Who is Rishi Sunak, the man who could be UK's next PM?

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has agreed to step down as the Conservative Party Leader. Till the election of the new British PM in October, Johnson will continue to remain in charge at 10 Downing Street.

The embattled leader is likely to formally announce his resignation in an address to the UK later today. Johnson’s resignation will trigger a leadership election for a Tory leader who will go ahead and become the new Prime Minister of the UK.

In order to take part in this race, a Tory MP should be nominated by 8 colleagues. If over two MPs put themselves forward and secure the required nominations, then, a series of secret ballots are held to select a leader.

There have been multiple contenders vying to fill in Johnson’s shoes and get into 10 Downing Street. These include Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss, Jeremy Hunt, Ben Wallace, Penny Mordaunt and Nadhim Zahawi. Sunak, who resigned as the Chancellor of the Exchequer on Tuesday, has been in the news for not only his policies during the pandemic but also the infamous “Partygate” scandal that eventually led to a crisis in the Johnson government.

Sunak, the son-in-law of N.R. Narayana Murthy, the founder of the Bengaluru-based IT bellwether Infosys, was thrust under the spotlight when he became the treasury chief of the UK in 2020. In this post, he was responsible for steering away the British economy through its worst economic crisis due to the pandemic.

Sunak also formulated policies to help businesses and workers tide over the impact of the pandemic, the news agency Associated Press reported. He also announced a programme aimed at job retention worth 410 billion pounds.

Despite his policies aimed at helping Britons tide through the pandemic, he could not avoid controversies. The British Police imposed a fine on him and Johnson for attending a birthday party at Downing Street in the middle of the lockdown.

He was also widely criticised for the tax-and-spend budget in 2021 and not giving enough cost-of-living support to households. Besides, he also faced scrutiny after reports surfaced that Akshata Murthy, his wife and Narayana Murthy’s daughter, avoided payment of taxes on her overseas income and that Sunak did not surrender his US green card while serving in the British government.

Sunak had quit the Boris Johnson government along with the former UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid and had said: “The public rightly expect the government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously.”

He also reportedly clashed with Prime Minister Johnson about spending. Sunak stated in his resignation letter: “For me to step down as Chancellor while the world is suffering the economic consequences of the pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other serious challenges is a decision that I have not taken lightly.”

Sunak was born to Indian parents who moved to the UK from East Africa. He attended the Winchester College private school and studied in Oxford.