Guwahati: Indian-origin politician Rishi Sunak on Friday (July 8) launched his campaign to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and British Prime Minister after Boris Johnson resigned on Thursday (July 7).
He said in a tweet that “I’m standing to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.”
He was serving as Finance Minister in the Boris Johnson-led government.
Rishi Sunak’s grandparents came from Punjab.
Rishi Sunak is the son-in-law of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy. He has two daughters with Akshata Murty. They met while they were students in California.
In the video, the 49-year-old MP shares the story of his grandmother who boarded a plane to England as a young woman “armed with hope for a better life”.
“She managed to find a job. But it took nearly a year to save enough money for her husband and children to follow her,” Rishi Sunak said in the video
Sunak’s resignation as Chancellor of the exchequer had triggered an avalanche of resignations in the Boris Johnson cabinet, forcing him to step down.
If Rishi Sunak wins the top seat, he will be the first Indian-origin man to be a British PM.
He became a member of the UK Parliament for the first time in 2015 and since then made rapid progress in the power corridors. Within 5 years, he was catapulted to the Cabinet rank of Chancellor of the exchequer.
