BLOGGING THE VIEW: 7 things to know about the UK’s latest prime minister

IT’S been quite a tumultuous time in Britain, beginning with calls for Boris Johnson’s resignation in July, followed by the death of their longest-reigning monarch in September, the appointment of a new prime minister, and then the appointment of another new prime minister just this week. It’s difficult to keep up, but considering the influence that tiny country has on the globe, it’s worth educating yourself about the latest PM, Rishi Sunak.

Here are 7 points of interest.

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1. He’s a youngster
At the age of 42, Sunak will be Britain’s youngest PM in more than 200 years. The last one was in 1783 when, at age 24, William Pitt the Younger was made Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Britain and Ireland.

2. He’s richer than the king
According to The Guardian, Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty have an estimated wealth of £730-million, which is double the estimated wealth (£300-million-£350-million) of King Charles III and Queen Consort Camilla. The couple has four properties, valued at more than £15-million. Part of Sunak’s wealth comes from his work as a hedge fund manager, but his wife, whom he met at Stanford, is the daughter of Indian billionaire NR Narayana Murthy, who co-founded the IT company Infosys.

3. The man likes his sugar
A habitual man, Sunak has confessed to eating a double chocolate muffin every morning, with two biscuits every afternoon alongside his tea (of course). He also has a particular love of Coca-Cola which, he says, resulted in his seven fillings from his younger days of consuming the beverage. These days he limits himself to one a week, but he does collect Coca-Cola memorabilia.

4. The first person of colour as PM
Sunak has Indian roots and is the first person of colour or Asian heritage to take on the role of British prime minister. His dad, Yashveer Sunak was born in Nairobi but moved to Liverpool as a teenager, marrying Usha Berry who was born in Tanzania. Both are pharmacists. Sunak was born in Southampton, England in 1980 and was educated at the private boarding school Winchester College before studying at the University of Oxford.

5. Quick ascension to power
Beyond the former mentioned Pitt the Younger, Sunak’s has been the fastest rise to the position of PM. He first took on the role of MP of Richmond in 2015, taking just over seven years to be made prime minister. David Cameron’s journey from MP to PM took around nine years.

6. He’s a Star Wars fan
Sunak has admitted his childhood aspiration was to be a Jedi knight when he grew up, and he cites his favourite Star Wars film as The Empire Strikes Back. Quite fitting, considering he’s now in control of the ‘Empire’.

7. He’s a father
While not nearly as prolific at procreation as Johnson, Sunak and his wife do have two young daughters, Krishna and Anoushka. He keeps his family out of the public eye, for the most part, however, they were taken on the campaign trail when he was running for PM earlier in the year.

Let’s keep an eye on Rishi Sunak and see if he can beat Liz Truss’ record of 44 days in office.

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