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Rishi Sunak[edit]

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The Right Honourable
Rishi Sunak
MP
Sunak facing frontward, with combed over black hair and a dark blue suit in front of a brown background.
Official portrait, 2022
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office
25 October 2022 – 2024
MonarchCharles III
Deputy
Preceded byLiz Truss
Succeeded byKeir Starmer
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office
24 October 2022 – 2024
Preceded byLiz Truss
Succeeded byTBA
Ministerial offices
2018‍–‍2022
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office
13 February 2020 – 5 July 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded bySajid Javid
Succeeded byNadhim Zahawi
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office
24 July 2019 – 13 February 2020
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byLiz Truss
Succeeded bySteve Barclay
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government
In office
9 January 2018 – 24 July 2019
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byMarcus Jones
Succeeded byLuke Hall
Member of Parliament
for Richmond and Northallerton
(Richmond (Yorks) 2015–2024)
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byWilliam Hague
Majority27,210 (47.2%)
Personal details
Born (1980-05-12) 12 May 1980 (age 43)
Southampton, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse
​
(m. 2009)​
Children2
Relatives
Signature
Websiterishisunak.com
Rishi Sunak's voice
Sunak's first speech as prime minister
Recorded 25 October 2022

Rishi Sunak (/ˈrɪʃi ˈsuːnæk/; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024. He previously held two Cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, latterly as chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022. Sunak has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond and Northallerton since 2015.

Sunak was born in Southampton to parents of Indian descent who immigrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s. He was educated at Winchester College, studied philosophy, politics and economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, and earned an MBA from Stanford University in California as a Fulbright Scholar. During his time at Oxford University Sunak undertook an internship at Conservative Central Office and joined the Conservative Party. After graduating he worked for Goldman Sachs and later as a partner at the hedge fund firms the Children's Investment Fund Management and Theleme Partners. He was elected to the House of Commons for Richmond at the 2015 general election. As a backbencher he supported the successful campaign for Brexit in the 2016 referendum.

Following the 2017 general election Sunak was appointed to a junior ministerial position in Theresa May's second government as parliamentary under-secretary of state for local government. He voted three times in favour of May's Brexit withdrawal agreement, which was rejected by Parliament three times, leading to her resignation. During the leadership election to succeed May Sunak supported Johnson's successful bid for leader, after which he appointed Sunak as chief secretary to the Treasury. Following the 2019 general election Johnson promoted Sunak to chancellor of the Exchequer in the 2020 cabinet reshuffle after the resignation of Sajid Javid. During his time in the position Sunak was prominent in the government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, including the Coronavirus Job Retention and Eat Out to Help Out schemes. He was also involved in responding to the rising cost of living, increased energy prices and global energy crisis. He resigned as chancellor in July 2022 during a government crisis that culminated in Johnson's resignation.

Sunak stood in the leadership election to succeed Johnson. He had received the most votes in each of the series of MP votes, but lost the members' vote to the foreign secretary, Liz Truss. After spending the duration of her premiership on the backbenches Sunak was elected unopposed in the leadership election to succeed her, who resigned after another government crisis; at 42 he was the youngest British prime minister since Lord Liverpool and the first non-white prime minister. He took office amid the cost of living crisis and energy supply crisis that began during his chancellorship, as well as industrial disputes and strikes. During his premiership Sunak was credited with stabilising the country and his party after the unorthodox premierships of his predecessors, but did not avert further unpopularity for the Conservatives, who had at that point been in government for 14 years. The Conservative Party under Sunak was defeated in a landslide in the 2024 general election; the Labour Party leader, Keir Starmer, succeeded him as prime minister.

Early life and education (1980–2001)[edit]

Childhood in Southampton
A photograph of a complex of light buildings taken from a car park on a sunny day
Southampton General Hospital
A row of short, red-bricked houses with different shopfronts. The one at the end has been converted into a pharmacy, with a sign reading "Sunak Pharmacy" in dark green lettering and the pharmacy green cross.
2013 photograph of his parents' pharmacy

Rishi Sunak was born on 12 May 1980 at Southampton General Hospital in England. He was the first child of Yashvir and Usha Sunak ...

Winchester College, where Sunak studied (pictured in 2011)

Career[edit]

Business career (2001–2015)[edit]

The 2010 general election resulted in no party receiving an overall majority in the House of Commons. After several days of negotiation a coalition government was formed between the Conservatives—which held a plurality of seats—led by David Cameron, and the Liberal Democrats led by Nick Clegg.

During the 2014 cabinet reshuffle the then foreign secretary, William Hague, announced his resignation from the position and his intention to stand down as the MP for Richmond (Yorks) at the next general election.[1] Around 350 Conservative members applied for the seat's candidature;[n 1] of these, Sunak was one of four who made it to the final selection, another being the future Aldridge-Brownhills MP and chief whip Wendy Morton.[3] On 18 October the candidates each gave speeches at Tennants auction house followed by questions on national and local issues before the votes were cast; Sunak won the candidacy resoundingly, as well as being supported by Hague and the former Richmond MPs Lord Brittan and Timothy Kitson.[4]

Backbencher (2015–2018)[edit]

Sunak grinning in front of a light grey-blue background
Official portrait, 2017

And although I am not from Yorkshire, they were immensely relieved to learn I was not from Lancashire either![5]

— Rishi Sunak in his maiden speech to the House of Commons, June 2015

Sunak was elected as an MP at the 2015 general election by a predicted large margin.[6] The election saw the Conservatives win 330 seats, gaining a slim majority of 11,[7] in contrast to most opinion polls which predicted a hung parliament and placed Labour either level with or leading above the Conservatives.[8] He was sworn in as an MP on the Hindu holy text the Bhagavad Gita,[9] and in his maiden speech to the Commons Sunak stated that he would be a "loud voice" to ensure that Friarage Hospital in his constituency would "remai[n] strong" and advocated "fair education funding" for schools in rural areas;[5] during his period as a backbencher he also campaigned for improved broadband coverage in North Yorkshire.[10] Sunak sat on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee from 2015 until 2017, after which he became a parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, working there until the 2018 reshuffle.[11]

During the 2016 Brexit referendum Sunak backed the Leave campaign, criticising the EU's immigration laws: "We are discriminating against countries with whom we have ties of history, language and culture".[12][n 2] The vote, held on 23 June, was a victory for Leave;[14] the day after the referendum David Cameron—who led the Remain campaign[15]—announced his resignation as prime minister.[16] In the leadership election to replace him Sunak endorsed the the justice secretary, Michael Gove.[17] The home secretary, Theresa May, was declared party leader after all other candidates withdrew and was subsequently invited to form a government.[18]

Ministerial roles (2018–2020)[edit]

Further information: Premiership of Theresa May
A close-up photograph of Theresa May, a smiling middle-aged woman with short grey hair, a dark blue suit and a necklace in front of light-coloured curtains.
Theresa May
A close-up photograph of Boris Johnson, a smiling middle-aged man with ruffled-up blonde hair, a dark blue suit and light blue tie in front of a bookcase.
Boris Johnson

In January 2018 May reshuffled her cabinet for the first time; Sunak was appointed to the junior ministerial role of parliamentary under-secretary of state for local government.[19] It was in his capacity as local government under-secretary that Sunak gave his first speech from the despatch box, shortly after his appointment.[20] Sunak voted for May's Brexit withdrawal agreement on all three occasions,[21] and voted against a second referendum on any withdrawal agreement;[22] May's deal was rejected by Parliament on each of the three votes, leading her to announce her resignation as prime minister.[23]

Sunak supported the former foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, in the leadership election to succeed May and co-wrote an article with his fellow MPs Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden to advocate for Johnson during the campaign in June.[24] Following Johnson's victory in the leadership contest he appointed Sunak as chief secretary to the Treasury.[25] During the campaign for the general election held in December Sunak stood in for Johnson in debates hosted by the BBC and ITV.[26] Between his appointment as chief secretary and the 2020 reshuffle Sunak was often tipped for promotion in the press as one of Johnson's "favourites" and a rising star;[27] he was also supported by Dominic Cummings, Johnson's chief adviser.[28]

Chancellor of the Exchequer (2020–2022)[edit]

Main article: Chancellorship of Rishi Sunak
Sunak speaking, pen in hand, at a lectern with "Stay Alert > Control the Virus > Save Lives" on it, in a wood-panelled room with two Union flags in the background
Sunak speaking at a COVID-19 press conference, May 2020

Beginning in 2019 tensions rose between Cummings and Johnson's chancellor, Sajid Javid.[29] In the run-up to the 2020 reshuffle he and Lee Cain, Downing Street Director of Communications, pressed Johnson to dismiss Javid: this was resisted by the Prime Minister.[30] The pair then manoeuvred to force Javid's resignation. On the day of the reshuffle, 13 February, Johnson met with the Chancellor and told him that to remain in post Javid would have to sack all six of his special advisers and replace them with those chosen by Number 10 and Cummings in particular: "Saj, look, your advisers, they're just people" said Johnson.[31] A horrified Javid instead chose to resign and defended his advisers, saying that "no self-respecting minister would accept those terms".[32] Sunak—who was favoured by Cummings—was appointed his successor.








Sunak in a dark blue suit standing in front of the black door of 11 Downing Street, holding a small red suitcase at arm's length.
Sunak holding the budget box the day of the October 2021 budget

The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for. ... it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different.[33]

Leadership bids and second backbench period (July–October 2022)[edit]

Main articles: July–September 2022 Conservative Party leadership election and October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election
Further information: October 2022 United Kingdom government crisis
"Ready for Rishi" written in slanted, tapered and underlined blue block capitals.
Logo for Sunak's leadership bid

On 8 July Sunak announced his intention to run in the leadership election to replace Johnson.[34] His campaign launched with what Payne, Cole and Heale describe as a "slickly" edited video in which he emphasised his origins: "Let me tell you a story. About a young woman, almost a lifetime ago, who boarded a plane armed with hope for a better life and the love of her family".[35] Sunak rapidly garnered a lead amongst Conservative MPs which sustained throughout all five ballots:[36] in the last of the parliamentary votes, on 20 July, Sunak received 157 votes; the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, received 113; and the trade minister and former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt was eliminated on 105.[37] The two remaining contenders—Sunak and Truss—then faced a vote from the wider party membership, with the results to be announced in September.[38] Sunak promised X, Y and Z. He also warned against Truss's tax plans to grow the economy, calling them "unfunded" and a "fairytale";[39] the political scientist Vernon Bogdanor stated in a 2022 article that in contrast to Truss's "mood of optimism" Sunak "created a mood of sober realism".[40] With his opposition to Truss's popular "red meat" pledges, his having to defend his past economic record and his perceived disloyalty to Johnson by resigning as chancellor,[41] Truss led by large margins over Sunak in polls of Conservative members throughout the summer.[42] She was announced party leader on 5 September at Queen Elizabeth II Centre, defeating Sunak, but by a smaller margin than anticipated: 57 per cent to Sunak's 43.[43] The following day an ailing Queen appointed Truss as prime minister at Balmoral Castle in Scotland; Sunak returned to the backbenches.[44]

This article is part of
a series about
Rishi Sunak
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Party leadership campaigns

Rishi Sunak's signature

On 23 September Truss's chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, announced a mini-budget in the Commons.[45] It was received overwhelmingly negatively by financial markets, was blamed for the pound falling to its lowest ever rate against the US dollar and and prompted a response from the Bank of England:[46] vindicating Sunak.[47] On 14 October Truss dismissed Kwarteng and replaced him with Jeremy Hunt,[48] who reversed many aspects of the package, leading to further political instability;[49] following a government crisis, compounded by the resignation of Suella Braverman as home secretary and a chaotic vote on fracking,[50] Truss announced on 20 October her intention to resign as prime minister.[51] The threshold to be a candidate in the ensuing leadership election was set by the chairman of the 1922 Committee,[n 3] Graham Brady, at 100 nominations from Conservative MPs.[53] Sunak and his campaign decided to run the evening after Truss's resignation announcement, but not to officially declare until the requisite number of MPs had already voiced their support.[54] Johnson—at the time holidaying in the Dominican Republic—jetted back to Britain on the 21st and anticipation mounted that he would attempt a return to the premiership.[55] Penny Mordaunt was the first to formally declare as Sunak and Johnson picked up support without official declarations.[56] Sunak quickly reached the 100 figure; Johnson was struggling but still a "comfortable" second.[57] The pair held a meeting on the afternoon of the 22nd in Millbank Tower, in which Johnson proposed that Sunak withdraw and allow him to become leader, with Sunak becoming chancellor in a prospective third Johnson government: this was refused.[58] At 10:30 am the following day Sunak officially declared;[59] that evening Johnson withdrew from the contest, saying he could not unite the party:

There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative party members—and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. But in the course of the last days I have come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can't govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament. ... Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds.[60]

The deadline to submit nomination papers was set at 2:00 pm on 24 October. One minute before the deadline Mordaunt withdrew her candidacy, stating that she had not received 100 supporters.[61] Sunak, the only person to have submitted a valid nomination, was declared leader.[62]

Prime minister (2022–2024)[edit]

Main article: Premiership of Rishi Sunak

Cabinet and beginnings (October 2022–February 2023)[edit]

Main article: Sunak ministry
A room full of people sitting in a white room at a dark green table. Sunak is in the centre of the image, speaking.
Sunak chairing the first meeting of his cabinet

As the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons, Sunak was appointed as prime minister by Charles III[n 4] on 25 October 2022[64]—becoming both the first British Asian[n 5] and the first Hindu to take the office and, at 42, the youngest since Lord Liverpool in 1812[66]—and began to select his cabinet ministers. Sunak retained Hunt as chancellor, James Cleverly as foreign secretary, Ben Wallace as defence secretary and Mordaunt as leader of the House of Commons and lord president of the council; Braverman was reappointed by Sunak as home secretary, with the incumbent Grant Shapps demoted to business secretary; Michael Gove returned as levelling up secretary, a role he had held under Johnson; and Dominic Raab was once again given the roles of deputy prime minister and justice secretary, both of which he had held previously. Other appointments included Simon Hart as parliamentary secretary to the Treasury and chief whip, Nadhim Zahawi as party chairman, Oliver Dowden as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Thérèse Coffey as environment secretary, Mel Stride as work and pensions secretary and Mark Harper as transport secretary.[67] In contrast to his predecessor—whose ministers were mainly those who had supported her—Sunak's was composed of MPs from across the political spectrum of the parliamentary Conservative Party; Riley-Smith described it as a "Cabinet of all the factions",[68] with the Financial Times commenting that Sunak "reached beyond his immediate circle in an effort to demonstrate party unity".[69] His decision to reappoint Braverman, however, was criticised by opposition MPs, citing her resignation over admitted breaches of the Ministerial Code.[70] The former chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Alistair Graham, stated that "a breach of the Ministerial Code ... would make any minister an inappropriate appointment to one of the four most senior positions in government".[71]

Sunak took office amid rising food prices and energy costs, high inflation and low growth, widespread strike action and industrial disputes and a struggling NHS,[72] as well as leading a fractured and unpopular party, all inherited from his predecessors.[73] As the journalists Harry Cole and James Heale put it, "his prize was to try to fix it".[74] Riley-Smith comments that Sunak had "an unrelentingly gloomy in-tray: soaring inflation and interest rates, forecasts of recession, war in Europe. ... more than 20 percentage points behind Labour ... the most almighty patch-up job would be needed".[75] His first month in office prioritised economic and financial stability, with the autumn statement, delivered on 17 November, being a "bumper" collection of tax rises and spending cuts: altogether worth £55 billion.[76] In addition, on 3 November the Bank of England hiked interest rates by 0.75 per cent to 3 per cent, the largest increase in 30 years.[77]

A close-up photograph of Gavin Williamson
A close-up photograph of Nadhim Zahawi
A close-up photograph of Dominic Raab
Departures from the Sunak government November 2022–April 2023: top to bottom—Williamson, Zahawi and Raab

Sunak's premiership was also quickly faced with a scandal: in early November Gavin Williamson, his minister of state without portfolio, was alleged to have bullied colleagues—including MPs—throughout his parliamentary career, including telling one civil servant to "slit your throat";[78] on 8 November, fourteen days into Sunak's tenure, Williamson resigned from his ministerial role.[79] Sunak was criticised for his initial appointment of Williamson;[80] the education secretary Gillian Keegan stated that Sunak had not known of "specific allegations" regarding him.[81] Similarly, the tax arrangements of Nadhim Zahawi—who had served as chancellor under Johnson[82]—attracted close scrutiny in January 2023 after it became public knowledge that he had paid a penalty to HM Revenue and Customs over unpaid tax as chancellor as part of a larger multi-million pound settlement.[83] On 23 January Sunak ordered Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on ministers' interests, to investigate Zahawi's personal financial arrangements and declarations.[84] The report, published on 29 January, identified a breach of the Ministerial Code; Sunak immediately dismissed Zahawi.[85] Following the dismissal, in February Sunak reshuffled his cabinet for the first time. Several government departments were restructured and Greg Hands was appointed as Zahawi's replacement.[86]

At the beginning of 2023 Sunak outlined the five main priorities—or "pledges"—for his premiership: halving inflation by the end of the year, growing the economy, reducing national debt, cutting NHS waiting lists and stopping illegal migration ("the boats");[87] he also announced that there would be a plan for students in England to study "some form" of mathematics until the age of 18.[88] In foreign affairs, Sunak continued Johnson's programme of military aid to Ukraine and reiterated Britain's support for the country.[89] In February he announced the Windsor Framework—a post-Brexit amendment to the Northern Ireland Protocol intended to ease controls on goods intended for Northern Ireland moving from Great Britain—with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. It introduced, amongst other things, red and green lanes for goods moving through Northern Ireland into the Republic and the EU, versus through Great Britain intended for consumption in Northern Ireland.[90]

Mid-premiership (March–December 2023)[edit]

In April Dominic Raab, Sunak's deputy, resigned after the conclusion of a report confirming two of eight allegations of bullying and intimidating behaviour whilst foreign and justice secretary; Raab had promised to resign had the inquiry found any wrongdoing. In his resignation letter Raab complained of the "dangerous precedent" set as the inquiry could "encourage spurious complaints" towards ministers, and noted that the majority of alleged incidents had been dismissed.[91] Following Raab's resignation Sunak appointed Oliver Dowden as deputy prime minister and Alex Chalk as justice secretary.[92] Shortly afterwards, in May local elections were held, with the Conservatives suffering heavy losses: in total, 1,063 councillors and control of 48 councils.[93] Three by-elections were held on the same day in July, in Selby and Ainsty, Somerton and Frome and Uxbridge and South Ruislip, the last of which had been Johnson's seat which he had resigned during the privileges committee's investigation into him; the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives each won one.[94]

A close-up photograph of Suella Braverman, smiling, with long black hair and a white suit in front of a grey background
A close-up photograph of David Cameron, with slightly greying dark hair and a dark blue suit, light blue tie and chequered shirt in front of a grey background.
Braverman (top) and Cameron

In late August and early September around 174 schools that had been built with aerated concrete were temporarily shut following the collapse of a roof beam that summer, causing a crisis for the Department of Education.[95][n 6] Later in September Sunak stated that the XL Bully would be added to the list of dogs prohibited under the Dangerous Dogs Act following a fatal attack near Walsall, coming into effect that December.[97] At the Conservative Party Conference in October he announced or confirmed several new initiatives, including the cancellation of the Birmingham–Manchester leg of HS2 and the reinvestment of funds into nationwide transport projects; a plan to phase out smoking by increasing, each year, the age at which cigarettes could be bought; and the eventual merging of A-levels and T-levels in England to form the Advanced British Standard.[98] Shortly afterwards the Israel–Hamas war began following attacks on Israel led by the militant group Hamas; in response, Sunak expressed his support for the British Jewish community and, along with other world leaders, his support for Israel and condemnation of Hamas.[99] He reshuffled his cabinet for the second time in November: Braverman was dismissed, a move expected after an article she had written in The Times accusing the Metropolitan Police of bias in their approach to pro-Palestine protests and other comments resulted in far-right protesters and football hooligans clashing with police at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day, claiming to want to "defend" it from demonstrators. However, Sunak also made what was considered a "shock" appointment: David Cameron was selected as foreign secretary. As he had resigned his Commons seat in 2016 he was inducted into the House of Lords; the first foreign secretary to be a peer since Lord Carrington resigned in 1982 and the first former prime minister to serve under a successor since Alec Douglas-Home joined the Heath ministry in 1970.[100]

Upon becoming prime minister Sunak had inherited high levels of immigration and ongoing issues with the Rwanda asylum plan. In June 2023 it was ruled to be unlawful by the Court of Appeal, for which Sunak's government appealed: in November the Supreme Court upheld the ruling of the lower court.[101] In early December Robert Jenrick, Sunak's minister of state for immigration, resigned over disagreements with the government's response to problems with the plan and said that the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill—designed to save the scheme—"d[id] not go far enough".[102] The Times stated that Sunak could face a "right-wing revolt" following Jenrick's departure,[103] and The Daily Telegraph said that his resignation had sparked a "Tory crisis"; The Guardian wrote that Sunak faced a "severe test of his leadership" when MPs would vote on the bill at its second reading, scheduled for 12 December. Contrary to this, however, the bill passed with a majority of 44, although several Conservatives abstained from the vote in rebellion, and the press described it as a Pyrrhic victory.

Later premiership and general election (December 2023–X-ember 2024)[edit]

Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party since 2020

In response to the war between Israel and Hamas the Yemeni Houthis commenced attacks on commercial and Israeli-affiliated vessels in the Red Sea. In January 2024 Britain and the US carried out retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi targets, ordered by the US president, Joe Biden, and discussed by Sunak's cabinet immediately prior to the action.[104] The war was a continuing issue through late 2023 and early 2024, with the Labour Party particularly divided on the matter. Events in February included a chaotic Commons session during an opposition day vote on a ceasefire in the Gaza strip and Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield, being suspended from the Conservatives after saying that the London mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by "Islamist" protesters.[105] Upon the election of the pro-Palestine controversialist George Galloway in the Rochdale by-election—advertising himself as a protest candidate against Labour's stance on Gaza, appealing to the constituency's sizeable Muslim population—Sunak gave a lectern speech outside Number 10, speaking out against extremism and religious hatred: "We are a country where we love our neighbours ... You cannot be part of our civic life if your agenda is to tear it down".[106]

The Post Office scandal again became major news in early 2024 as the result of an ITV drama which reignited public interest; in response Sunak's government announced legislation to exonerate around 700 convicted subpostmasters and compensation for 555 prosecuted by the Post Office.[107]

Throughout 2023 and 2024 the date of the coming general election was widely speculated upon, with the term of the 2019 parliament due to expire in January 2025. In early 2024 Sunak stated his "working assumption" that an election would be held in the second half of the year. In A 2024 Sunak confirmed the date as B; Parliament was dissolved C days later. The election was held on D E 2024 [...].

Post-premiership (2024–present)[edit]

Personal life[edit]

Sunak sitting at a table at a street party in Downing Street. To his left is his wife and their two daughters.
Sunak with family

Reputation and legacy[edit]

Sunak, facing away from the camera, framed by the door of 11 Downing Street.
Sunak as chancellor. During his tenure he recorded record satisfaction and personal approval ratings.[108]

At various points in his political career Sunak was amongst the most popular and unpopular politicians in British history. As chancellor the support given by the furlough scheme gave him the highest satisfaction ratings of any since Denis Healey and was described by an analyst as having "better ratings than any politician since the heydays of Tony Blair".[109] His media presence—"Brand Rishi"—focused on what the journalist Brian Wheeler calls "fancy graphics and clever taglines" and was devised by Sunak's communications strategist Cass Horowitz.[110] In the words of Jeff Wallenfeldt, Sunak's biographer for the Encyclopædia Britannica "the portrait of Sunak that arose during the pandemic was that of a superslick, social-media savvy, immaculately dressed, handsome, but down-to-earth politician.[111] However, public perception towards Sunak had cooled markedly by March–April 2022, a period which included his unpopular spring statement, the economy's poor performance, his fixed penalty notice and the reports on Murty's tax status and his recent holding of a US green card.[112] As PM...

Sunak was the first minority ethnic British prime minister but, in the words of the Telegraph journalist Nick Timothy, "the remarkable thing about the election of Britain’s first non-white prime minister is how unremarkable, for most people, it has been". Sunak concurred in his 2023 conference speech: "I am proud to be the first British Asian prime minister, but you know what? I'm even prouder that it's just not a big deal".[113]

As prime minister Sunak, according to Seldon, was "overly involved in detail", a trait inherited from his time at the Treasury: he contrasts this with the "chair of the board approach" preferred by Cameron, Blair and John Major.[114] As chancellor he was reportedly described by staff as "the head boy"[115] but was well-liked by aides, with a mutual sense of loyalty existing between Sunak and his advisers—continuing into his premiership.[116]

Sunak was credited for providing stability for the country, its economy and his party following the tenures of Truss and Johnson, both of whom Seldon characterise as "ignoble failures".[117] His premiership occurred at the end of a 14-year period of Conservative government, a party which had, by the time of Johnson, become divided, worn-out and unpopular;[118] Sunak was disliked by MPs supportive of his two predecessors' policies[119] and faced rebellion on the backbenches, notably in February 2023 when 22 Conservatives, including Johnson and Truss, voted again the Windsor Framework.[120] Riley-Smith states that Sunak was burdened by the failures of previous prime ministers, particularly in the economy: "However nimble the movements, however wise the course plotted, he was weighed down by the outfit he had been forced to wear".[121]

Political positions[edit]

Sajid Javid, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak wearing disposable surgical masks in a bright hospital room. Javid is clasping his hands; Johnson is pointing with both; Sunak has them to his sides.
Sajid Javid (left) pictured with Sunak: the pair resigned within minutes of each other in July 2022, contributing the the collapse of the government of Boris Johnson (centre).[122]

Notes and references[edit]

Notes

  1. ^ The constituency was highly sought after amongst party members: it is a safe seat, having elected a Conservative for over 100 years and had, in the words of the journalist Matt Chorley, "become used to having a local representative of national, even international, distinction" owing to several former MPs becoming cabinet ministers, private secretaries and European commissioners.[2]
  2. ^ In what was described by the journalist Ben Riley-Smith as his "most prominent policy push from the backbenches" Sunak also promoted free ports: he wrote in a November 2016 paper for the Thatcherite think tank Centre for Policy Studies that they could create up to 86,000 jobs in Britain and "act as a beacon of British values, signalling the country's openness to the world" following Brexit.[13]
  3. ^ The governing body of backbench Conservative members of Parliament.[52]
  4. ^ Elizabeth II had died on 8 September, two days after asking Truss to form a government, and was immediately succeeded by her eldest son.[63]
  5. ^ Sunak was also the first non-white prime minister.[65]
  6. ^ Sunak was alleged by Jonathan Slater, a former permanent secretary to Education, to have as chancellor reduced the number of schools to be rebuilt per year to 50, half of the 100 which had already been provided for by the Treasury; 200 had been requested by Education, reduced from 300–400 originally. He rejected this, saying that he had kickstarted a plan for 500 schools to be rebuilt over 10 years.[96]

References

  1. ^ Craig 2014; Chorley 2023, p. 94.
  2. ^ Chorley 2023, p. 93–94.
  3. ^ Chorley 2023, pp. 94 and 97.
  4. ^ Chorley 2023, pp. 96–97.
  5. ^ a b "Parliamentary business: 11 Jun 2015". parliament.uk, columns 1417–1418.
  6. ^ Chorley 2023, p. 96; Wallenfeldt 2024.
  7. ^ Riley-Smith 2023, p. 65; Seldon & Snowdon 2016, p. 533.
  8. ^ Riley-Smith 2023, p. 64; Seldon & Snowdon 2016, pp. 527–529.
  9. ^ Biswas 2022.
  10. ^ Kirby 2016.
  11. ^ Ball 2022; Pickard 2020; Wallenfeldt 2024.
  12. ^ Payne 2022, p. 243; Riley-Smith 2023, p. 334; Pickard 2020.
  13. ^ Riley-Smith 2023, p. 334; Sunak 2016, pp. 4–5.
  14. ^ Riley-Smith 2023, pp. 88 and 109; Seldon & Snowdon 2016, p. 558.
  15. ^ Cameron 2020, pp. 648–649; Riley-Smith 2023, p. 88; Seldon & Snowdon 2016, p. 550.
  16. ^ Seldon & Snowdon 2016, pp. 558–560; Cameron 2020, pp. 684–685; Riley-Smith 2023, p. 108.
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Sources[edit]

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