(CNN Spanish) — “Wait for Barack Obama.” This is how the head of a Hindu temple in England described the election Rishi Sunak As the new Prime Minister. His arrival in Downing Street, amid the political turmoil sweeping the country, is a historic fact.
Succeeding Liz Truss, Chung quickly rose to power in England, first as a member of the House of Commons and then as a cabinet minister. Here are some facts about him that make him a unique Prime Minister.
1. He is of Indian origin
SunakHis parents are of Indian origin who came to England from East Africa in the 1960s. His father was a doctor, while his mother ran a pharmacy in the south of England, Sunak says, wanting to serve the general public.
In this way, he will be the first person from an ethnic minority and the first British-Asian to become Prime Minister.
Sunak has spoken publicly about his parents. In 2015, in an interview with Business Standard, he said he was checking the British Indian box in the census. “I am completely English, this is my home and my country, but my religious and cultural heritage is Indian, my wife is Indian. I am open about being a Hindu,” he told the publication.
This Monday, after being elected as the new leader, Indian President Narendra Modi issued a message expressing his willingness to work with him and calling him a “living bridge” for Indians in the UK.
2. He is a Hindu
He will also be the first Hindu to become British Prime Minister. He arrived in office on the day of Diwali, the festival of lights that marks one of the most important days in the religion’s calendar (Sunak made history in 2020 by lighting a Diwali candle in front of No 11 Downing Street, the official home of the Chancellor of the Exchequer).
Rishi Sunak’s premiership is a “Barack Obama moment” for descendants of Indians in the UK, the head of a Hindu temple founded by Sunak’s grandparents in the country in 1971 said on Monday.
“It’s a proud moment for us, no doubt, to have a man from the temple hold the highest office in the country as the Prime Minister of England,” Sanjay Sandharana, president of the Southampton Vedic Society Hindu Temple, told CNN.
3. He is a millionaire
This year, Sunak, daughter of an Indian billionaire, and his wife Akshata Murthy were featured in the Sunday Times’ list of the 250 richest people in the UK. The newspaper estimated their combined net worth at 730 million pounds ($826 million).
Rishi Sunak was educated among the elite: he studied at the exclusive Winchester College and Oxford and Stanford Universities.
She is known for her expensive tastes when it comes to fashion and has worked for banks and hedge funds such as Goldman Sachs.
4. He was fined ‘Particate’
Fined for being called Sunak.Particate‘, the scandal that embroiled former Prime Minister Boris Johnson months after it emerged that parties were held at 10 Downing Street while the rest of the country was under Covid-19 restrictions.
For a long time, Rishi Sunak supported Johnson. However, when her deputy Chris Fincher was accused of sexually assaulting two men at a party in early July, she turned on the then-prime minister for being slow to act.
Sunak’s sudden resignation from Johnson’s cabinet over the Pincher scandal marked a series of high-profile resignations that led to Johnson’s exit and eventual promotion to Downing Street of his own.
5. He is the youngest Prime Minister in centuries
Sunak, 42, will be the youngest prime minister for more than 200 years when he takes up his new post after an audience with King Charles III.
With information from Ivana Kottasová and Luke McGee.
