From Dishy Rishi to Fishy Rishi, here is why Rishi Sunak lost race to 10 Downing Street

Truss will become the third female Prime Minister of the UK after Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher.

 

Rishi Sunak became a household name during the COVID-19 pandemic with many calling him “Dishy Rishi”. Britain’s top political commentators had begun to see him as the next leader of the country. It was his resignation that eventually resulted in the early end of Johnson’s premiership.

One of the biggest reasons for Sunak’s fall from grace appears to be bringing down Johnson, Hindustan Times reported. Some members of his party blame him for the rebellion, while others believe Sunak will not be able to lead the Tories to a win against the Labour Party in the next general election.

Another revelation that worked against him was that he held a US Green Card for a while even when he was a Chancellor. Southampton-born Sunak met his wife Akshata Murthy, who is the daughter of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy while studying at Stanford in 2006. The couple stayed in the US after marriage in 2009. While the UK allows dual citizenship, some Tory members were worried about Sunak’s long-term plans. Sunak admitted to holding the Green Card for over 18 months after becoming Chancellor but said he had given up the status in October 2021.

 

Sunak’s popularity suffered another blow when reports about his wife Akshata Murthy not paying taxes on her international income as a non-domicile resident emerged. With assets worth £430 million, Akshata is believed to be wealthier than Queen Elizabeth II, according to Sunday Times Rich List.

Sunak was also fined, along with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, for attending rule-breaking gatherings during the COVID-19 lockdown.

In the initial days of the campaign, a video of Rishi Sunak admitting to taking money from deprived urban areas to fund projects in the Kent commuter belt dented his reputation, Mint reported. His comment also cut across the UK government’s rhetoric of spreading wealth beyond the southeast.

An editorial in The Mirror labelled Sunak as ‘Fishy Rishi’, accusing him of taxing the poor while his wife dodged taxes.