Who is Rishi Sunak, top contender for UK PM
Rishi Sunak, one of the several Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Tory Party, left Borish Johnson's administration, putting the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK) on the verge of stepping down. Sunak is widely seen as the favorite to replace Johnson as the country's 78th prime minister following Johnson's resignation today. Here is some additional information about Sunak.
Why does this story matter?
On Tuesday, Sunak resigned as the Finance Minister as a mark of protest against several misconducts of Boris Johnson-administration including sexual misconduct by a senior member of his government. Although Johnson will continue as a caretaker PM till the Conservatives elect their new leader, Sunak is seen as the main contender to succeed the US-born Johnson as the UK's 78th premiere.
What's his family background?
Sunak is of Indian ancestry, as his name also implies. On May 12, 1980, he was born in Southampton, a port city in the United Kingdom. His father worked as a General Practitioner in the National Health Service (NHS), while his mother owned her own pharmacy. If elected, he will be Britain's first prime minister of Indian origin.
Successful businessman, co-founder of investment firm
Prior to entering politics, the 42-year-old Sunak was successfully running his own business. His experience includes investment firms. He was also a co-founder of one of the large investment firms in the United Kingdom. His firm worked with companies ranging from those in Silicon Valley, California. He has also actively worked with India's IT companies based in Bengaluru.
Sunak, his wife have net worth of £730 million
Sunak is the son-in-law of NR Narayana Murthy and Sudha Murthy of Infosys. In 2009, he met his future wife, Akshata, in California, and they married the same year. Anoushka and Krishna are the couple's daughters. The couple was ranked 222 in the 'Sunday Times Rich List 2022' with a combined net worth of 730 million pounds.
Sunak had his share of controversies
Sunak has taken oath as a member of the House of Commons - the UK Parliament's lower house on the Bhagavad Gita since 2017. He recently found himself embroiled in two major controversies. One was over his status as Johnson's 'partner in crime' in what came to be known as 'Partygate'. The other was over the non-domicile status of his wife.
