Rishi Sunak, the new Prime Minister of Britain, has been in the headlines since assuming office on October 25th. He is a man of many firsts, including being the youngest prime minister in 200 years, the UK's first non-white prime minister, and the first prime minister born to immigrants. Sunak is of Indian origin, with his family hailing from Punjab, but he is a British citizen and holds a British passport. He is a practicing Hindu and has never concealed his religious identity. Sunak's rise to power has been swift, with him becoming Prime Minister in just seven years after being elected as a Member of Parliament. He is known for his stellar track record and has been favored by the British people for his skills and abilities, not his heritage. He is estimated to be richer than King Charles, with a net worth of around $830 million, along with his wife. As Prime Minister, Sunak is expected to bring changes to the UK, and his first day in office saw him purge his conservative opponents from government. He is a man who means business, and his self-confidence is infectious, which is just what Britain needs to come out of its current economic mess.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Rishi Sunak is the 57th Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.
2. He assumed office on October 25th.
3. Sunak is the third Prime Minister in nine months and the fifth in six years.
4. He is the youngest Prime Minister in the last 200 years, at the age of 42.
5. William Pitt became Prime Minister at the age of 24, making him the youngest ever in British history.
6. Sunak's rise to power has been the fastest in the modern era, taking just seven years from becoming an MP to becoming Prime Minister.
7. He is the UK's first non-white Prime Minister.
8. Sunak was born in Southampton, England.
9. He was educated at Winchester College and Oxford University.
10. He is a British citizen and holds a British passport.
11. His family was Punjabi, with roots in Gujranwala, a city north of Lahore in present-day Pakistan.
12. His grandparents moved to Kenya ten years before India was partitioned.
13. His father was born in Nairobi and relocated to England in 1966.
14. Sunak's wife, Akshata Murthy, is the daughter of Narayan Murthy, the founder of Indian tech firm Infosys.
15. Sunak took classes on "The Paths to Power" at Oxford University.
16. He became Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2019.
17. He became Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2020.
18. He ran for the Tory leadership bid in July 2022.
19. He was appointed Prime Minister by King Charles in October 2022.
20. His estimated net worth, along with his wife, is around $830 million, more than double the estimated wealth of King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla.
21. Sunak is a practicing Hindu and has observed several Hindu festivals, including Diwali and Janmashtami.
22. He took his oath as an MP by swearing on the Bhagavad Gita, a sacred Hindu book.
23. Sunak's wife, Akshata Murthy, was involved in a tax arrangement scandal.
24. Sunak purged his conservative opponents from government on his first day in office.
25. He has been critical of his predecessors, including Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.