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Ready for Rishi

Who is Rishi Sunak?

RISHI SUNAK is the new Prime Minister of the UK after Liz Truss stepped down just 44 days into the job.

Here's what we know about his life and career as a Tory MP.

 Rishi Sunak has been backed to become the new Tory leader and UK Prime Minister
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Rishi Sunak has been backed to become the new Tory leader and UK Prime MinisterCredit: Reuters

Who is Rishi Sunak?

Rishi Sunak, is the son of Yashvir, an NHS GP, and Usha, a pharmacist, who moved to the UK from Punjab, India, in the 1960s.

He was born on May 12, 1980, in Southampton, Hampshire.

In 2009, he married Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Indian billionaire Nagavara Ramarao Narayana Murthy, who co-founded the business consulting firm Infosys.

The couple now have two daughters together, Krishna and Anoushka, though the pair keep them away from the public eye.

Before entering politics he worked for investment bank Goldman Sachs and a hedge fund, then co-founded an investment firm.

His website states that he co-founded a large investment firm, working with companies from Silicon Valley to Bangalore.

Sunak only entered Parliament in 2015.

He was voted in as Conservative MP for Richmond North on May 7, 2015.

He became a household name after becoming Chancellor on February 13, 2020, just a month before the country went into lockdown over the coronavirus pandemic.

His appearances on the daily government press briefings earned him the nickname "Dishy Rishi".

However he quit as Chancellor on July 5, 2022, stating that government needed "to be conducted properly, competently and seriously".

How did Rishi Sunak become Prime Minister?

After Johnson's resignation  as PM in the summer of 2022, Sunak ran against Liz Truss for party leader  but was unsuccessful.

Mr Sunak put his name forward to become PM after Boris Johnson quit on July 7, 2022.

After backtracking on the mini budget and sacking Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng, Truss herself stepped down after just 44 days in the job, leaving the way for another leadership contest.

Sunak got enough backers to land him the top job of Prime Minister on Monday, October 24, 2022.

Penny Mordaunt also put in a bid in to replace Truss but couldn't get enough backers, leaving the path open for Sunak to take the top job after Johnson also exited the race.

In a brief TV statement, Britain's 57th premier said: "It is the greatest privilege of my life to be able to serve the party I live and to give back to the country I owe so much to."

What is Rishi Sunak's height?

Sunak is 1.7m  - or 5ft 5in - tall.

He is just shorter than Prime Minister Boris Johnson who stands at 1.75m, 5ft 7in.

Former Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron is taller still at 6ft 1in (1.85m).

How did Rishi Sunak vote on Brexit?

Sunak is considered a staunch Brexiteer - he voted Leave in the 2016 referendum.

He has nearly always backed pro-Brexit policies in Parliament.

Where did Rishi Sunak go to school?

He attended the prestigious Winchester College before going on to study politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford University.

He also earned an MBA from Stanford University in the US, becoming a Fulbright scholar.

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