Rishi Sunak: Son Of Kenyan Man Becomes UK PM

UPDATE: Rishi Sunak will be the new United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister after Penny Mordaunt withdrew from the race at the last minute.

Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee of Conservative MPs announced Sunak as the next PM after Liz Truss and the new Tory Leader.

"As the returning officer in the leadership election, I can confirm that we have received one valid candidate and Rishi Sunak is therefore elected as leader of the conservative party," Bradi announced.

"As a result, we have now chosen our next Prime Minister. The decision is a historic one and shows once again the diversity and talent of our party. Rishi has my full support. We all owe it to the country, to each other and rise to unite and work together for the good of the nation," Mordaunt stated in her congratulatory message to Sunak.

At the age of 42, he becomes the first Hindu, the first person of colour to be Britain's Prime Minister and the youngest person to take the office in more than 200 years.

Former British Finance Minister, Rishi Sunak has emerged as the favourite to succeed Liz Truss as United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister (PM).

With the endorsement of nearly 150 conservative Members of Parliament (MP), Sunak, who served as Chancellor under former UK PM, Boris Johnson, has emerged as the frontrunner in the Tory leadership race.

Johnson had ignited his bid to return to the British top seat to replace Truss, but he pulled out of the Conservative Party leadership race. Truss resigned on Thursday, October 20 after just 44 days in office, stating in her speech that “I cannot deliver the mandate on which I was elected.”

The only other challenger, Penny Mordaunt, has reportedly the backing of less than 30 MPs. A candidate requires nominations from at least 100 MPs to stand in the race.

Johnson had raced home from a holiday in the Caribbean to try and secure the backing of 100 legislators to enter the contest to replace Truss, the woman who succeeded him in September after he was forced to quit over a string of scandals.

He said late on Sunday, October 23 that he had secured the backing of 102 legislators and could have been “back in Downing Street”, but that he had failed to persuade either Sunak or the other contender Mordaunt, to come together “in the national interest”.

“I believe I have much to offer but I am afraid that this is simply not the right time,” Johnson said.

Rishi Sunak Profile

If confirmed, Sunak could be the first non-white to hold the office. He was born on May 12, 1980, to African-born Hindu parents of Punjabi-Indian descent. His father was born and raised in Kenya while his mother was born in Tanzania.

Sunak attended Winchester College - a boys' public boarding school and later Lincoln College in Oxford where he pursued Philosophy, Politics and Economics. After graduating with a First Class, he joined Stanford University where he obtained an MBA. 

He worked as an analyst for Goldman Sachs - an investment bank, from 2001 to 2004 before moving to work for hedge fund management firm, The Children's Investment Fund Management, where he became a partner in 2006.

The politician left the company in 2006 to join a new hedge fund firm. At the time, he was also a director of an investment firm, Catamaran Ventures.

Sunak was selected to become a Member of Parliament for Yorkshire for the Conservative Party in 2015 and rose through the party ranks to become one of the politicians to back the move for the UK to leave the European Union, famously termed Brexit.

He was elected with a majority of 19,550 votes. Further, he was re-elected as MP in the 2017 General Election with increased popularity and supported Boris Johnson in the 2019 Conservative Party leadership election and was a strong force during the campaign.

Sunak was also re-elected in the 2019 General Election. 

Though he keeps his family life private, Sunak is married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy. She owns Catamaran Ventures. The couple has two young daughters Krishna and Anoushka. 

"I have been fortunate to enjoy a successful business career. I co-founded a large investment firm, working with companies from Silicon Valley to Bangalore. Then I used that experience to help small and entrepreneurial British companies grow successfully.

"From working in my mum’s tiny chemist shop to my experience building large businesses, I have seen first-hand how politicians should support free enterprise and innovation to ensure our future prosperity," Sunak described his growth and political career. 

Sunak could join another politician with Kenyan roots, Suella Braverman, who was appointed by Truss as the Home Secretary after she assumed office on Tuesday, September 6. Braverman, whose father is Kenyan of Christian Goan origin succeeded Priti Patel.

Her post will see her be responsible for national security, policing and immigration policies in the UK. Home Secretary is one of the British government's most senior and influential positions.

Suella Braverman at No. 10 Downing Street in London, United Kingdom. /GETTY IMAGES