Rishi Sunak Height, Age, Wife, Children, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Rishi Sunak

• Rishi Sunak is a British politician, who became the 57th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in October 2022. He became the first Prime Minister of the UK of an Indian-origin.
  

  Rishi Sunak giving his first speech as the PM of the UK at 10 Downing Street

• Rishi Sunak is the first British Prime Minister to be appointed by King Charles III. On 25 October 2022, Rishi Sunak was appointed by King Charles III as the 57th Prime Minister of the UK.
  

  King Charles III appointed new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace on 25 October 2022

• When Rishi Sunak became the Prime Minister of the UK, it was revealed that he was the youngest person to become the British Prime Minister in 200 years of history.

• He was born in a Hindu family, and his grandparents migrated from East Africa to the UK circa 1960, making him a first-generation immigrant in the UK.

• In an interview, on being asked how he felt and celebrated when he became the first Hindu-origin PM of Britain, he replied,
  

  It was obviously marvellous. It meant a lot of things to a lot of people. As chancellor, I was able to light my Diwali Diyas (oil lamps) on the steps of Downing Street. It said something wonderful about our country that was possible, but also that it wasn’t a big deal. It was in a sense, gosh, this is great, but also that’s just Britain. Hopefully, it’s a source of collective pride across the country.” ^[16]India Today

• His father was a General Practitioner and his mother ran a local medical store. During childhood, he would often lend her a hand at the pharmacy.
  

  A young age image of Rishi Sunak with his mother and siblings

• When he was studying at Winchester College (a boarding school for boys in Winchester, Hampshire), he was chosen as the head boy of the school.

• He met his wife Akshata Murthy. daughter of Infosys co-founder N. R. Narayana Murthy, in California, while he was pursuing MBA at Stanford University. The duo lived there together for a couple of years before returning to London. Akshata Murthy is a fashion designer and has her own brand label named ‘Akshata Designs.’

• He is also called the ‘Maharaja of the Dales’ because of his money factor.

• Many tabloids and news agencies refer to him as ‘Dishy Rishi’ because of his confidence and charming appearance.

• Sunak is a sports and fitness enthusiast. His favourite football club is “Southampton Football Club,” and Matt le Tissier was his childhood hero. According to sources, it was revealed that when was studying he was studying at Winchester College, he once entered the college with a hidden portable television to watch England play in Euro 96 (Football Championship).

• Sunak is a teetotaler; however, he is a Coca-Cola addict. In an interview, while talking about his love for Coca-Cola, he said,
  

  I’m a total Coke addict, Coca-Cola addict to be totally clear. I have seven fillings to show for it.” ^[17]The Times

• Before entering politics, he worked as an analyst for an American multinational investment bank, “Goldman Sachs” in California from 2001 to 2004.

• He began working for Children’s Investment Fund Management, which is a London-based hedge fund management firm. In September 2006, he joined hands with the management firm; however, in November 2009, he quit the firm.

• After quitting Children’s Investment Fund Management, he launched an investment fund, Theleme Partners, in October 2010 in partnership with his former colleagues. The firm was set up with an initial investment of $536 million.

• In 2013, he and his wife, Akshata Murthy, became the director of a large investment company “Catamaran Ventures UK Limited,” owned by his father-in-law N.R. Narayana Murthy. On 30 April 2015, he resigned from the position.

• On October 2014, he began his journey as a politician, when he was chosen to be the Conservative MP candidate for Richmond after the former MP William Hague decided not to contest the general elections. In 2015, he won the UK general election from Richmond with a majority of 19,550 votes.

• Before joining the Conservative Party in the year 2014, he used to volunteer for their election campaigns.

• From 2015 to 2017, he was appointed as a member of the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Select Committee.

• In 2016, he campaigned and arranged Q&A sessions to discuss the Brexit referendum with the public. He was in favour of the UK quitting the European Union.

• In 2017, he contested the UK General elections for the second time and was re-elected as the MP of Richmond (Yorks) with an increased majority of 23,108 (40.5%) votes.

• From 9 January 2018 to 24 July 2019, he was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government.

• On 24 July 2019, he was promoted to the position of Chief Secretary to the Treasury by the former Prime Minister of the UK Borris Johnson.

• After the 2019 general elections, he was re-elected as the MP for Richmond (Yorks) for the third time with an increased majority of 27,210 votes (47.2%).

• On 13 February 2020, Rishi Sunak became Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister), which is considered to be the second-most powerful political job in Britain. He received this opportunity after the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sajid Javid, left the position.

Today we welcomed @RishiSunak as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer. pic.twitter.com/UhCuedAs8d

— HM Treasury (@hmtreasury) February 13, 2020

• Rishi Sunak was the first Indian-origin British politician to take charge of Chancellor of the Exchequer. Moreover, he was the UK’s second youngest person to be appointed for this position.

• On 5 July 2022, he tweeted about his resignation as Chancellor of the Exchequer (Finance Minister) mentioning his differences with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

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.

My letter to the Prime Minister below. pic.twitter.com/vZ1APB1ik1

— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) July 5, 2022

• On 20 July 2022, he was chosen amongst other Conservative MPs to contest the Conservative Party Leadership elections. He contested the elections with foreign secretary Liz Truss. He lost the elections with 42.6% votes, while Liz Truss won the elections with 57.4% votes.

• After Liz Truss stepped down from the position of Prime Minister of the UK after her short tenure of 44 days, Rishi Sunak competed with Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak’s only opponent, who backed out of the race to become the PM of the United Kingdom.

• Rishi Sunak is also a writer and has written many books. In May 2014, he released his first book titled ‘A Portrait of Modern Britain’ in collaboration with Saratha Rajeswaran, which was published by Policy Exchange. In the book, he wrote about Demography, Social Change, and Ethnic Groups in the UK.

• On 14 November 2016, he released his second book ‘The Free Ports Opportunity: How Brexit Could Boost Trade, Manufacturing and the North,’ when he was campaigning in support of Brexit. In the book, he talked about how Brexit can be beneficial for the UK and help in creating new ports and introducing new trade opportunities for Britain.

• In 2017, he released his third book titled ‘A New Era for Retail Bonds: How Our Savings Could Help SMEs Grow’ in which he mentioned the demand for government support to back up and lift up the SMEs (Small and medium-sized enterprises) in the UK by creating a new exchange for SME bonds.

• Reportedly, Rishi Sunak’s net worth is twice that of King Charles III. According to sources, Rishi Sunak got richer after he got married to Akshata Murthy. ^[18]CNBC

• He regards himself as a Hindu and has taken oath on Bhagavad Gita at the House of Commons since 2017. ^[19]News18

 

• When he was 18 years old, he worked as a waiter at a curry house in Southampton during his summer holidays, before he studied at Oxford University.

• He is a huge fan of Star Wars. In 2016, he talked to some children when he visited a school and told them about his obsession with Star Wars and told them about his childhood dream that he wanted to be a Jedi Knight when he grows up. He also revealed that he has a collection of resizeable lightsabers. He also likes to watch Star Wars films. His favourite Star Wars film is ‘The Empire Strikes Back.’
  

  Rishi Sunak in the Star Wars section in a toy shop

• He has a pet dog, whose name is Nova.
  

  Rishi Sunak at 10 Downing Street with his dog, Nova

• Reportedly, he is considered ‘the richest MP’ as he and his wife, Akshata Murty, have a collective net worth of around $810 million.

• In 2022, Akshata Murty and Rishi Sunak were ranked 222 on Sunday Times Rich List. ^[20]The Times

• The Spectator, a British magazine, gave him the title of ‘Politician of the Year’ after he became the first Indian chancellor of the exchequer.

• Before participating in the 2022 prime ministerial elections and winning in the second attempt, in a 2020 interview, on being asked if he ever wanted to be the PM of the UK, he shared that he did not want to become the Prime Minister. He said,
  

  God, no. Definitely not, seeing what the Prime Minister has to deal with.” ^[21]History

• Rishi Sunak is considered a skilled and impactful public speaker, and this is one of the reasons why he was selected to speak on behalf of the Conservative Party on the airwaves and in debates.

• In an interview, he said he was fortunate not to face much racism during his growing days in the UK. But there was one incident he narrated-
  

  I was just out with my younger brother and younger sister, and I think, probably pretty young, I was probably a mid-teenager, and we were out at a fast-food restaurant and I was just looking after them. There were people sitting nearby, it was the first time I had experienced it, just saying some very unpleasant things. The ‘P’ word. And it stung. I still remember it. It seared in my memory. You can be insulted in many different ways, certainly in this job, but that stings in a way that is hard to explain.” ^[22]BBC News

• In January 2023, British police fined Prime Minister Rishi Sunak £100 for not wearing a seatbelt while he was filming a promotional video in a moving car in Lancashire; the promotional video was related to the government’s latest round of “levelling up” spending. Later, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak accepted his mistake and apologised to the British police. Earlier, Mr. Sunak was fined along with Boris Johnson and his wife, Carrie, for breaking Covid lockdown rules by attending a birthday gathering for the then-Prime Minister in Downing Street in June 2020. ^[23]The Telegraph

• In July 2023, while speaking to the BBC’s Test Match Special during the Ashes Test at Lord’s, Rishi Sunak revealed he felt the “sting” of racism while growing up and said that his children were less likely to be exposed to racist abuse because of the progress the country had made in tackling it. He said,
  

  Of course I have experienced racism, growing up, in particular, and of course I know it exists. It stings you in a way that very few other things do.”

  Earlier, a report found “widespread and deep-rooted” racism, sexism, elitism, and class-based bias at all levels of cricket in the country. The Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket (Icec), in its 317-page-long report, warned that “it’s not banter or just a few bad apples” that were causing the problems. ^[24]The Guardian

• In September 2023, five former metropolitan officers were convicted by a court in London for making racist slurs/remarks against Rishi Sunak, Queen Elizabeth II, and others. Reportedly, they sent racist messages on WhatsApp between 2020 and 2022. ^[25]India Today