The new British Prime Minister is Rishi Sunak, one of the youngest British Prime Ministers. Many pondered whether his political career was over when Boris Johnson resigned, he lost to Liz Truss in the election for British prime minister. Politics is a strange game, and what an incredible comeback for the British politician of Indian ancestry born in Southampton.
On Monday, the initial reaction was universal disbelief. It was previously unthinkable for a person of Indian descent who is an active Hindu to hold the position of Prime Minister of Britain. Even when Rishi Sunak attempted to enter the competition, it appeared far away. He returned after informing Liz Truss, who he currently replaces as UK Prime Minister, that she had been completely mistaken about tax cuts.
Ahead of the Monday deadline, Penny Mordaunt, who had momentarily and ineffectively stood between Rishi Sunak and Downing Street, eventually admitted that she wouldn’t have the numbers. It happened throughout Sunday night and Monday morning.
The Early Life of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was born in 1980 to the East-African parents of Indian origin in Southampton, England, on the country’s south coast. He was raised in a middle-class household. He claimed to have absorbed their work ethic.
During the election, Rishi Sunak said he delivered medicines while serving in the shop. He was a waiter in the Indian restaurant across the street. He explained how his family sacrificed their savings to enrol him at Winchester College, one of Britain’s most exclusive boarding schools. After his graduation, Sunak attended Oxford University to study Politics, Economics and Philosophy before enrolling in Stanford University’s MBA program.
He resided in the US and was a hedge fund manager for the financial institution Goldman Sachs. He met his wife, Akshata Murty, the daughter of Indian business tycoon Narayana Murthy. He has two daughters.
The Political Rise of Rishi Sunak
Having returned to the UK, Sunak was chosen in 2015 for the safe Conservative seat of Richmond in Yorkshire. He voted to leave the European Union in Britain’s 2016 Brexit referendum. It was a dangerous professional decision against the Conservative Government’s agenda.
Sunak’s career flourished when “leave” surprisingly won. Before being chosen by Johnson as chancellor of the Treasury in Feb 2020, the chancellor Rishi Sunak he held several lesser ministerial positions shortly before the pandemic struck.
In terms of symbolism, Sunak’s victory represents a significant, historical and dramatic reversal. The relationship between this parliament and India is heavily influenced by history and not just the usual modern-day polite remarks to some “common history.” India was the beginning of colonialism. The victory of Sunak is all the more astonishing due to the background.
New Prime Minister Rishi Sunak
A parliament that formerly sent viceroys and subsequently governors general to rule India now has him as prime minister. In Parliament and then under direct rule after 1857, the East India Company’s regulations and authority were established. Before demanding some restricted home rule and independence, Indian freedom activists fought to win concessions from this parliament, which is run by a succession of prime ministers.
Generations of Indians died without ever experiencing what life looks like under a government system other than British rule. Thanks to this parliament, where Rishi Sunak will now sit as Prime Minister of England. Throughout generations, concessions needed to be resisted at every inch. The Rowlatt Act was followed by hammer blows like the Minto-Morley reforms, which had a limited impact. Winston Churchill would not let go, and that was final. After Labour took over from the conservatives, India finally attained independence.
