He’s handsome, polite and capable, what more could you want in an MP? Meet 35-year old Rishi Sunak, MP for Richmond (Yorkshire).
A Hindu Punjabi of Indian heritage, born in Southampton, Rishi was educated at Winchester College and holds a first class degree in Philosophy Politics and Economics from Oxford University. He was a Fulbright Scholar on an MBA at Stanford University.
Rishi’s path to success in politics was inspired by his GP father and his mother, who ran a chemist nearby.
“I grew up seeing them dedicate themselves to our community,” says Rishi. “I’ll never forget- we’d be out shopping at the weekend at Asda, and people would come up to my mum and dad. Later on I worked at my mum’s shop. I delivered the medicines to elderly patients who couldn’t come and pick them up for whatever reason. And they would always take the time to tell me what my mum and dad had done. Not just for them, but for generations of their family. It left a lasting impression on me, and I thought; one day I would love to have that same impact- make the same difference to a community that my mum and dad did. I’m hopeful I can do that to my constituents in North Yorkshire as their MP.”
Rishi says, “My career up until politics has been business, finance, investing. It’s one of my passions. I also believe our system of politics works better if there are some people who can bring some outside experience into Westminster, contributing to the debate. It raises the quality of debate and hopefully we can make better decisions as a result. Having lived abroad, investing in companies, making them grow in the UK, US, India and the rest of the world, I found a sense of fulfilment, helping companies improve and employ more people. “
Politics was always at the back of his mind.
He was involved with the Conservative Party at Winchester School in 1997, where he delivered leaflets for the Tory candidate. “It was a humbling experience,” he says, recalling the Party’s drubbing in those days.
Outside work, Rishi spent- and still does- a large amount of time working with educational projects and charities. But a few years ago he “re-engaged, and went out campaigning in marginal seats in London, Harrow and Hampstead. At the Policy Exchange, he looked at the way that ethnic minority voters felt, thought and voted. It helped him walk from business to politics.
But it wasn’t a cakewalk to get selected. Rishi went through tests, assessments, form filling and interviews to get on the candidate’s list. “It’s to make sure you’re a decent person, reasonably competent, and not going to embarrass anybody. Once you’ve done all that you’re on an approved list of candidates who can apply for a seat when it becomes due. William Hague, former Foreign Secretary and Leader of the Party announced his retirement last year. The local association opened that up, over 200 people applied.” Over the process of three months, yet more interviews and assessments, on the final day there were four finalists. “You make a speech for a few minutes; you take questions for 30-40 minutes. There were around 300 local members in the room,” says Rishi. He won- his first crucial political victory.
We asked Rishi about the most difficult challenge he faced in his career so far.
“The decision to do it [enter full time politics] was difficult. I have two young kids, two little girls now three and four. The decision to enter public life has implications for your family. For my wife, my kids, for the amount of time I would be able to be with them and be at home. It’s not just the person; it has demands on your family as well. My wife gives up a lot of her time, as do my kids. This weekend my kids are with me all the time, running around different events. I’m lucky in that my wife comes from a very public family in India, so she’s more experienced at this than I am. She’s been under the spotlight pretty much all her adult life. Her father is Narayan Murthy, who founded Infosys. Her mother is Sudha Murthy. My wife was able to understand what it is like and what it would mean. Not just the sacrifices, but also what the positives are. What you are able to do when you’re giving yourself to helping other people, and how fulfilling that is. So she and my father in law were the ones, in the end, who said, you should go for this.”
Rishi was elected in 2015 and is a member of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee, reflecting his largely rural constituency.
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“I thought; one day I would love to have that same impact- make the same difference to a community that my mum and dad did.” Rishi Sunak, MP.
