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Rishi Sunak is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2022 to 2024. Following his defeat to Keir Starmer's Labour Party in the 2024 general election, he became Leader of the Opposition, serving in this role from July to November 2024. He previously held two Cabinet positions under Boris Johnson, latterly as Chancellor of th…
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politics · Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2022 to 2024 · politician · financial analyst · head of government · also Rishi Sunak, Sunak
Born 12 May 1980 · Q20055561
103 published statements · 0 followers
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Rishi Sunak's first speech as prime minister
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The government is doing its best to stand behind you. And I’m asking you to do your best to stand behind our workers.
85%The GuardianSource
“We already know that many people have lost their jobs, and it breaks my heart. We’ve seen what’s happening with universal credit claims already. This is not something that we’re going to wait to see; it’s already happening.”
“The government is doing its best to stand behind you. And I’m asking you to do your best to stand behind our workers.”
“This is not a time for ideology and orthodoxy, this is a time to be bold, a time for courage. I want to reassure every British citizen this government will give you all the tools you need to get through this.”
“economic emergency. Never in peacetime have we faced an economic fight like this one.”
“Some sectors are facing particularly acute challenges. In the coming days, my colleague the Secretary of State for Transport and I will discuss a potential support package specifically for airlines and airports.”
“extremely and sincerely sorry”
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“a system that does not allow local people to have a say will damage public consent for more housing in the long term”
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“a large number of those who crossed the Channel illegally will end up remaining here”
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“I am proud of how the UK stood with Ukraine from the very beginning. And I am here today to say the UK and our allies will continue to stand with Ukraine, as it fights to end this barbarous war and deliver a just peace.”
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“The reality is that Truss cannot deliver a support package as well as come good on £50bn worth of unfunded, permanent tax cuts in one go. To do so would mean increasing borrowing to historic and dangerous levels, putting the public finances in serious jeopardy and plunging the economy into an inflation spiral.”
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“begins the work of preparing for a new economy”
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Business Wire: Bloomberg New Economy Forum Announces Global Lineup Featuring Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, Michael R. Bloomberg, Mario Draghi, Gina Raimondo, Chuck Robbins, Rishi Sunak and Jonathan Gray
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mirror.co.uk: Rishi Sunak and Nigel Farage earn huge sums on top of MP salary as campaigners demand ban
bolnews.com: Rishi Sunak promises to reduce business taxes in order to address the rising cost of living
Buzos de la noticia: Rishi Sunak será Primer ministro de Reino Unido
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Hambleton Today: Rishi Sunak calls for changes to hospital parking system after Blue Badge complaints
Yahoo News UK: Rishi Sunak welcomes transformation of historic North Yorkshire hotel
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The Independent: Rishi Sunak and family ‘truly at home’ in Yorkshire, former PM’s wife says
Mshale: Rishi Sunak: 'You’re More Likely To Lose Your Job To Someone Who Is Using AI, Than To AI Itself' Andrew Mountbatten-windsor (v2i0LHbHa9)
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Public attention spiked: 25,777 Wikipedia readers in one day, 6× the usual 4,280, with 0 article edits.
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“I add my thanks and congratulations to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis). Before the Minister wraps up, I thank her for a very considered, informed and thoughtful response to the debate. Whatever happens next week, I very much hope that she is in a position to continue being a champion of this cause in Government, because I think she would do it very well.”
“It is a pleasure to serve under your chairmanship, Sir Alec. I will do my best to keep standing—if nothing else, it will make me speak for a lot less time than I might otherwise, which will be a relief to everyone. I both congratulate the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis) and thank him for securing this important debate. He speaks from personal experience, and he spoke very movingly and powerfully about the situation we are discussing today. I am grateful to him for givin”
“I know the Minister appreciates that access to GPs in rural settings is incredibly important. There was great concern when my Yorkshire dales community faced the closure of the Reeth medical practice. After a concerted effort by many, thankfully a solution was found to maintain services at Reeth. Will he join me in thanking all of those involved, especially Lynn Irwin, the Central Dales practice and everyone at the Richmondshire primary care network? Will he also welcome the ambition to in fact”
“Attracting the next generation of farmers is key to the long-term sustainability of the sector. I recently visited Great Smeaton young farmers’ club, and it was wonderful to see both their contribution to the local community and their commitment to farming. Groups like that are vital to engaging young people in farming. Will the Secretary of State join me in paying tribute to Great Smeaton YFC and the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs for their important contribution to our national li”
“May I add my welcome to the new Minister? I know that he will bring experience and dedication to the role, and I thank him for his answer. The Minister is absolutely right that the new care centre will serve both serving personnel and the local community, and it will improve healthcare provision. May I ask that the MOD continues to liaise with the local authority as it develops its Catterick town regeneration plan, to ensure that things are joined up? May I also raise a broader point, on whic”
“<Question HRSContentId="{85ACA77C-45C8-4D1F-ACAE-71EBDA2B4399}">7. <QuestionText HRSContentId="{FF67FF59-B146-4366-9CE1-FDA10883193A}">What steps his Department is taking to collaborate with the national health service in Richmondshire.</QuestionText> </Question>”
“My local businesses such as Labman in Stokesley, Barkers and Sam Turner & Sons in Northallerton, and Metcalfe Farms in Leyburn are all excellent at providing opportunity for young people through apprenticeships. I note that the Government have introduced a welcome hiring incentive for the smallest businesses to take on young people, so will the Secretary of State congratulate my local businesses that are doing just that? Will the Government learn lessons from the kickstart scheme, which I believ”
Public attention spiked: 89,614 Wikipedia readers in one day, 20.9× the usual 4,280, with 2 article edits. Editors noted: Career a year cumulative, 2000
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“My constituents and I are deeply concerned about proposals to develop what would be one of England’s largest onshore wind farms right next to the Yorkshire Dales national park. With turbines as tall as the Gherkin, it would have a huge impact on the visual landscape in one of the most beautiful parts of our country and could damage our precious peatland in the moors, which, as the right hon. Gentleman will know, is a natural resource that we are lucky to have. Will he join me in praising the wor”
“I know the Secretary of State will agree that access to cash and banking services is an important part of vibrant high streets, particularly in market towns in North Yorkshire such as Stokesley. Will he join me in thanking Link for agreeing to representations by me and the local community to install a banking hub after the closure of the last bank branch in Stokesley? It will make an enormous difference to the local community. I know this is something that the Secretary of State is also passiona”
“My right hon. Friend, who is my dear friend and constituency neighbour, is making an excellent speech. He talks about families in the dales. I am sure that he agrees that families in the upper dales and Swaledale have been acutely impacted by this policy. He knows the geography well; families are also now being directed to schools in Kirkby Stephen or Barnard Castle, and getting there requires passage on minor, single- track roads through high moorland—roads that are often unpassable and unsafe”
“On that point, my first ministerial job was as Local Government Minister, and I think that the hon. Member makes an excellent point about the importance of the rural services delivery grant to councils such as North Yorkshire, which incur extra costs in delivering services in rural areas. Does he agree that that is an important aspect of local government finance that needs to be considered when MHCLG is looking at allocations, and that it is particularly important to our rural county of North Yo”
“In 1990, Dr David Birkett was brutally murdered in a crime that shocked the Teesside community. He was discovered by his young daughter, who is a constituent of mine. Despite the Deputy Prime Minister’s very welcome opposition, the murderer was recently released. May I thank the Ministry of Justice for agreeing to a request from me and the hon. Member for Middlesbrough and Thornaby East (Andy McDonald) for a meeting with my constituent to hear her concerns about the process, and about her intera”
“At the recent India AI summit, I was delighted to participate in an event, with the Deputy Prime Minister, highlighting the opportunities for British and Indian growing technology companies to do more in each other’s markets. I am looking forward to another such <span id="481" class="column-number" data-column-number="481"></span>event in London in the coming weeks. Will the Minister join me in commending both our high commissioners—Their Excellencies Lindy Cameron and Vikram Doraiswami—for thei”
Full Fact rated the claim “Pictures show the former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in hospital recovering from a medical procedure.” These pictures aren’t real. Mr Sunak’s office has confirmed the posts aren’t factual..
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
“Can I associate myself with the Secretary of State’s remarks and thank her for her thoughtful answer? I know that we both share a desire to honour the service of those in our armed forces by recognising and addressing the impact on their families. As the MP for Catterick garrison and nearby RAF Leeming, I see in particular the impact on service pupils with special educational needs and disabilities, which I know is something that she cares about. My local school leaders have recently implemented”
Also took a position as a part-time senior advisor with one of his previous employers, Goldman Sachs, with some limits on his lobbying abilities
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Career landmark: trustee (2025).
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Election lost: 2024 general election and resignation.
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PA Media rated the claim “A video appears to show Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer calling his predecessor Rishi Sunak an “absolute sausage”.” This video has what would appear to be AI-generated audio and lip-sync technology layered on top of a real video. It is clearly intended as satire. The video was posted by an account which says it posts “memes, edits, short lipsync parody videos”..
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Claimed: “The Conservatives have reduced child poverty since coming into power in 2010.” — rated By one of the Government’s four official indicators, the percentage of children in poverty decreased between 2010-11 and 2022-23, although the overall number increased. However, the other three indicators show an increase in both the percentage and number of children in poverty. by PA Media.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Claimed: “Fact check: Several countries have committed to banning new non-electric cars” — rated Dozens of other countries around the world plan to ban the sale of new diesel and petrol cars. Mr Sunak has not scrapped Conservative policy to force people to buy electric cars when they want to replace their current vehicle, but merely delayed the plans to introduce legislation by five years from 2030 to 2035. by PA Media.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Full Fact rated the claim “Rishi Sunak has raised taxes 26 times.” It’s unclear how Labour arrived at this exact figure..
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Full Fact rated the claim “Migration is at record numbers under Rishi Sunak.” Although net migration did reach record levels in 2022, when Rishi Sunak became Prime Minister, Office for National Statistics data shows it fell by around 10% in 2023..
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Full Fact rated the claim “Rishi Sunak plans to pay people £75,000 to leave the UK.” There are no such plans in the Conservative manifesto or other evidence this is true. The claim appears to have first been shared by a satirical account..
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Awarded Order of Liberty (2024).
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PA Media rated the claim “Fact check: Photo of Rishi Sunak’s mother’s pharmacy is from the 2000s” The photo being shared was taken after May 2008, long after Mr Sunak had become an adult..
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Claimed: “The average tax rate faced by a typical person in work is the lowest it has been in over half a century” — rated Because significant changes in types and rates of taxation have taken place over the last 50 years, the Prime Minister’s claim is difficult to independently corroborate over that period for individual workers. However, this appears to be correct according to Treasury analysis (partly based on data from the Office of National Statistics) of the spring budget in March in the specific circumstance of a “full-time median earner with no children and no interaction with the benefits system”. It also applies to other household demographics, when referring to direct taxation, but not when changes to benefits are taken into account. by PA Media.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Claimed: ““(Channel crossings) were down last year by a third, they’re down over the last 12 months by a little less than that.”” — rated The number of people crossing the English Channel on small boats fell 35.7% between 2022 and 2023. In the last 12 months the number of people crossing fell 26.4%. by PA Media.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Claimed: “£23.36bn in Sunak tax claim does not come from civil service figures” — rated This figure was based on a document compiled by the Conservative Party. Some of the figures that were used in that document came from civil service calculations. by PA Media.
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
PA Media rated the claim “Video of Rishi Sunak has been manipulated” The video has been manipulated. The original video was posted by the Conservatives and shows an empty page when Mr Sunak turns the page of the flipchart..
Shown as reported and rated by a fact checker, not as an established fact.
Campaign: 2024 general election and resignation.
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Career landmark: Leader of the Opposition (2024–2024).
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Career landmark: member of the 59th Parliament of the United Kingdom (2024).
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“wanted to put everything into our education and that was a priority”
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Following the 2024 general election, Sunak received praise for being gracious in defeat, with some commentators recommending for the Conservatives to keep him on as leader.
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A five-year freeze in the tax-free personal allowance and the higher rate income tax threshold, and the extension of the furlough scheme until the end of September
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By early 2022, with the cost of living becoming a growing focus of public concern, Sunak's response as chancellor was perceived as inadequate and he received some of his lowest approval ratings, which continued as the Sunak family's financial affairs came under scrutiny.
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Career landmark: First Lord of the Treasury (2022–2024).
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That he had seven dental fillings due to excessive consumption of Coca-Cola when he was younger, and expressed a strong preference for Mexican Coke
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By the time he resigned as chancellor in July 2022, Sunak's approval ratings slightly recovered.
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Career landmark: Leader of the Conservative Party (2022–2024).
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Career landmark: Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2022–2024).
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Career landmark: Minister for the Union (2022–2024).
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Career landmark: Minister for the Civil Service (2022–2024).
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Public attitudes towards Sunak remained broadly positive in 2021, though his popularity declined steadily over time.
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Though his popularity declined steadily over time
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“Thirty years of vested interests standing in the way of change. Thirty years of rhetorical ambition which achieves little more than a short-term headline. It doesn't have to be this way. It won’t be this way”
Sunak was promoted to Chancellor of the Exchequer
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“The so-called 'golden era' is over, along with the naive idea that trade would lead to social and political reform [in China].”
Various polls showed Sunak remained overwhelmingly popular among Conservative supporters and many other Britons throughout 2020.
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Career landmark: Chancellor of the Exchequer (2020–2022).
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The Conservative Party and Boris Johnson pledged to reduce net migration below 250,000 per year, but Sunak said in 2023 that the priority was not to reduce legal immigration but to stop illegal immigration
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Career landmark: Chief Secretary to the Treasury (2019–2020).
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“s undersea infrastructure. Sunak was re-elected at the 2019 general election with an increased majority of 27,210 (47.2%). Following boundary changes in the 2024 general election, Sunak won the seat of Richmond and Northallerton, which replaced his former seat of Richmond (Yorks), with a majority of 23,059 (51.4). Local government under-secretary (2018–2019) Sunak was appointed to a junior ministerial position in May”
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Career landmark: member of the 58th Parliament of the United Kingdom (2019–2024).
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Career landmark: Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom (2019).
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And was appointed to the cabinet-attending role of Chief Secretary to the Treasury by Johnson in 2019
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Career landmark: Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Local Government (2018–2019).
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Career landmark: member of the 57th Parliament of the United Kingdom (2017–2019).
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Career landmark: member of the 56th Parliament of the United Kingdom (2015–2017).
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Studied at Stanford University (2006).
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Studied at Lincoln College (2001).
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Sunak worked as an analyst for investment bank Goldman Sachs between 2001 and 2004
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Of prime ministers living in the four-bedroom flat above 11 Downing Street
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Born 1980-05-12.
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And was a general practitioner in the National Health Service (NHS)
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I add my thanks and congratulations to the hon. Member for Bexleyheath and Crayford (Daniel Francis). Before the Minister wraps up, I thank her for a very considered, informed and thoughtful response to the debate. Whatever happens next week, I very much hope that she is in a position to continue being a champion of this cause in Government, because I think she would do it very well.
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