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The Right Honourable
Rishi Sunak
MP
Sunak facing frontward, with combed over black hair and a dark blue suit in front of a brown background.
Official portrait, 2022
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office
25 October 2022 – 5 July 2024
MonarchCharles III
Preceded byLiz Truss
Succeeded byKeir Starmer
Senior political offices
2022‍–‍2024
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office
24 October 2022 – 2024
Preceded byLiz Truss
Succeeded byTBA
Ministerial offices
2018‍–‍2022
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office
13 February 2020 – 5 July 2022
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded bySajid Javid
Succeeded byNadhim Zahawi
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office
24 July 2019 – 13 February 2020
Prime MinisterBoris Johnson
Preceded byLiz Truss
Succeeded bySteve Barclay
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government
In office
9 January 2018 – 24 July 2019
Prime MinisterTheresa May
Preceded byMarcus Jones
Succeeded byLuke Hall
Parliamentary offices
2015‍–‍present
Leader of the Opposition
In office
5 July 2024 – 2024
MonarchCharles III
Prime MinisterKeir Starmer
DeputyOliver Dowden
Preceded byKeir Starmer
Succeeded byTBA
Member of Parliament
for Richmond and Northallerton
Richmond (Yorks) (2015–2024)
Incumbent
Assumed office
7 May 2015
Preceded byWilliam Hague
Majority12,185 (25.1%)
Personal details
Born (1980-05-12) 12 May 1980 (age 44)
Southampton, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse
​
(m. 2009)​
Children2
Signature
Websiterishisunak.com
Rishi Sunak's voice
Sunak's first speech as prime minister
Recorded 25 October 2022

Rishi Sunak (/ˈrɪʃi ˈsuːnæk/; born 12 May 1980) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024. He previously held two Cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, latterly as chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022. Sunak has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Richmond and Northallerton since 2015.

Sunak was born in Southampton to parents of Indian descent who immigrated to Britain from East Africa in the 1960s. He was educated at Winchester College, studied philosophy, politics and economics at Lincoln College, Oxford, and earned an MBA from Stanford University in California as a Fulbright Scholar. After graduating he worked for Goldman Sachs and later as a partner at the hedge fund firms the Children's Investment Fund Management and Theleme Partners. He was elected to the House of Commons for Richmond (Yorks) at the 2015 general election. As a backbencher he supported the successful campaign for Brexit.

Following the 2017 general election Sunak was appointed to the junior position of parliamentary under-secretary of state for local government in Theresa May's second ministry. He voted three times in favour of May's Brexit withdrawal agreement although it was continually rejected by Parliament. Following her resignation announcement in May 2019 Sunak supported Johnson's successful bid for leader, after which he appointed Sunak chief secretary to the Treasury. He was promoted to chancellor in the 2020 cabinet reshuffle following the resignation of the incumbent, Sajid Javid. During his time in the position Sunak was prominent in the government response to the COVID-19 pandemic and its economic impact, including the furlough and Eat Out to Help Out schemes. He was also involved in responding to the rising cost of living, increased energy prices and global energy crisis. He left the government in July 2022 during a wave of resignations which culminated in Johnson's departure.

Sunak stood in the leadership election to succeed Johnson. He received the most votes in each of the parliamentary ballots but lost the members' vote to the foreign secretary, Liz Truss. After spending the duration of her brief premiership on the backbenches he was unopposed in the leadership election to succeed her, having resigned in another confidence crisis: at 42 he was the youngest prime minister since Lord Liverpool and the first to not be white. He took office amid the cost of living and energy supply crises that began during his chancellorship, as well as during industrial disputes and strikes. During his premiership he was credited with improving the economy and stabilising national politics following the unorthodox premierships of his predecessors, although many of his pledges and policy announcements ultimately went unfulfilled. He did not avert further unpopularity for the Conservatives—who, by the time of Sunak's election, had been in government for 12 years—and in the 2024 general election they were defeated in a landslide by the Labour Party.

Early life and education: 1980–2001

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Childhood in Southampton
 
Spindlewood Close, site of childhood home
 
2013 photograph of his parents' pharmacy

Rishi Sunak was born on 12 May 1980 at Southampton General Hospital in England as the first child of Yashvir and Usha Sunak.[1] His mother and father were Hindu Punjabis whose parents had immigrated to East Africa before their birth: Yashvir was born in Kenya while Usha was born in Tanganyika. Sunak initially lived at Richmond Gardens in Portswood but following the births of his brother Sanjay (1982) and sister Raakhi (1985) the family moved to Spindlewood Close in Bassett.[2] His father was a general practitioner whilst his mother was a pharmacist.[3] Sunak helped to run the family pharmacy during his adolescence, which he reflected on in a 2023 speech:

We all chipped in; as a teenager I helped deliver prescriptions and do the books. I learnt there the importance of being able to meet your commitments and make good on your promises ... the Sunak Pharmacy left me with a lasting respect for every small family business. Th[e] Conservative Party, the party of the grocer's daughter and the pharmacist's son, will always be the party of enterprise, the party of small business.[4]

 
Winchester College, where Sunak studied (pictured in 2011)

Sunak attended Oakmount Preparatory School until it closed in 1989 and moved to the private Stroud School in Hampshire—15 minutes from the family home—becoming a head boy there.[5] At 11 he moved to King Edward VI School in Southampton.[6] His "ambitio[us]" parents decided to send him to Winchester College, a prestigious private school, although Sunak was not awarded a scholarship; his parents made, according to Sunak, "considerable sacrifices" and took on "extra jobs and loans" in an effort to afford the school fees: approx. £41,000 per year in 2020.[7] He entered Winchester as a day boy, became house head of Trant's and in his final year a head boy—Senior Commoner Prefect (Sen: Co: Prae:)—unusual, as head boys at Winchester were traditionally boarders.[8] He concurrently edited the school paper The Wykehamist; following the 1997 general election, during which he canvassed for the Conservatives, a 16-year-old Sunak wrote of the new prime minister, Tony Blair, that "[h]e revels in the label of a patriot but has plans for the possible break-up of the United Kingdom and membership of an eventual European Superstate".[9]

Following his A-levels Sunak moved on to Lincoln College, Oxford, where he studied philosophy, politics and economics (PPE). Encouraged by his father, during the 1998 summer holidays he worked at Kuti's, a curry house in Southampton.[10] Despite in his first year at university taking a one-week internship at Conservative Party Headquarters[11] Sunak was disinterested in student politics, did not join the Oxford Union or the Conservative Association,[12] and instead became president of the Investment Society and was involved in the Asian Society.[13] He graduated with a first in 2001.[14]

Career

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Business career: 2001–2015

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The headquarters of TCI, the hedge fund management firm that Sunak worked for

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During the 2014 cabinet reshuffle the then foreign secretary, William Hague, announced his resignation from the position and his intention to stand down as the MP for Richmond (Yorks) at the next general election.[15] Around 350 Conservative members applied for the seat's candidature;[n 1] of these, Sunak was one of four who made it to the final selection, another being the future Aldridge-Brownhills MP and chief whip, Wendy Morton.[17] On 18 October the candidates each gave speeches at Tennants auction house followed by questions on national and local issues before the votes were cast; Sunak won the candidacy resoundingly, as well as being supported by Hague and the former Richmond MPs Lord Brittan and Timothy Kitson.[18]

Backbencher: 2015–2018

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William Hague, Sunak's predecessor as MP for Richmond (Yorks)

And although I am not from Yorkshire, they were immensely relieved to learn I was not from Lancashire either![19]

— Rishi Sunak in his maiden speech to the House of Commons, June 2015

Sunak was elected as an MP at the 2015 general election by a predicted large margin.[20] The election saw the Conservatives win 330 seats, gaining a slim majority of 11,[21] in contrast to most opinion polls which predicted a hung parliament and placed Labour either level with or leading above the Conservatives.[22] He was sworn in as an MP on the Hindu holy text the Bhagavad Gita,[23] and in his maiden speech to the Commons advocated "fair education funding" for schools in rural areas and stated that he would "ensur[e]" the strength of Friarage Hospital in his constituency;[19] during his period as a backbencher he also campaigned for improved broadband coverage in North Yorkshire.[24] Sunak sat on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee from 2015 until 2017, after which he became a parliamentary private secretary at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, working there until the 2018 reshuffle.[25]

During the Brexit referendum in 2016 Sunak backed the Leave campaign, criticising the EU's immigration laws: "We are discriminating against countries with whom we have ties of history, language and culture".[26][n 2] Upon receiving news of his decision the prime minister, David Cameron, is reported to have remarked that "if we've lost Rishi, we've lost the future of the party".[28] The vote, held on 23 June, was a victory for Leave;[29] the day after the referendum Cameron—who had led the Remain campaign[30]—announced his resignation.[31] In the leadership election to replace him Sunak endorsed the justice secretary, Michael Gove.[32] The home secretary, Theresa May, was declared party leader after all other candidates withdrew and was subsequently invited to form a government.[33]

Ministerial roles: 2018–2020

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Further information: Premiership of Theresa May
 
Theresa May
 
Boris Johnson

In January 2018 May reshuffled her cabinet for the first time; Sunak was appointed to the junior ministerial role of parliamentary under-secretary of state for local government.[34] It was in his capacity as local government under-secretary that Sunak gave his first speech from the despatch box, shortly after his appointment.[35] During his time in the position he pushed for accessible toilets for the severely disabled to be made mandatory in new and extensively-refurbished public buildings.[36] Sunak voted for May's Brexit withdrawal agreement on all three occasions[37] and against a second referendum on any withdrawal agreement.[38] May's deal was rejected by Parliament on each of the three votes and in May 2019 she announced her resignation as prime minister.[39]

Sunak supported the former foreign secretary Boris Johnson in the leadership election to succeed May and co-wrote an article with his fellow MPs Robert Jenrick and Oliver Dowden to advocate for Johnson during the campaign in June.[40][n 3] Following Johnson's victory in the leadership contest he appointed Sunak chief secretary to the Treasury.[43] During the campaign for the general election held in December Sunak stood in for Johnson in debates hosted by the BBC and ITV.[44] Between his appointment as chief secretary and the 2020 reshuffle Sunak was often tipped for promotion in the press as one of Johnson's "favourites" and a rising star;[45] he was also supported by Dominic Cummings, Johnson's chief adviser.[46]

Chancellor of the Exchequer: 2020–2022

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Main article: Chancellorship of Rishi Sunak
 
Sunak speaking at a COVID-19 press conference, May 2020

Beginning in 2019 tensions rose between Cummings and Johnson's chancellor, Sajid Javid.[47] In the run-up to the 2020 reshuffle he and Lee Cain, Downing Street Director of Communications, pressed Johnson to dismiss Javid: this was resisted by the Prime Minister.[48] The pair then manoeuvred to force Javid's resignation. On the day of the reshuffle, 13 February, Johnson met with the Chancellor and told him that to remain in post Javid would have to sack all six of his special advisers and replace them with those chosen by Number 10 and Cummings in particular: "Saj, look, your advisers, they're just people" said Johnson.[49] A horrified Javid instead chose to resign and defended his advisers, saying that "no self-respecting minister would accept those terms".[50] Sunak—who was favoured by Cummings—was appointed his successor.

 
Sunak holding the budget box the day of the October 2021 budget


The public rightly expect government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously. I recognise this may be my last ministerial job, but I believe these standards are worth fighting for. ... it has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different.[51]

Leadership bids: July–October 2022

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Main articles: July–September and October 2022 Conservative Party leadership election
Further information: October 2022 United Kingdom government crisis
 
Logo for Sunak's leadership bid

On 8 July Sunak announced his intention to run in the leadership election to replace Johnson.[52] His campaign launched with what Payne, Cole and Heale describe as a "slickly" edited video in which he emphasised his origins: "Let me tell you a story. About a young woman, almost a lifetime ago, who boarded a plane armed with hope for a better life and the love of her family".[53] Sunak rapidly garnered a lead amongst Conservative MPs which sustained throughout all five ballots:[54] in the last of the parliamentary votes, on 20 July, Sunak received 137 votes; the foreign secretary, Liz Truss, received 113; and the trade minister and former defence secretary Penny Mordaunt was eliminated on 105.[55] The two remaining contenders—Sunak and Truss—then faced a vote from the wider party membership, with the results to be announced in September.[56] Sunak promised X, Y and Z. He also warned against Truss's tax plans to grow the economy, calling them "unfunded" and a "fairytale";[57] the political scientist Vernon Bogdanor stated in a 2022 article that in contrast to Truss's "mood of optimism" Sunak "created a mood of sober realism".[58] With his opposition to Truss's popular "red meat" pledges, his having to defend his past economic record and his perceived disloyalty to Johnson by resigning as chancellor,[59] Truss led by large margins over Sunak in polls of Conservative members throughout the summer.[60] She was announced party leader on 5 September at Queen Elizabeth II Centre, defeating Sunak, but by a smaller margin than anticipated: 57 per cent to Sunak's 43.[61] The following day the Queen appointed Truss as prime minister at Balmoral Castle in Scotland; Sunak returned to the backbenches.[62]

On 23 September Truss's chancellor, Kwasi Kwarteng, announced a mini-budget in the Commons.[63] It was received overwhelmingly negatively by financial markets, was blamed for the pound falling to its lowest ever rate against the US dollar and and prompted a response from the Bank of England.[64] On 14 October Truss dismissed Kwarteng and replaced him with Jeremy Hunt,[65] who reversed many aspects of the package, leading to further political instability;[66] following a government crisis, compounded by the resignation of Suella Braverman as home secretary and a chaotic vote on fracking,[67] Truss announced on 20 October her intention to resign as prime minister.[68]

 
This article is part of
a series about
Rishi Sunak
Chancellor of the Exchequer
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Post-premiership
Electoral history
 
 

The threshold to be a candidate in the ensuing leadership election was set by the chairman of the 1922 Committee,[n 4] Graham Brady, at 100 nominations from Conservative MPs.[70] Sunak and his campaign decided to run the evening after Truss's resignation announcement, but not to officially declare until the requisite number of MPs had already voiced their support.[71] Johnson—at the time holidaying in the Dominican Republic—jetted back to Britain on the 21st and anticipation mounted that he would attempt a return to the premiership.[72] Penny Mordaunt was the first to formally declare as Sunak and Johnson picked up support without official declarations.[73] Sunak quickly reached the 100 figure; Johnson was struggling but still a "comfortable" second.[74] The pair held a meeting on the afternoon of the 22nd in Millbank Tower, in which Johnson proposed that Sunak withdraw and allow him to become leader, with Sunak becoming chancellor in a prospective third Johnson government: this was refused.[75] At 10:30 am the following day Sunak officially declared;[76] that evening Johnson withdrew from the contest, saying he could not unite the party:

There is a very good chance that I would be successful in the election with Conservative party members—and that I could indeed be back in Downing Street on Friday. But in the course of the last days I have come to the conclusion that this would simply not be the right thing to do. You can't govern effectively unless you have a united party in Parliament. ... Therefore I am afraid the best thing is that I do not allow my nomination to go forward and commit my support to whoever succeeds.[77]

The deadline to submit nomination papers was set at 2:00 pm on 24 October. One minute before the deadline Mordaunt withdrew her candidacy, stating that she had not received 100 supporters.[78] Sunak, the only person to have submitted a valid nomination, was declared leader.[79]

Prime Minister: 2022–2024

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Main article: Premiership of Rishi Sunak

Cabinet and beginnings

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Main article: Sunak ministry
 
Sunak chairing the first meeting of his cabinet

As the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons, Sunak was appointed as prime minister by Charles III[n 5] on 25 October 2022[81]—becoming both the first British Asian[n 6] and the first Hindu to take the office and, at 42, the youngest since Lord Liverpool in 1812[83]—and began to select his cabinet ministers. Sunak retained Hunt as chancellor, James Cleverly as foreign secretary, Ben Wallace as defence secretary and Mordaunt as leader of the House of Commons and lord president of the council; Braverman was reappointed by Sunak as home secretary, with the incumbent Grant Shapps demoted to business secretary; Michael Gove returned as levelling up secretary, a role he had held under Johnson; and Dominic Raab was once again given the roles of deputy prime minister and justice secretary, both of which he had held previously. Other appointments included Simon Hart as parliamentary secretary to the Treasury and chief whip, Nadhim Zahawi as party chairman, Oliver Dowden as chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, Thérèse Coffey as environment secretary, Mel Stride as work and pensions secretary and Mark Harper as transport secretary.[84] In contrast to his predecessor—whose ministers were mainly those who had supported her—Sunak's was composed of MPs from across the political spectrum of the parliamentary Conservative Party; Riley-Smith described it as a "Cabinet of all the factions",[85] with the Financial Times commenting that Sunak "reached beyond his immediate circle in an effort to demonstrate party unity".[86] His decision to reappoint Braverman, however, was criticised by opposition MPs, citing her resignation over admitted breaches of the Ministerial Code.[87] The former chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Alistair Graham, stated that "a breach of the Ministerial Code ... would make any minister an inappropriate appointment to one of the four most senior positions in government".[88]

Sunak took office amid rising food prices and energy costs, high inflation and low growth, widespread strike action and industrial disputes, a struggling NHS,[89] as well as leading a fractured and unpopular party, all inherited from his predecessors.[90] As the journalists Harry Cole and James Heale put it, "his prize was to try to fix it".[91] Riley-Smith comments that Sunak had "an unrelentingly gloomy in-tray: soaring inflation and interest rates, forecasts of recession, war in Europe. ... more than 20 percentage points behind Labour ... the most almighty patch-up job would be needed".[92] His first month in office prioritised economic and financial stability, with the autumn statement, delivered on 17 November, being a "bumper" collection of tax rises and spending cuts: altogether worth £55 billion.[93] In addition, on 3 November the Bank of England hiked interest rates by 0.75 per cent to 3 per cent, the largest increase in 30 years.[94]

 
 
 
Departures from the Sunak government November 2022–April 2023: top to bottom—Williamson, Zahawi and Raab

Sunak's premiership was also quickly faced with a scandal: in early November Gavin Williamson, his minister of state without portfolio, was alleged to have bullied colleagues—including MPs—throughout his parliamentary career, including telling one civil servant to "slit your throat".[95] On 8 November, fourteen days into Sunak's tenure, Williamson resigned from his ministerial role.[96] Sunak was criticised for his initial appointment of Williamson;[97] the education secretary Gillian Keegan stated that Sunak had not known of "specific allegations" regarding him.[98] Similarly, the tax arrangements of Nadhim Zahawi—who had briefly served as chancellor under Johnson[99]—attracted close scrutiny in January 2023 after it became public knowledge that he had paid a penalty to HM Revenue and Customs over unpaid tax as chancellor as part of a multi-million pound settlement.[100] Sunak ordered Laurie Magnus, the independent adviser on ministers' interests, to investigate Zahawi's personal financial arrangements and declarations.[101] The report, published on 29 January, identified a breach of the Ministerial Code: Sunak immediately dismissed Zahawi.[102] Following the dismissal, in February Sunak reshuffled his cabinet for the first time. Several government departments were restructured and Greg Hands was appointed as Zahawi's replacement.[103]

At the beginning of 2023 Sunak outlined the five main priorities—or "pledges"—for his premiership: halving inflation by the end of the year, stimulating growth, reducing national debt, cutting NHS waiting lists and stopping illegal migration ("the boats").[104] Of the five pledges, three focused on the economy.[105] He also announced that there would be a plan for students in England to study "some form" of mathematics until the age of 18.[106] In foreign affairs, Sunak continued Johnson's programme of military aid to Ukraine and reiterated Britain's support for the country.[107] In February he announced the Windsor Framework—a post-Brexit amendment to the Northern Ireland Protocol intended to ease controls on goods intended for Northern Ireland moving from Great Britain—with the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. It introduced, amongst other things, red and green lanes for goods moving through Northern Ireland into the Republic and the EU, versus through Great Britain intended for consumption in Northern Ireland.[108]

Mid-premiership

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In April Dominic Raab, Sunak's deputy, resigned after the conclusion of a report confirming two of eight allegations of bullying and intimidating behaviour whilst foreign and justice secretary. In his resignation letter he complained of the "dangerous precedent" set as the inquiry could "encourage spurious complaints" towards ministers and noted that the majority of alleged incidents had been dismissed.[109] Sunak appointed Oliver Dowden as deputy prime minister and Alex Chalk as justice secretary.[110] The local elections took place in early May, with the Conservatives suffering heavy losses: in total, 1,063 councillors and control of 48 councils.[111] Three by-elections were held on the same day—20 July—in Selby and Ainsty, Somerton and Frome and Uxbridge and South Ruislip, the last of which had been Johnson's seat which he had resigned during the privileges committee's investigation into him; the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives each won one.[112]

 
 
Braverman (top) and Cameron

In late August and early September around 174 schools that had been built with aerated concrete were temporarily shut following the collapse of a roof beam that summer, causing a crisis for the Department of Education.[113][n 7] At the Conservative Party Conference in October he announced or confirmed several new initiatives, including the cancellation of the Birmingham–Manchester leg of HS2 and the reinvestment of funds into nationwide transport projects; a plan to phase out smoking by increasing, each year, the age at which cigarettes could be bought; and the eventual merging of A-levels and T-levels in England to form the Advanced British Standard.[115] Shortly afterwards the Israel–Hamas war began following attacks on Israel led by the militant group Hamas; in response, Sunak expressed his support for the British Jewish community and, along with other world leaders, his support for Israel and condemnation of Hamas.[116] He reshuffled his cabinet for the second time in November: Braverman was dismissed, a move expected after an article she had written in The Times accusing the Metropolitan Police of bias in their approach to pro-Palestine protests and other comments resulted in far-right protesters and football hooligans clashing with police at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Day, claiming to want to "defend" it from demonstrators. However, Sunak also made a surprise appointment: David Cameron was selected as foreign secretary. As he had resigned his Commons seat in 2016 he was inducted into the House of Lords: the first foreign secretary to be a peer since Lord Carrington resigned in 1982 and the first former prime minister to serve under a successor since Alec Douglas-Home joined the Heath ministry in 1970.[117]

Upon becoming prime minister Sunak had inherited high levels of immigration and ongoing issues with the Rwanda asylum plan. In June 2023 it was ruled to be unlawful by the Court of Appeal, for which Sunak's government appealed: in November the Supreme Court upheld the ruling of the lower court.[118] In early December Robert Jenrick, Sunak's minister of state for immigration, resigned over disagreements with the government's response to problems with the plan and said that the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill—designed to save the scheme—"d[id] not go far enough".[119] The Times stated that Sunak could face a "right-wing revolt" following Jenrick's departure,[120] and The Daily Telegraph said that his resignation had sparked a "Tory crisis"; The Guardian wrote that Sunak faced a "severe test of his leadership" when MPs would vote on the bill at its second reading, scheduled for 12 December. Contrary to this, however, the bill passed with a majority of 44, although several Conservatives abstained from the vote in rebellion, and the press described it as a Pyrrhic victory.

Last months and general election

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Further information: 2024 United Kingdom general election and Clear Plan. Bold Action. Secure Future.
 
Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party from 2020 onwards[121] and Sunak's successor

In response to the war between Israel and Hamas the Yemeni Houthis commenced attacks on commercial and Israeli-affiliated vessels in the Red Sea. In January 2024 Britain and the US carried out retaliatory airstrikes on Houthi targets, ordered by the US president, Joe Biden, and discussed by Sunak's cabinet immediately prior to the action.[122] The war was a continuing issue through late 2023 and early 2024, with the Labour Party particularly divided on the matter. Events in February included a chaotic Commons session during an opposition day vote on a ceasefire in the Gaza strip and Lee Anderson, MP for Ashfield, being suspended from the Conservatives after saying that the London mayor Sadiq Khan was controlled by "Islamist" protesters.[123] Upon the election of the pro-Palestine controversialist George Galloway in the Rochdale by-election—advertising himself as a protest candidate against Labour's stance on Gaza, appealing to the constituency's sizeable Muslim population—Sunak gave a lectern speech outside Number 10, speaking out against extremism and religious hatred: "We are a country where we love our neighbours ... You cannot be part of our civic life if your agenda is to tear it down".[124]

The Post Office scandal became major news in early 2024 as the result of an ITV drama which reignited public interest. Sunak's government announced legislation to exonerate around 700 convicted subpostmasters and compensation for 555 prosecuted by the Post Office.[125] A ban on disposable vapes and proposals to tackle "sick note culture" in British workers were among the policies announced by Sunak in the first half of the year.[126] After two years of political deadlock, a speaker and the first minister and deputy first minister were elected by the Northern Ireland Assembly and a government formed following a British government command paper laying out a deal with the right-wing Democratic Unionist Party.[127] The Safety of Rwanda Bill passed the House of Lords and received royal assent in April. The Conservative Party again went down to heavy defeat in that year's local elections, losing 474 councillors, 10 councils and finishing behind the Liberal Democrats, its lowest level of representation since 1998.

Throughout 2023 and 2024 the date of the coming general election was widely speculated upon, with the term of the 2019 parliament due to expire in January 2025. In early 2024 Sunak stated his "working assumption" that an election would be held in the second half of the year. On 22 May Sunak confirmed the date as 4 July; Parliament was dissolved eight days later. The Conservative campaign initially dealt with supposed Labour tax rises before switching to warning against giving the party a landslide victory, whilst Labour's campaign emphasised stability and the prospect of change after a 14-year Conservative ascendancy.[128] The election ultimately saw the Conservatives' worst-ever result, losing 251 seats with the lowest vote share and seat count in the party's history. The Labour Party won a landslide of 411 seats although on a lower vote share than expected. Reform, founded in 2019, split the right-wing vote and cost the governing party heavily while helping parties on the left. The Liberal Democrats and the Greens both made significant gains, whilst the Scottish Nationalists were reduced to just nine MPs.[129] Sunak conceded defeat at his election count in North Yorkshire before Labour had reached an overall majority of seats. He gave a parting speech outside Number 10 before presenting his resignation to the King at 11:00 am:

To the country, I would like to say first and foremost: I am sorry. I have given this job my all, but you have sent a clear signal that the government of the United Kingdom must change. And yours is the only judgment that matters.[130]

In opposition: 2024–present

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Sunak was succeeded by the Labour leader, Keir Starmer. In his final speech he announced his resignation as Conservative leader but that he would stay in place until a successor had been chosen. Several MPs who had been touted in the press as potential leaders had lost their seats at the election, including Penny Mordaunt, Grant Shapps and the Northern Ireland minister, Steve Baker.[131] Sunak formed a temporary shadow cabinet: many outgoing ministers were given corresponding shadow portfolios, although Lord Cameron and the party chairman, Richard Holden, resigned their roles, being replaced by Andrew Mitchell and Richard Fuller respectively.[n 8][133]

Reputation and legacy

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Sunak as chancellor. During his tenure he recorded record satisfaction and personal approval ratings.[134]

At various points in his political career Sunak was amongst the most popular and unpopular politicians in British history. As chancellor the support given by the furlough scheme gave him the highest satisfaction ratings of any since Denis Healey and was described by an analyst as having "better ratings than any politician since the heydays of Tony Blair".[135] His media presence—"Brand Rishi"—focused on what the journalist Brian Wheeler calls "fancy graphics and clever taglines" and was devised by Sunak's communications strategist Cass Horowitz.[136] In the words of Jeff Wallenfeldt, Sunak's biographer for the Encyclopædia Britannica "the portrait of Sunak that arose during the pandemic was that of a superslick, social-media savvy, immaculately dressed, handsome, but down-to-earth politician".[137] However, public perception towards Sunak had cooled markedly by March–April 2022, a period which included his unpopular spring statement, the economy's poor performance, his fixed penalty notice and the reports on Murty's tax status and his recent holding of a US green card.[138] Following Truss's resignation the Conservatives were polling at an average of 24 per cent[139] but Sunak, upon succeeding her, outpolled his party with a very slight positive personal approval rating which rapidly slumped over the following months. In the period from January–June 2024 he recorded his worst numbers ever, with YouGov reporting a final score of -51.[140]

Sunak was the first minority ethnic British prime minister but, in the words of the Telegraph journalist Nick Timothy, "the remarkable thing about the election of Britain’s first non-white prime minister is how unremarkable, for most people, it has been". Sunak concurred in his 2023 conference speech: "I am proud to be the first British Asian prime minister, but you know what? I'm even prouder that it's just not a big deal".[141] Also the first Hindu to hold the office, Sunak became prime minister during Diwali and held religious events in Downing Street during his time there.[142] At 42 years old he was the youngest prime minister in 210 years, taking office only 7 years after his arrival in Parliament, which was in itself an abrupt development following his business career.[143]

As prime minister Sunak, according to the historian Anthony Seldon, was "overly involved in detail", a trait inherited from his time at the Treasury: he contrasts this with the "chair of the board approach" preferred by Cameron, Blair and John Major.[144] As chancellor he was reportedly described by staff as "the head boy"[145] but was well-liked by aides, with a mutual sense of loyalty existing between Sunak and his advisers—continuing into his premiership.[146] He maintained considerable influence over the Treasury whilst in Number 10 and exerted particular control over the budget.[147] The former BBC political editor Laura Kuenssberg said in a 2024 article that "the details man, apparently shorn of the ego of so many at Westminster, made politics a little more normal again".[148] He was quicker to dismiss offending ministers from government than Johnson[149] but presided over a diminished system of accountability in Parliament and frequently made policy announcements outside of the Commons, to the disapproval of the speaker, Lindsay Hoyle.[150] The promise in his first speech of government integrity was, according to commentators, undermined by his appointment of Braverman and the behaviour of her and other ministers such as Williamson, Zahawi and Raab.[151] The Rwanda scheme, interrupted by the ECHR in 2022 and ruled illegal by the Supreme Court in 2023, was deeply controversial within the party; Sunak's hurried attempts to pass legislation to circumvent the court ruling, including the deployment of "populist" rhetoric similar to that of Johnson and Truss, further strained relations with the House of Lords.[152]

External videos
Rishi Sunak's resignation speech, July 2024
  Sunak's resignation speech in full (Speech) – via BBC News.

Sunak was credited for providing stability following the tenures of Johnson and Truss, both of whom Seldon characterise as "ignoble failures".[153] His premiership occurred at the end of a 14-year period of Conservative government, a party which had, by the time of Johnson, become divided, worn-out and unpopular;[154] Sunak was disliked by MPs supportive of his two predecessors' policies[155] and faced rebellion on the backbenches, notably in February 2023 when 22 Conservatives, including Johnson and Truss, voted again the Windsor Framework.[156] The 80-seat Conservative majority won in 2019 was gradually eroded throughout the course of the parliament in lost by-elections, party defections and whip suspensions, ending in 2024 with an overall majority of 38.[157] Sunak faced difficulty in achieving his five main pledges: by the end of his premiership he had achieved just one, the halving of inflation.[158] More positively, his interventions in Northern Ireland, including in the Framework and the restoration of the Assembly, helped to repair "Johnson's insensitive handling" of the region, according to Brendan O'Leary.[159] By the summer of 2023 Sunak had considered his legacy, resulting in the package of policies announced at the October conference.[148] As a result of the early dissolution of Parliament the smoking ban was not achieved; likewise, the future of the Advanced British Standard—which would have taken "over a decade to implement"—remained uncertain before being cancelled by the Labour chancellor, Rachel Reeves, in her first spending audit.[160] Following his party's defeat in 2024 Sunak said of his period in office:

Inflation is back to target, mortgage rates are falling and growth has returned. We have enhanced our standing in the world, rebuilding relations with allies, leading global efforts to support Ukraine and becoming the home of the new generation of transformative technologies. And our United Kingdom is stronger too: with the Windsor Framework, devolution restored in Northern Ireland, and our union strengthened.[161]

Political positions

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Main article: Political positions of Rishi Sunak

Notes and references

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Notes

  1. ^ The constituency was highly sought after amongst party members: it is a safe seat, having elected a Conservative for over 100 years and had, in the words of the journalist Matt Chorley, "become used to having a local representative of national, even international, distinction" owing to several former MPs becoming cabinet ministers, private secretaries and European commissioners.[16]
  2. ^ In what was described by the journalist Ben Riley-Smith as his "most prominent policy push from the backbenches" Sunak also promoted free ports: he wrote in a November 2016 paper for the Thatcherite think tank Centre for Policy Studies that they could create up to 86,000 jobs in Britain and "act as a beacon of British values, signalling the country's openness to the world" following Brexit.[27]
  3. ^ Sunak had initially contemplated endorsing Michael Gove for a second time. He is quoted as having told other MPs that "my heart says Gove, my head says Boris".[41] He also saw Jeremy Hunt as a "better administrator" than Johnson but did not think he could defeat Jeremy Corbyn in a general election, and was eventually convinced to support Johnson following a meeting with him and Carrie held at Jenrick's Westminster residence.[42]
  4. ^ The governing body of backbench Conservative members of Parliament.[69]
  5. ^ Elizabeth II had died on 8 September, two days after asking Truss to form a government, and was immediately succeeded by her eldest son.[80]
  6. ^ Sunak was also the first non-white prime minister.[82]
  7. ^ Sunak was alleged by Jonathan Slater, a former permanent secretary to Education, to have as chancellor reduced the number of schools to be rebuilt per year to 50, half of the 100 which had already been provided for by the Treasury; 200 had been requested by Education, reduced from 300–400 originally. He rejected this, saying that he had kickstarted a plan for 500 schools to be rebuilt over 10 years.[114]
  8. ^ Twelve senior ministers lost their seats at the election and had to be replaced:

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  5. ^ Ellery & Ball 2022; Capurro 2022; Edwardes 2020; Bannerman & Southern 2022.
  6. ^ Edwardes 2020; Capurro 2022.
  7. ^ Peck 2020; Capurro 2022; Asthana 2024; Bannerman & Southern 2022; Edwardes 2020.
  8. ^ Bannerman & Southern 2022; Rentoul 2020; Peck 2020; Ellery & Ball 2022.
  9. ^ Capurro 2022; Peck 2020; Gutteridge 2024; Edwardes 2020.
  10. ^ Rentoul 2020; Gutteridge 2024; Edwardes 2020.
  11. ^ Gutteridge 2024; Wallenfeldt 2024; Edwardes 2020.
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  19. ^ a b "Parliamentary business: 11 Jun 2015". parliament.uk, columns 1417–1418.
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  63. ^ Middleton 2023, p. 528.
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  120. ^ Dathan 2023.
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Sources

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Books and journals

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News

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Others

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Potential sources

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