Last week the Chancellor unveiled the government's plan to ease the British economy out of lockdown and into recovery. It included the extension of support measures, such as the furlough scheme and VAT cut, as well as £1.2 billion of extra funds for Scotland. This generous pandemic spending combined with a suave public image has earned Rishi Sunak considerable praise, with polls suggesting he has widespread public support. As one of the younger cabinet members, his meteoric rise seemingly came out of nowhere. So what is the story behind the country's most popular politician?
Sunak is the grandson of Indian immigrants who moved to the UK from East Africa in the 1960s. His father was a GP, and his mother a pharmacist. Both were 'brilliant conversationalists' who 'worked very, very hard' and were 'passionately British'. He grew up in Southampton and attended boarding school in Winchester, working as a waiter during the holidays for award-winning restaurateur Kuti Miah. Miah recognised Sunak's potential from an early age.
He graduated from Oxford in 2001 with a First in Politics, Philosophy and Economics. After over a decade working in finance, he was elected as a conservative MP for the Richmond (York) constituency. He was a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee before being re-elected in 2019 with an increased majority. In February last year, he was appointed to his current position as part of the most ethnically diverse cabinet in British history. He is now the second consecutive Chancellor of the Exchequer from a South Asian background.
The COVID pandemic was already accelerating when he entered office. His first budget in March 2020 outlined financial policies that have saved millions of jobs, propped up thousands of businesses and helped every region of the UK. During the crisis, he made a prudent decision not to announce an autumn budget, instead making several smaller statements and waiting until the picture was clearer before committing to a longer-term policy. His current plan is an optimistic road map out of lockdown that will slowly taper off support as business recovers. However, he also offered up a dose of honesty, making it clear that fair and equitable tax rises would be necessary to recoup the cost of pandemic spending.
At the age of 40, Sunak no doubt has a long and distinguished political career ahead of him. Some have even suggested he is future leadership material. Regardless of what he goes on to do, his achievements are a credit to the British-Indian community and provide yet another example of BAME excellence.