Prime Minister (PM) Rishi Sunak’s rise to power, handling the top job in British politics is not the only thing making headlines. The first Indian-origin PM of the United Kingdom (UK) has attracted many eyeballs for his personal wealth, both in the past and in the present. While PM Sunak has never officially commented on his personal wealth, several reports have flourished touting claims on his net worth, his way of earning and the Infosys connection.
Just before the investment banker-turned-politician ran for the top job, the Sunday Times Rich List valued the joint fortune of Sunak and Murty at £730 million. For the unversed, Murty is the new PM’s wife and also his connection to the Indian tech giant Infosys, a company that happens to be a household affair for the lady as she is the daughter of NR Narayana Murthy, 76, co-founder of Infosys.
As the Sunday Times Rich List ranked the millionaire couple at 222, out of 250 UK’s wealthiest people list, a report in Livemint.com also suggests that Sunak is also said to be the richest man in the House of Commons.
PM Rishi Sunak – Net Worth and Sources of Income
The Southampton-born Prime Minister has been married to the Infosys-fortune heiress for many years now. But the lady’s net worth or share in the Indian tech giant is not all the millionaire jazz is about. According to The Times, Sunak was a multi-millionaire in his mid-twenties, thanks to his knowledge and career in finance.
According to Livemint.com, both Sunak and Murty own four homes – two in London, one in Yorkshire and one in L.A. Their Grade-II listed Georgian mansion in Yorkshire may be set across 12 acres, but their five-bedroom home in Kensington is reportedly worth £7 million alone.
Coming to the earnings part, the Mint report adds that Sunak’s salary as a Chancellor was £151,649. Add to it the win of the leadership contest, the new PM would only be making more.
On Sunak being a multi-millionaire in his mid-twenties, several media reports claim that before entering politics, he was a partner at two highly-profitable hedge funds and around early 2000s, he was also an analyst for the investment bank, Goldman Sachs. However, Outlook could not independently verify these claims.
Rishi Sunak – The Infosys Connection
UK’s new Prime Minister is Murty’s husband, daughter of Infosys co-founder. While she owns a 0.9 per cent stake estimated around £700 million, she has hardly ever gone guns blazing about her fabulously rich fortune.
However, not Sunak but the fact that she held a non-domiciled status, meaning she did not have to pay any tax on her earnings from outside the UK, brought her under the spotlight. Later, she agreed to pay taxes on her worldwide income, also a move known to avoid any ‘distraction’ for the husband’s political career.
Murty’s stake in Infosys also became a matter of controversy after the Russia-Ukraine war began. Back then, several reports suggested that Infosys may shut down its Russia office very soon. The entire narrative surrounding the wealth of the couple has also made many critics question if they were out of touch with the common person’s problems.
