Rishi Sunak's journey from Winchester College to 10 Downing Street as UK's Prime Minister

UK's ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak, an Indian-origin British politician who graduated from the prestigious Oxford University became the British Prime Minister on Monday, October 24. Sunak's victory was sealed after the ousted premier Boris Johnson pulled out of the race last minute despite rumours that Johnson was bent on contesting for the Tory leadership. Rishi's support within the Tory party was clear as most Conservatives threw the weight behind his premiership bid publicly. 

Sunak finally became the first Indian-origin head of the state of the United Kingdom, overturning his image of a “Davos Man” surrounded by economists, and central bankers of Goldman Sachs. Here is the remarkable journey of Rishi Sunak from an ex-Chancellor of the Exchequer and resident of No.11 Downing Street to the Prime Minister of Britain. Before politics, Rishi spent his professional career in Business and Finance and co-founded an investment firm.

But who is Rishi Sunak, first Indian-origin UK PM?

The 42-year-old who became Britain’s first non-white prime minister with Indian roots, migrated along with his family from east Africa in the 1960s. "My mum studied hard to get the qualifications to become a pharmacist," Sunak said during his bid with Liz Truss who stepped down as UK's Prime Minister. "She met my dad, an NHS [National Health Service] GP, and they settled in Southampton. Their story didn't end there, but that is where my story began," he said, speaking about father Yashvir and mother Usha. Sunak is married to Akshata Murthy, a British-based Indian fashion designer. Akshata is the daughter of N. R. Narayana Murthy, the founder of the Indian multi-national IT company Infosys and holds a 0.93% stake in Infosys. 

"There is a commentary about my wife's family's wealth. So, let me just address that head on because I think it's worth doing, because I'm actually incredibly proud of what my parents-in-law built," Sunak said in a video. His father-in-law came from "absolutely nothing," as explained by the British prime minister. He "just had a dream and a couple of hundred pounds that my mother-in-law's savings provided him, and with that, he went on to build one of the world's largest, most respected, most successful companies," he informed. Infosys employs thousands of people here in the United Kingdom, Sunak said. "It's an incredibly Conservative story, actually, it's a story that I'm really proud of and as Prime Minister, I want to ensure that we can create more stories like theirs here at home," he said about his in-laws. Sunak has two daughters, Anoushka and Krishna. 

Sunak was born in Southampton and attended Winchester College. He studied Politics, Philosophy, and Economics at Oxford University. He was also a Fulbright Scholar at Stanford University (USA) where he studied for his MBA. He was elected Conservative MP for Richmond (Yorks) in May 2015 and served as a Parliamentary Private Secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy from June 2017 until his ministerial appointment.

Finally, he became the first UK Chancellor to light Diwali diyaas outside his official residence of 11 Downing Street in November 2020, and the festival has since served as symbolic for him. Sunak was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer on February 13, 2020, and served in his role until July 5, 2022. He had donned other key roles in UK politics, including Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 24 July 2019 to 13 February 2020, and Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government from 9 January 2018 to 24 July 2019.