Rishi Sunak, the First Person of Indian-Origin, Becomes UK PM

42 Year-Old Rishi Sunak is the Youngest PM of Britain in Modern Times

History turns full circle as 1980-born the former Chancellor of the Exchequer and Britain’s youngest Prime Minister in recent times the 42-year-old  Rishi Sunak becomes the first person of Indian origin – Additionally, the prime minister of the former colonial state from which India wrested independence 75 years ago was the first person of colour. He assumes the position following a protracted leadership struggle in the conservative party over the resignations of two prime ministers and the withdrawal of all other contenders. He is the son-in-law of Infosys co-founder N R Narayana Murthy, and amid an economic crisis that he considers more serious than the pandemic. 

Rishi Sunak’s Biography

Rishi Sunak, an Indian-American, was born in Southampton, England, to a pharmacy mother and a general practitioner (GP) father who work for the National Health Service (NHS). His grandparents are from Punjab. Sources claim that Sunak's family left for East Africa in quest of a better life, but when instability broke out due to virulent anti-Indian feelings there, his grandfather evacuated his family to Britain. Sunak graduated from Stanford and Oxford universities. He first met Akshata Murty, his future wife, at Stanford while he was pursuing an M.B.A. She is the daughter of Infosys Ltd. founder and billionaire Indian businessman N. R. Narayana Murthy. According to estimates, Mr. Sunak is the wealthiest member of the Commons, and detractors claim that he is too wealthy to win over supporters from the working class. The couple gave birth to Anoushka and Krishna, the children of the wedding party from 2009.                                                 

Rishi Sunak’s Career

In Richmond, Yorkshire, Sunak won his first election as a Member of Parliament (MP) in 2015. He quickly ascended the Conservative party's ranks and advocated for "Brexit" calls. Sunak supported Johnson's "leave EU" campaign and took part in it. He created history in February 2020 when he was named the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the most significant job in the UK Cabinet. Sunak gained notoriety during the COVID-19 pandemic for his financial assistance to employees and companies, which included a jobs retention programme that is said to have prevented widespread unemployment in the UK.

Rishi Sunak Under “Partygate” Scandal

But Sunak's reputation suffered as a result of the "partygate" affair, which saw him breaking COVID-19 rules and throwing lockdown parties at government buildings. In the end, this led to a crisis inside the Johnson administration. In addition, Sunak received harsh criticism for his wealthy wife's non-domiciled tax status. Due to the tax status, a person who was born abroad or whose parents are foreign nationals is only permitted to pay tax in the UK on the income they earn there. It was determined that Akshata, who is still an Indian citizen, has no fixed address in the UK. As she considered returning to India, this allowed her to avoid paying taxes on her money earned abroad. According to sources, Akshata was able to avoid paying over 20 million pounds in taxes on dividends from shares she owned in Infosys, the second-largest IT business in India, because of her status as a non-domicile. Since Sunak became chancellor, there has been a lot of speculation in the UK media that he is considering running for prime minister.

Rishi Sunak Economic Policy

Compared to Ms. Truss' economic policies, Sunak’s policies are viewed as being more realistic and less ideological. He has outlined plans to try to create conditions to boost business investment in the economy. Mr. Sunak takes office at a time when the British economy is experiencing extraordinary hardships, with the average person suffering from both a coming recession and soaring inflation. Additionally, it puts him in the awkward position of being a very wealthy individual who must support spending reductions in order to assuage the concerns of investors who are worried about the state of the British economy. His first international journey, as he had originally promised, will be to Kyiv, Ukraine, where he is anticipated to continue the U.K. government's tenacious defence of Ukraine against Russian aggression. There are concerns, meanwhile, over whether he will reduce defence spending to support the U.K. budget.

Rishi Sunak’s Promises

Mr. Sunak started rearranging the Cabinet shortly after taking the top position while keeping several Ministers in their positions. Mr. Sunak's speech, which he gave outside his new home at Downing Street in a sombre tone, focused heavily on the economic difficulties that lie ahead of him. In his first statement as prime minister, Rishi Sunak promised to correct "mistakes" done under Liz Truss's direction and spoke of "tough decisions" to come. Supervising his government's completion of a trade agreement with India will be on Mr. Sunak's to-do list. This has proven difficult, in part because of the contentious remarks made on migration by Suella Braverman, the Truss government's home secretary, as well as reported interference from Ms. Truss. Calls for an early general election might increase if Mr. Sunak veers too far from his party's 2019 agenda, which pledged to "level up" the nation. The UK's legislative system does not require Mr. Sunak to hold one before the next one, which is not scheduled to occur until at least January 2025.