID-19 Inquiry that Sunak had not informed medical advisers of the scheme until it was announced, whereas written evidence from Sunak said that the scheme had been discussed with medical advisers, including Vallance, and they had not objected.

The Winter Economy Plan was delivered by Sunak on 24 September 2020. The purpose of the statement was to announce measures aimed at further helping to promote economic recovery following the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The plan aimed to further promote economic recovery while preserving jobs and businesses which were considered viable. After a second lockdown in England on 31 October 2020, the programme was extended several times, until 30 September 2021.

Sunak said he had opposed recommendations by government medical advisers for a second "circuit-breaker" lockdown in September 2020 due to the potential impact on jobs and the economy. Then–health secretary Matt Hancock said that Sunak had put Johnson under "enormous pressure" not to introduce further restrictions during this time although Sunak maintained he had only advised the Prime Minister on economic matters in order to help him reach a decision. According to the diary of Vallance, he was told by Dominic Cummings that Sunak had argued to "just let people die" during an argument over imposing a second lockdown in October 2020. Sunak denied the "let people die" claim, pointing to the fact that Vallance did not hear the phrase but merely claimed to have been told about it by Cummings.

In October 2021, Sunak made his third and final budget statement, which included substantial spending promises related to science and education. The budget increased in-work support through the Universal Credit system by increasing the work allowances by £500 a year, and reducing the post-tax deduction taper rate from 63% to 55%. £560 million of investment was announced for the Levelling Up White Paper. Many of the announcements to be made in the budget were previewed before budget day, drawing criticism and anger from the House of Commons. In response to the criticism, Sunak said the budget "begins the work of preparing for a new economy".

In April 2022, amid the Partygate scandal, Sunak was issued a fixed penalty notice by the police who believed he had committed offences under COVID-19 regulations by attending a birthday gathering for Johnson on 19 June 2020. The police also issued 125 fixed penalty notices to 82 other individuals, including Johnson and his wife Carrie Symonds, who all apologised and paid the penalties. After receiving the penalty notice, Sunak said he was "extremely and sincerely sorry" for the hurt caused by him attending the party, and that he respected the police's decision to give him a fine.

Cost of living crisis and energy crisis

Main articles: 2021–present United Kingdom cost-of-living crisis and 2021 United Kingdom natural gas supplier crisis

Official cabinet portrait, September 2021

As the rising cost of living became an increasingly serious and worrying issue for the country, the UK government including Sunak intensified its efforts to respond to the crisis in May 2022, with a £5 billion windfall tax on energy companies to help fund a £15 billion support package for the public. The package included every household getting a £400 discount on energy bills, which would be in addition to a £150 council tax refund the government had already ordered. For about 8 million of the UK's lowest income households, a further £650 payment was announced. Additionally, pensioners or those with disability would qualify for extra payments, on top of the £550 that every household gets, and the £650 they would receive if they had a low income.

Sunak made his spring statement on 23 March 2022. He cut fuel duty, removed VAT on energy saving equipment (such as solar panels and insulation) and reduced national insurance payments for small businesses and, while continuing with a planned national insurance rise in April, he promised to align the primary threshold with the basic personal income allowance as of July. He also promised a reduction in income tax in 2024. Sunak also provided some funding to help vulnerable people cope with the rising cost of living.

Other actions

Sunak holding the budget box the day of the October 2021 budget

Sunak hosted a G7 summit in London in June 2021. A tax reform agreement was signed, which in principle sought to establish a global minimum tax on multinationals and online technology companies. In October 2021, the OECD signed an accord to join the tax reform plan. Later that month, Sunak attended COP26 in Glasgow. During his speech given on 3 November, he said that he felt optimism despite daunting challenges and that by bringing together finance ministers, businesses and investors, COP26 could begin to deliver targets from the Paris Agreement.

In November 2020, Sunak was reported by The Guardian to have not declared a significant amount of his wife and family's financial interests on the register of ministers' interests, including a combined £1.7 billion shareholding in the Indian company Infosys. Ministers are required to declare interests that are "relevant" to their responsibilities and "which might be thought to give rise to a conflict" with their public duties. The independent adviser on ministers' interests investigated and concluded that Sunak had not broken any rules.

In early 2022, newspapers reported that Murty had non-domiciled status, meaning she did not have to pay tax on income earned abroad while living in the UK. The status cost approximately £30,000 to secure, and allowed her to avoid paying an estimated £20 million in UK taxes. On 8 April Murty issued a statement saying that she would pay UK taxes on her global income, and that she regretted the issue had become "a distraction for [her] husband". An inquiry was set up to identify the source of the leak regarding her tax status.

Reporting around this time also revealed that Sunak had continued to hold United States' permanent resident (green card) status he had acquired in the 2000s until 2021, including for 18 months after he was made chancellor, which required filing annual US tax returns. An investigation into both his wife's tax status and his residency status found that Sunak had not broken any ministerial rules.

Resignation

Main articles: Chris Pincher scandal and July 2022 United Kingdom government crisis

Sajid Javid (left) pictured with Sunak: the pair resigned within minutes of each other in July 2022, contributing to the collapse of the government of Boris Johnson (centre).

On 5 July 2022, Sunak and Health Secretary Sajid Javid resigned almost simultaneously amid a scandal surrounding the sexual harassment allegations against Chris Pincher, which arose after it was revealed that Johnson had promoted Pincher to the position while knowing of the allegations beforehand. Sunak was the second of 61 Conservative MPs to resign during the government crisis. He was succeeded as chancellor by Nadhim Zahawi. Following the resignations of Sunak and Javid, numerous junior ministers and among the parliamentary private secretary (PPS) also resigned, most of whom cited a lack of honesty and integrity on the part of Johnson. In the following 24 hours, 36 MPs resigned from their roles in government and Johnson announced his resignation. In his resignation letter Sunak said:

The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for and that is why I am resigning. It has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different. I am sad to be leaving Government but I have reluctantly come to the conclusion that we cannot continue like this.

Conservative leadership bids

Main articles: July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election

Logo for Sunak's leadership bids

On 8 July 2022, Sunak announced his candidacy in the leadership election to replace Johnson. Sunak launched his campaign in a video posted to social media, writing that he would "restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country". He said that his values were "patriotism, fairness, hard work", and pledged to "crack down on gender neutral language". During the campaign, Sunak pledged to included tax cuts only when inflation was under control, scrapping of the 5% VAT rate on household energy for one year, introducing a temporary £10 fine for patients who fail to attend GP appointments, capping of refugee numbers, and a tightening of the definition of asylum.

On 20 July, Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss emerged as the final two candidates in the contest on 20 July to be put forward to the membership for the final leadership vote. He had received the most votes in each of the series of MP votes with Sunak receiving 137 to Truss's 113 in the final round. In the membership vote, Truss received 57.4% of the vote, making her the new leader. He spent the duration of Truss's premiership on the backbenches.

Truss announced her resignation on 20 October 2022 amid a government crisis, triggering a leadership contest. On 22 October, it was reported that Sunak had the required number of supporters—100 members of the House of Commons—to run in the ballot on 24 October. The total number of MPs who publicly declared support passed 100 on the afternoon of 22 October. On 23 October, Sunak declared that he would stand for election. After Johnson ruled himself out of the race and Penny Mordaunt withdrew her candidacy, Sunak was announced as the new Conservative leader on 24 October.

Premiership (2022–2024)

Main article: Premiership of Rishi Sunak

Sunak giving his first speech as prime minister on 25 October 2022

Sunak giving his final speech as prime minister and resignation as Conservative leader on 5 July 2024

As the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons, Sunak was appointed as prime minister by Charles III on 25 October 2022, becoming both the first British Asian and the first Hindu to take the office. At 42, Sunak became the youngest prime minister since Robert Jenkinson, 2nd Earl of Liverpool, in 1812. In his first speech as prime minister, Sunak said that Truss "was not wrong" to want to improve growth and that he "admired her restlessness to create change", but admitted that "some mistakes were made", and that he was elected prime minister in part to fix them:

I will place economic stability and confidence at the heart of this government’s agenda. I will unite our country, not with words, but with action. I will work day in and day out to deliver for you. This government will have integrity, professionalism and accountability at every level. Trust is earned. And I will earn yours.

Cabinet

Main article: Sunak ministry

Sunak with his cabinet, 9 January 2024

Sunak selected his cabinet ministers after his appointment as prime minister. Jeremy Hunt remained as chancellor, and Dominic Raab was also re-appointed as Deputy Prime Minister and Justice Secretary, he later resigned from these roles in April 2023 and was replaced by Oliver Dowden. James Cleverly remained as Foreign Secretary with Suella Braverman returning as Home Secretary. Ben Wallace remained as Secretary of State for Defence. Michael Gove returned as Levelling Up Secretary, Grant Shapps was appointed as Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, and Penny Mordaunt remained as Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council. Other key appointments included Simon Hart as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip of the House of Commons, Nadhim Zahawi as Chairman of the Conservative Party, Oliver Dowden as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Thérèse Coffey as Environment Secretary, Mel Stride as Work and Pensions Secretary and Mark Harper as Transport Secretary.

Reshuffles

Main articles: February 2023 British cabinet reshuffle and November 2023 British cabinet reshuffle

Sunak speaking during Prime Minister's Questions, 7 February 2024

Sunak's first cabinet reshuffle in February 2023 saw a significant restructuring of government departments. New departments included those for Business and Trade, Energy Security and Net Zero, and Science, Innovation and Technology. The Department for International Trade and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy were split and merged into other departments. Ministers who joined the cabinet in the first reshuffle included Greg Hands took over as Chairman of the Conservative Party from Zahawi and Lucy Frazer became Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport taking over from Michelle Donelan. Rachel Maclean left the backbenches and joined the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. Sunak's second cabinet reshuffle in November 2023 saw the return of former prime minister David Cameron to government following a seven-year absence from frontline politics, replacing James Cleverly as foreign secretary. It also saw the departures of Braverman and Coffey from government and Hands from the cabinet, and the appointment of Laura Trott as Chief Secretary to the Treasury.

Foreign policy

Main articles: List of international prime ministerial trips made by Rishi Sunak and Premiership of Rishi Sunak § Foreign policy

Immigration

Further information: Modern immigration to the United Kingdom and English Channel migrant crossings (2018–present)

Sunak holds a press conference on the Rwanda asylum plan, 22 April 2024

In 2019 the Conservative Party and Boris Johnson pledged to reduce net migration below 250,000 per year, but Sunak said in 2023 that the priority was not to reduce legal immigration but to stop illegal immigration.

Nearly 30,000 undocumented migrants crossed the Channel in small boats to the UK in 2023. Long-term net migration to the United Kingdom (the number of people immigrating minus the number emigrating) reached a record high of 764,000 in 2022, with legal immigration at 1.26 million and emigration at 493,000. Of the 1,218,000 legal migrants coming to the UK in 2023, only 10% were EU Nationals.

Sunak has continued the Rwanda asylum plan to have asylum seekers and illegal immigrants sent to Rwanda for processing. After the plan was blocked by the UK's Court of Appeal in June 2023 due to concerns over international law and the possibility of refoulement (persecution of those sent to Rwanda), Sunak vowed to appeal against the verdict to the Supreme Court.

On 15 November 2023, the Supreme Court upheld the ruling and declared the plan unlawful. In response, Sunak sent Cleverly to Rwanda to negotiate a treaty with Rwanda focused on preventing refoulement which must now be ratified by the British and Rwandan Parliaments. The government also introduced the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill, emergency legislation giving ministers the power to disapply sections of the Human Rights Act 1998 and certain aspects of international law in order to allow them to declare Rwanda a safe country according to UK law. The bill was criticised by many on the right of the party for not going far enough, resulting in the resignation of the minister for immigration, Robert Jenrick.

On 12 December 2023 Sunak secured a government majority of 44 for the Safety of Rwanda Bill, despite the opposition of all other parties and abstentions from members of the European Research Group.

Russia and Ukraine

Main article: United Kingdom and the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Sunak meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Chequers, May 2023

Following the 15 November missile explosion in Poland, Sunak met U.S. President Joe Biden and delivered a speech. Sunak later met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and pledged to give Ukraine £50 million in aid. After meeting Zelenskyy, Sunak said: "I am proud of how the UK stood with Ukraine from the very beginning. And I am here today to say the UK and our allies will continue to stand with Ukraine, as it fights to end this barbarous war and deliver a just peace."

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 United Kingdom the largest deliverer of drones to Ukraine out of any nation according to Downing Street.

Israel and Palestine

Main articles: United Kingdom and the Israel-Hamas war and British support for Israel in the Israel–Hamas war

Sunak with the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, 19 October 2023

After the 7 October attacks which began the Israel–Hamas war, Sunak pledged the UK's support for Israel and declared that Israel "has an absolute right to defend itself". Sunak backed calls for humanitarian pauses to allow for aid to be brought into the Gaza Strip during the Israeli bombardment of the Gaza Strip, although he initially rejected calls for a full ceasefire as he argued that this would only benefit Hamas. Israel used British-supplied weapons in the war. However, Sunak later condemned the high number of civilian casualties during the Israeli bombardment of Gaza and called for a "sustainable ceasefire" in which all Israeli hostages are returned to Israel, attacks against Israel cease and humanitarian aid is allowed into Gaza. His government supports the two-state solution as a resolution to the conflict.

When the International Criminal Court prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan announced that he would seek to charge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with war crimes, Sunak denounced the move as "unhelpful" and accused Khan of drawing a moral equivalence between Israel and Hamas.

Local election results and opinion polling

See also: 2023 United Kingdom local elections, 2024 United Kingdom local elections, and Leadership approval opinion polling for the 2024 United Kingdom general election § Rishi Sunak

Sunak campaigning with candidate Steve Tuckwell ahead of the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election, June 2023

At the beginning of Sunak's premiership, the Conservatives were trailing the Labour Party by 25 points on average in the polls. The first by-election of Sunak's premiership, took place on 1 December 2022, in the City of Chester constituency and it resulted in a 13.7% swing from the Conservatives. In December 2022, The Independent published an opinion poll that month which suggested that Sunak could lose his seat if polling results found then were duplicated in a general election.

The 2023 local elections in England were the first local elections of Sunak's premiership, and saw the Conservatives lose over 1,000 councillor seats, with major gains achieved by Labour, the Liberal Democrats, and the Greens. Labour also overtook the Conservatives as holding the highest number of members elected to local government for the first time since 2002.

In July 2023, the Conservatives faced three by-elections. Steve Tuckwell held Uxbridge and South Ruislip for the Conservatives in what was seen as a "referendum on ULEZ expansion". Somerton and Frome was won by the Liberal Democrats. In Selby and Ainsty, Keir Mather of the Labour Party won the seat, setting a record for the largest majority ever overturned by the party in a by-election.

On 19 October 2023, Labour gained two seats in by-elections in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire in some of the largest swings from the Conservatives since the prelude to the 1945 general election. In February 2024, Labour gained two seats from the Conservatives in by-elections in Wellingborough and Kingswood. The Wellingborough by-election saw a swing of 28.5% which was the second highest swing from the Conservatives to Labour in a by-election since 1945. In March 2024, the Conservatives recorded their lowest vote share in polling with Ipsos since they began recording the poll in 1978 at 20%, 27 points behind Labour.

In the 2024 local elections, the Conservatives suffered their worst local election defeat since 1996, losing over 500 council seats, and falling to third place in seat count. Andy Street, the incumbent Mayor of the West Midlands, narrowly lost to Labour's Richard Parker. Reform UK surpassed the Conservatives in a number of constituencies, but gained only two seats.

2024 general election and resignation

Main article: 2024 United Kingdom general election

Sunak making his final speech as Prime Minister

Sunak, with wife Akshata Murty leaving downing street

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. Though Sunak had the option to wait until December 2024 to call the election, he said that he decided on the date because he believes that the economy is improving, and that "falling inflation and net migration figures would reinforce the Conservatives' election message of 'sticking to the plan'". Sunak's announcement took place during heavy rain at a lectern outside 10 Downing Street, without the use of any shelter from the rain. The D:Ream song "Things Can Only Get Better" (frequently used by the Labour Party in its successful 1997 campaign) was being played loudly in the background by the political activist Steve Bray as Sunak announced the date of the general election.

At the beginning of the campaign, Labour had a significant lead in polling over the Conservatives. Sunak released the Conservative manifesto Clear Plan. Bold Action. Secure Future. on 11 June, addressing the economy, taxes, welfare, expanding free childcare, education, healthcare, environment, energy, transport, and crime. The Conservatives would ultimately lose the general election to Labour, and Sunak would concede the election on 5 July. In his resignation speech, Sunak apologised to Conservative voters and candidates for the party's heavy defeat, and also offered support to Keir Starmer and expressed hope he would be successful, saying:

Whilst he has been my political opponent, Sir Keir Starmer will shortly become our Prime Minister. In this job, his successes will be all our successes, and I wish him and his family well. Whatever our disagreements in this campaign, he is a decent, public-spirited man, who I respect. He and his family deserve the very best of our understanding, as they make the huge transition to their new lives behind this door…and as he grapples with this most demanding of jobs in an increasingly unstable world.

Starmer succeeded Sunak as prime minister, ending 14 years of Conservative rule. After his resignation, Sunak reverted back to being an ordinary backbench MP, having won re-election in his constituency.

Political positions

Sunak has been described as a moderate within his party with a technocratic or managerial leadership style. According to Euronews, Sunak is "frequently perceived as a pragmatist and as belonging to the centre-ground of the Conservative Party". He opposed Trussonomics, and although described as a fellow Thatcherite, he is viewed as less economically liberal than Truss.

Sunak with Labour Party leader and then opposition leader Keir Starmer, 7 November 2023

In April 2023, Sunak's perception as a centrist has been contrasted with descriptions of his government's policies on transgender and migration issues as being socially conservative, with Jessica Elgot of The Guardian describing Sunak as "perhaps the most socially conservative PM of his generation". Robert Shrimsley of the Financial Times described Sunak as someone whose "easy manner, career in global finance and ethnic background might suggest a more cosmopolitan conservative", even though he is socially conservative and pragmatic. Meanwhile, the New Statesman described Sunak as uneasily straddling both liberal-conservative and national-conservative instincts. In July 2023, The Economist described him as "the most right-wing Conservative prime minister since Margaret Thatcher".

Crime and anti-terror strategy

On crime, Sunak proposed an automatic one-year extension to prison sentences for prolific criminals, as well as cutting the minimum sentence before a foreign criminal is eligible for deportation from twelve months to six. In August 2022, he proposed life imprisonment for leaders of child grooming gangs, and for police to record the ethnicity of those involved in such gangs. He also proposed widening the Prevent strategy by widening the definition of "extremism".

European Union

Ursula von der Leyen and Sunak in Windsor on 27 February 2023 to announce the finalised Windsor Framework agreement between the EU and UK

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 giving a speech at the COP27 summit in Egypt, 7 November 2022

Sunak has said he is committed to keeping the legal commitment of reaching net zero by 2050. During the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, 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 UK said the solar industry was "deeply concerned" with the intentions of both candidates.

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

Sunak with US President Joe Biden at the White House, 8 June 2023

In relation to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Sunak supports Ukraine and economic sanctions against Russia but opposes British military intervention in Ukraine. In July 2022, during the July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election, Sunak called China the "biggest long-term threat" to the UK, adding that "They torture, detain and indoctrinate their own people, including in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, in contravention of their human rights. And they have continually rigged the global economy in their favour by suppressing their currency". 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 per cent global business tax. Additionally, Sunak supported the recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. During the Israel–Hamas war, Sunak stated that "Israel has an absolute right to defend itself." In January 2024, he rejected South Africa's ICJ genocide case against Israel.

Technology policy

In 2023, Sunak expressed his intention to "make the U.K. not just the intellectual home but the geographical home of global AI safety regulation" and unveiled plans for an AI Safety Summit, which was held in November 2023. He emphasized the need for independent safety evaluations, stating that AI companies cannot "mark their own homework".

Transgender rights

Further information: Transgender rights in the United Kingdom

In July 2022, Sunak said that he wanted the UK to be "the safest and greatest country in the world to be LGBT+". When asked about perceived transphobia within his party, he stated that "prejudice against trans people is wrong. The Conservative Party is an open, welcoming family to everybody across society, no matter who they are and irrespective of their background." Several of Sunak's other political statements have been described as "anti-trans" by LGBT advocates. He has said that he views biology as "important" and "fundamental" regarding public toilets and competitive sports.

In April 2023, Sunak agreed with a statement that all women "haven't got a penis". In October, he stated that it was "common sense" that "a man is a man and a woman is a woman". In February 2024, in response to Keir Starmer's alleged backtracking on "defining a woman" at Prime Minister's Questions, Sunak said that "in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn", referring to previous comments made by Starmer that "99.9% of women" do not have a penis. This was said on the same day that the mother of murdered transgender teenager Brianna Ghey was present at the Commons, and was harshly criticised by Starmer, LGBT groups (including Stonewall) and relatives of Ghey.

Immigration

Sunak has expressed support for lowering net migration. An official spokesperson said Sunak was "committed to ensuring we have control over our borders and the public rightly expects us to control immigration and have a system that works best for the UK." He has said that the "current asylum system is broken and it needs to be fixed urgently", saying he would, in his first 100 days as prime minister, "tighten our statutory definition of who qualifies for asylum in the UK ... This will prevent anyone who enters the UK illegally from staying here", that the "Parliament will be given control of the number of refugees we accept each year", that he "cannot underestimate the role of data sharing which will make it easier to identify people who are in the UK illegally", and that the Rwanda asylum plan is "the right one". Responding to criticism surrounding some of his proposals about illegal immigration, Sunak said there was "absolutely nothing racist" about it. 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."

Public image

Sunak meeting with English cricket captain Jos Buttler after England's victory in the 2022 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Buttler is holding the T20 World Cup trophy.

Following his appointment as chancellor, Sunak arrived in public discourse from relative obscurity. In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, he was popular by the standards of British politics, described by one analyst as having "better ratings than any politician since the heydays of Tony Blair". Various polls showed Sunak remained overwhelmingly popular among Conservative supporters and many other Britons throughout 2020.

In an Ipsos MORI poll in September 2020, Sunak had the highest satisfaction score of any British chancellor since Labour's Denis Healey in April 1978, and was widely seen as the favourite to become the next prime minister and leader of Conservative Party after Boris Johnson. Sunak developed a cult media following, with jokes and gossip about his attractiveness widespread on social media and in magazines, gaining the nickname "Dishi Rishi".

Public attitudes towards Sunak remained broadly positive in 2021, though his popularity declined steadily over time. By early 2022, with the cost of living becoming a growing focus of public concern, Sunak's response as chancellor was perceived as inadequate and he received some of his lowest approval ratings, which continued as the Sunak family's financial affairs came under scrutiny. By the time he resigned as chancellor in July 2022, Sunak's approval ratings slightly recovered. In October 2022, following his appointment as prime minister, Sunak's personal favourability ratings increased. By July 2023, Sunak's approval ratings had decreased back to a similar level to when he resigned as chancellor.

Personal life

Sunak with his family

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: the first born in 2011 and the second in 2013.

Sunak and Murty 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.

Sunak is a teetotaller. He stated in 2022 that he had seven dental fillings due to excessive consumption of Coca-Cola when he was younger, and expressed a strong preference for Mexican Coke. He was previously a governor of the East London Science School. Sunak has a Labrador called Nova and 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 close friend of The Spectator's former political editor James Forsyth, whom he has known since their school days. Sunak was the best man at Forsyth's wedding to the journalist Allegra Stratton, and they are godparents to each other's children. He appointed Forsyth as his political secretary in December 2022.

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".

Sunak is a Hindu and identifies as British Indian, stating that he is "thoroughly British" but with an Indian religious and cultural heritage. He took his oath as an MP at the House of Commons on the Bhagavad Gita. During the coronation of Charles III, Sunak gave a reading from the New Testament book of Epistle to the Colossians – Colossians 1:9–17. After the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin, Sunak said he had also faced racism in his life.

Further reading

• Bale, Tim (2023). The Conservative Party After Brexit: Turmoil and Transformation. Polity Press. ISBN 978-1-5095-4601-5. LCCN 2022948488. OCLC 1509546014. Archived from the original on 4 May 2024. Retrieved 16 April 2024.

External links

• Official website

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Contributions in Parliament at Hansard
• Voting record at Public Whip
• Record in Parliament at TheyWorkForYou
• Appearances on C-SPAN
• Final Speech as Prime Minister after July 4, 2024 election on The Guardian