Indians, "post-80s", rich people... Who is the new British Prime Minister Sunak?

Former British Chancellor of the Exchequer Rishi Sunak became the new leader of the ruling Conservative Party on the 24th and will become the British Prime Minister.

Sunak became Britain's first Indian prime minister, the fifth prime minister since the 2016 Brexit referendum and the third prime minister this year.

To know what kind of leader Sunak would be, you need to know who he is.

Descendants of Indian immigrants

When running for party leader, Sunak tirelessly told his family story. He said his family experiences fit the image of the Conservative Party very well, and it was all stories of ideals and struggles.

Sunak comes from a self-made family of Indian immigrants. After World War II, many immigrants from former British colonies went to Britain to help rebuild.

Sunak's father was a doctor in Southampton and his mother ran a local pharmacy. Growing up in a relatively well-off family, Sunak attended Winchester College, a top private school, which also made him surrounded by celebrities.

A video shows the young Sunak bluntly speaking to the camera that he "has aristocratic and upper-class friends, but no friends from the working class".

After studying philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford, Sunak went to Stanford. There he met his wife, Akshata Murti. Murthy is the daughter of one of the founders of Indian software giant Infosys Ltd. Sunak is also nicknamed the son-in-law of "Bill Gates of India".

The couple tied the knot in 2009 and have two daughters. Sunak once quipped that he "listened to the advice of his two young daughters, who are experts in my family" on climate change.

A rising star

After graduating, Sunak worked in the fund business in investment banking. Coupled with Murty's family background, Sunak can be described as a rich family. The couple's fortune is estimated to be close to £700 million.

But around 2015, Sunak's career began to turn to politics, arguably a late start.

In 2015, Sunak was elected MP in the Richmond constituency of Yorkshire. Shortly thereafter, the first major battle of Sunak's political career took place over Brexit. He believes that Brexit will be "freer, fairer and more prosperous".

In recent years, as the Conservative Party has promoted its diversity proposition, Sunak has ushered in more opportunities.

In early 2018, then-Prime Minister Theresa May gave Sunak his first government job, making him a junior minister and handling local government affairs.

In early 2020, Sunak's support for Johnson was rewarded as Chancellor of the Exchequer under then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson. The 39-year-old Sunak has become the "number two" in the political arena, attracting widespread attention.

Despite the aura of being the "youngest financial minister", Sunak faces a severe test. At the time, the coronavirus pandemic was raging in the UK, economic activity had come to a significant standstill, and Sunak had to quickly draft a huge financial support plan.

At the time, Sunak's approval ratings soared when he promised to help people weather the effects of the pandemic "at all costs" and launched a £330 billion government loan scheme. In addition, Sunak has also launched people-friendly relief activities such as "eating and helping".

It has been commented that, in general, it is easier for the Chancellor of the Exchequer to receive praise and support when allocating funds and spending money. But Sunak is credited more for his rejection of obscure jargon, plain language and seeming determination to solve the economic crisis.

At that time, in the eyes of many people, Sunak seemed to be at the helm, and he was once regarded as a potential "successor" to Johnson.

However, the UK economy has not been able to "clear up" consistently. Subtly, as the effects of massive economic bailouts become apparent, Sunak may now need to pay for the two-year-old plan with a sound fiscal plan.

As Chancellor of the Exchequer, Sunak is also seen as one of Johnson's "right hand men". But since the beginning of this year, the "partygate" scandal involving Johnson and government officials has continued to ferment, and Sunak has also been affected, and his "drunk-not-free" image has been broken.

In July, Sunak's resignation was the trigger for Johnson's downfall, a "betrayal" that also caused Sunak to be criticized.

Later, in the party leadership election triggered by Johnson's resignation, Sunak criticized his opponent Truss's promise of tax cuts as a "fantasy economy" and promised that he would make curbing inflation a priority. At first, Sunak came far ahead, highlighting his popularity among Conservative MPs, the party's elite. But in the minds of the Conservative grassroots members, Sunak lost to Truss.

As Sunak moves closer to the public eye, his image as an elite billionaire becomes increasingly prominent. The civil servant was once photographed wearing a suit worth about 30,000 yuan and using a coffee cup worth about 1,500 yuan...

At a time when the British economy is weak and the people are financially strapped for money, this scene is a bit dazzling. In addition, Murthy was previously accused of underpaying taxes in the UK, and Sunak held a US green card until last year.

First Prime Minister of Indian origin

Since his defeat in the party leadership election in September, Sunak has kept a low profile. But subtly, in just over a month, he once again ushered in the opportunity to occupy 10 Downing Street.

Plans couldn't keep up with the change, and Truss was forced to resign after only 45 days in office. The economic chaos under Truss seems to indicate that Sunak's previous views on the economic situation in the UK are correct, which has also become a major advantage of Sunak's campaign.

Against this backdrop, Sunak once again challenged himself. "I'm going to fix our economy, unite our party, and serve our country," he said. ”

After Johnson withdrew from the party leadership race, Sunak won the election with ease.

Conservative MP Gavin Williamson said Sunak's talent, integrity and humility were necessary for the party to move towards stability.

Right now, Sunak is walking to the center of the stage as a man at the helm. Sunak's appointment as party leader also meant that a Western party, traditionally represented by white men, would be represented by a dark-skinned Indian.

However, given the current precarious situation of the Conservative Party and the series of challenges facing the UK in domestic and foreign affairs, it remains to be seen whether the 42-year-old Sunak can rise to the top of the party and the position of prime minister.

Jill Rutter, a senior fellow at the Institute of Government in London, said the set of challenges required a very skilled politician to solve. "The really interesting question is, is Sunak's skills good enough?"

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Column editor-in-chief: Yang Liqun Text editor: Yang Liqun Title image source: Xinhua News Agency Photo editor: Cao Liyuan

Source: Author: Lu Yifei