The future Prime Minister of Great Britain is a political career changer, a multi-millionaire, the son of immigrants. Rishi Sunak has made a rapid ascent, which has recently been marred by a few blemishes. Now the counter-proposal to the scandalous Prime Minister Johnson should lead his country out of the crisis.
Britain's new prime minister has been chosen: ex-finance minister Rishi Sunak is the only remaining candidate to emerge victorious from what have undoubtedly been some of the most turbulent months in recent British political history. For the first time, a member of an ethnic minority takes office. And that despite the fact that the image of the political high-flyer had recently suffered.
The newly elected Tory boss knows how to present himself on Instagram. A beaming smile, white shirt, sleeves rolled up - a politician who gets down to business. In his pictures he embodies the type of modern conservative. A down-to-earth family man who, as a devout Hindu, cultivates tradition in the temple instead of in the church. The next post then shows him - very British - in a Barbour wax jacket behind the counter of a pub.
His slogan in the summer election campaign: "We're ready for Sunak". Ready for someone like him, who presents himself as a climber and whose parents emigrated to the country from the former British colonies. Born in Southampton, the son of a doctor and pharmacist of Indian origin studied at the renowned universities of Oxford and Stanford. After graduating, he initially worked as an investment banker and earned a fortune. He was able to expand this further thanks to his marriage to Akshata Murthy. Her father is the founder of the Indian technology group Infosys. British media estimate the couple's combined assets at the equivalent of more than 860 million euros. This means that the parents of two daughters are among the richest people in the country.
After years as an analyst at Goldman Sachs, Sunak only entered politics in 2015. He immediately won a seat in the House of Commons for the Conservative Party in his North Yorkshire constituency. It would only take five years for the Brexiteer to rise to the second-highest post in Britain: in February 2020, Boris Johnson appointed him Finance Secretary.
As chancellor of the exchequer, Sunak steered the country through the corona pandemic. The introduction of a billion-dollar program modeled on Germany's short-time work benefit has saved millions of Brits from losing their jobs. This made him popular with the people. "Sunak resonates so well with the Brits because on the one hand he is seen as competent and at the same time they believe that he really wants to help," former Tory vice-president Michael Ashcroft told the Welt newspaper in 2020.
Only in the current economic crisis did Sunak's poll numbers begin to crumble. Amid rising inflation and skyrocketing energy prices, he pushed through several tax hikes that year, taking Britain's tax burden to its highest level since the 1940s. He is also accused of reacting too late to the economic crisis.
His clean image was additionally scratched when it became known in April of this year that his wife is not registered in Great Britain and therefore does not pay any taxes. While this is legal, the opposition Labor Party in particular has accused Sunak of "unprecedented hypocrisy" with regard to his tough tax policy. During an election campaign appearance in the summer, he wore outrageously expensive shoes from the luxury brand Prada on a construction site. That cemented his reputation as a filthy rich snot. He is also part of the "Partygate" affair: By attending Johnson's birthday party in June 2020, he also violated the Corona rules and had to pay a fine.
Nevertheless, with his orderly, smooth demeanor, Sunak forms a counterpoint to Johnson, whose tenure was marked by affairs and scandals. In terms of content, the two had different opinions, especially on tax issues. The tense relationship between the two finally broke up on July 1, 2022, when Sunak announced his resignation as finance minister. In his letter of resignation, he had sharply criticized Johnson. Since then, many members have accused him of triggering the downfall of the grassroots popular Johnson.
For this reason, too, Sunak lost to his party colleague Liz Truss in early September when he had also applied to succeed Johnson. However, Truss failed miserably with her tax reform, which was intended to relieve the burden on top earners and companies. And so, after just six weeks, the way was clear for a comeback for the 42-year-old, who had predicted that financial chaos back in the summer.
This benefited him in the party, so that after his official candidacy on Sunday he quickly gathered prominent supporters around him. Johnson briefly toyed with the idea of returning, but refrained from doing so. Many of his supporters moved to the Sunak camp. When the last rival Penny Mordaunt finally gave up in the internal party race, it was clear: Sunak's meteoric rise will be in the move to No. Downing Street. 10 peaks.
Sunak is considered a brave but calculating strategist who is trusted by the financial markets. The stability of Great Britain has the highest priority, he told MPs after his election. As future prime minister, he faces demanding tasks: reconciling his party and leading his country through a serious crisis. As early as this Monday or tomorrow, Tuesday, he could be handed over to King Charles III. charged with forming a government.
