Rishi has mountains to climb but he CAN rise to the challenge
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AT THE start of the Covid-19 crisis, the Chancellor Rishi Sunak promised that political dogma would not stand in the way of doing “whatever it takes” to support the British economy.
Meeting that commitment has seen him launch the biggest state intervention since the Second World War – a £190billion grant package to protect millions of jobs and shore up thousands of businesses.
Whether it’s enough remains to be seen but it is a gamble that, one way or another, will secure Sunak’s place in history.
Last week, he was responsible for the Government having a relatively rare array of near universally good coverage after his “mini Budget” bailout of an extra £30billion.
Certainly, there is something rather trendy about the 40-yearold. But behind the image is a team of strategists, designers and marketing experts – headed by his director of strategic communications, Allegra Stratton, the 39-year-old former TV journalist. Sunak was best man at her wedding to political journalist James Forsyth.
I have yet to meet anyone linked to Sunak who doesn’t hold him in the highest regard – not just for his intelligence and tireless work ethic but also his sense of duty and compassion.
HE CREDITS his parents with instilling a sense of public service. Their own parents were born in the Punjab and came to Britain from East Africa “with very little” in the 1960s.
His father, Yash, was an NHS GP and his mother, Usha, ran Sunak Pharmacy, a busy chemist on Southampton’s Burgess Road where a young Rishi helped out withVAT returns.
He was also a waiter at a nearby Indian restaurant – a role he briefly reprised last week with a publicity stunt at Wagamama’s to highlight his August “meal deal” offer. His parents worked hard and, a family friend says, “wanted to give their three children the best of everything”.
Sunak’s younger brother and sister have also pursued highflying careers with a philanthropic aim. One is a neuropsychologist dealing with underprivileged families in east London, the other works for the Department for International Development in Tanzania, Nigeria and Somalia.
He is in no doubt his parents’ sacrifices changed his life. Their dream of a better life for him and his siblings was almost derailed when he missed out on a full scholarship to the prestigiousWinchester College.
They took on extra work to meet the shortfall – and he became the first pupil of Indian origin to be head boy at Winchester. He read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford and got a First. A Fulbright Scholarship to Stanford
University in California followed. There he met his wife, Akshata Murthy, daughter of an Indian billionaire.
They married in 2009 at a Bangalore ceremony with 1,000 guests – hosting two other parties in New York and Southampton. Guests included CEOs from global firms,TV executives and at least one US senator.
The Chancellor is proud of his Indian heritage. He swore his Commons oath of allegiance on the Bhagavad Gita, a Sanskrit scripture, and a statue of elephant-headed deity Ganesh sits on his desk at No 11.
“British Indian is what I tick on the census,” he told India’s Business Standard. “I am thoroughly British, 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.”
Sunak, who has two children, loves holding court over the barbecue at the weekend but he will only be found drinking Coke or lemonade.
A former hedge fund manager, he succeeded his political hero and mentor William Hague in his Yorkshire seat in 2015. In 2018 he was appointed junior Minister for Local Government and later promoted to Chief Secretary to the Treasury.
THEN he was catapulted into the job of Chancellor in February, when his friend Sajid Javid, whom he called “Jedi Master” after their mutual love of Star Wars films, dramatically quit.
“He’s incredibly forensic,” said one aide, “he goes right down into the detail of every policy to make sure it’s the best it can be. He feels very keenly this is not just about managing the economy, it’s about people’s lives and their livelihoods.”
Sunak told friends his first week as Chancellor felt like he had climbed Everest – only to realise he had barely reached base camp and had three more mountains to scale.
He has proved he has the skill and the stamina for the climb – but only time will tell if he can prevent our ailing economy from falling off the edge.
‘He feels it’s not just about the economy, it’s about people’s lives’