Amid the mass resignations by Cabinet members, Britain Prime Minister Boris Johnson decided to resign as the leader of the UK's Conservative Party on July 7. Johnson's decision to step down as the UK PM has triggered a leadership search for the next Tory leader who will take over as the next PM of the UK.
One of the names getting widely back to step into 10 Downing Street is Indian-origin politician Rishi Sunak, son-in-law of the founder of the Bengaluru-based IT bellwether Infosys, NR Narayana Murthy. Earlier this week, Sunak stepped down as the UK Finance Minister, stating that the British public "rightly expect the government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously," reported ABP News.
The 42-year-old is extensively believed to be one of the main candidates to become the next UK Prime Minister, and if it turns out to be true, he will become the first Indian-origin man to be a British PM.
Who Is Rishi Sunak?
Sunak is the first Indian-origin political leader to hold the UK Cabinet office of Chancellor of the Exchequer. The MP of the Conservative Party was left dissatisfied with his boss' handling of the economic policy through the tough post-pandemic periods.
The 42-year-old was born and grew up in the English coastal town of Southampton. During the UK-India Awards in Windsor, Sunak spoke about the many sacrifices made by his National Health Service (NHS) general practitioner (GP) father, Yashvir and pharmacist mother, Usha.
Amid the pandemic, Sunak received big praises for the economic rescue package he managed to roll out along with a costly jobs retention initiative that averted mass unemployment in the UK. But, the new PM candidate faced a lot of criticism from a few fractions for not giving enough cost-of-living support to households.
Controversies Around Sunak
The former finance minister of the UK had landed in a controversy after Akshata Murthy, his wife and Narayana Murthy's daughter reportedly avoided tax payments on her overseas income. Sunak also had to face scrutiny for reportedly not giving up his US green card while acting in the British government.
Sunak was born to Indian parents who moved to Britain from East Africa. He attended the Winchester College private school and further studied in Oxford. Sunak has served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022, having previously served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 2019 to 2020.