Rishi Sunak was elected leader of the Conservative Party on Monday and is set to become Britain’s next prime minister. For the 42-year-old Indian-origin, Stanford-educated member of parliament, Sunak’s journey has been an extraordinary ride of ups and downs.
Sunak’s grandparents were born in India. They migrated to East Africa in the 1960s and from there to Great Britain. Let us know the educational qualifications of the first non-white Prime Minister of Great Britain:
Youth and education
Rishi Sunaka was born on 12 May 1980 in Southampton to Yashvir Sunaka and Usha Sunaka. He studied at the prestigious Oxford College of Winchester, where he read philosophy, politics and economics. He then furthered his education and went to California to get his MBA as a Fulbright Scholar. He did so at Stanford University’s Ivy League college.
Read | Rishi Sunak was ‘bright’ student, first Stanford to ‘top’ country, teachers recall UK PM’s college days
The beginning of a career
From 2001 to 2004, Sunak worked as an analyst at the investment bank Goldman Sachs. In 2006, he became a partner of The Children’s Investment Fund Management (TCI). In 2009, he left TCI and joined another hedge fund company called Theleme Partners.
Foray into politics
In 2014, Sunak was elected as the Conservative candidate for Richmond, York, and in 2015 he was elected as the Conservative MP. Later in 2017, he was re-elected MP for Richmond (Yorks). He worked as a Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.
In 2018, he was appointed Parliamentary Deputy State Secretary (Minister of Local Self-Government). In 2019, he was re-elected MP for Richmond (York) and appointed Chief Secretary to the Treasury. In 2020, he was appointed Minister of Finance.
The way to the prime minister
He resigned as Chancellor on 5 July 2022, and on 9 July announced his bid to succeed Boris Johnson as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. But later on September 6, he loses to Liz Truss.
Truss is stepping down as UK Prime Minister after just 45 days in office. On 23 October, he announced the replacement of Liz Truss as the next leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of Great Britain. Finally, on October 24, he wins the last round of the Tory vote and becomes the first British Prime Minister of South Asian descent.
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