Rishi Sunak, the son-in-law of Infosys chief Narayana Murthy, is among two new Indian-origin MPs to be inducted into the UK government by British Prime Minister Theresa May following the recent reshuffle of her team of ministers.
Sunak, 37, a Conservative party MP for Richmond (Yorkshire), has been appointed the new parliamentary under- secretary of state in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of a New Year reshuffle this week.
Sunak is joined by fellow pro- Brexit campaigner, Goan- origin Suella Fernandes, who takes charge as parliamentary under-secretary of state in the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU).
Sunak and Fernandes, who take charge of their junior ministerial roles as part of May’s team, were among the prominent Indianorigin campaigners in favour of Britain’s exit from the EU in the June 2016 referendum, pushing for closer ties with Commonwealth countries like India.
“From working in my mum’s tiny chemist shop to my experience building large businesses, I have seen how we should support free enterprise and innovation to ensure Britain has a stronger future,” said Sunak.
The UK-born son of a pharmacist mother and a National Health Service (NHS) general practitioner father is married to Murthy’s daughter Akshata Murthy.
The Oxford University and Stanford MBA graduate co-founded a 1- billion-pound global investment firm and specialised in investing in small British businesses before his entry to the British Parliament in the 2015 general election.
Since his re-election in last year’s snap election called by May, Sunak was widely tipped for a ministerial role in a government keen to enhance the ethnic mix of its Cabinet.
Sunak believes small businesses in the UK would flourish as a result of Brexit as the “vast majority of British businesses (94 per cent) do not have anything to do with the EU; but they are still subject to all EU law.”
Fernandes’ political career has had a similar trajectory, having entered Parliament as a Tory MP in 2015 and then re-elected in the June 2017 snap poll.
The Eurosceptic MP for Fareham has been equally vocal in favour of Brexit, which she believes will allow Britain to strike closer bilateral ties with Commonwealth countries like India and enable “qualified doctors, teachers, and entrepreneurs from non-EU countries” to make a positive contribution to the UK economy.
Britain decided to leave the European Union after the Brexit referendum on June 23 2016. The country expected to exit the bloc by March 2019.