Rishi had a signed cricket bat in the treasury office. Photo: Paul Cooper
What kind of person is the Prime Minister? This was the question many Britons would have asked when Rishi Sunak first took office, having been in the forefront of frontline politics for just three and a half years. A year later, he hasn't revealed much, but how he spent his time away from work provides some clues.
Sunak is a fan of «trash TV», according to those who know him well. Bridgerton and Emily in Paris are two of Netflix's favorite box sets. Heart 00s is his favorite radio station, filled with cheesy classics from the first decade of the new millennium. One aide recalled how Sunak once sang Britney Spears' «Baby One More Time» during a late-night drive in the minister's car. “He sang along. He knew all the words,” the source said.
Sunak can rap the intro to Vanilla Ice's Ice Ice Baby, as he once proved in an interview. His love of Jilly Cooper fanbusters also seems genuine: on one trip abroad, the Prime Minister eagerly told reporters that the Rathshire Chronicles series, starting with the novel Riders, was his favorite. «He just wants to do something that is complete escapism,» said a Downing Street adviser. Anything too close to his profession is vetoed. For this reason, he brushed aside the recommendation to start watching the political series «The Diplomat».
Sunak's activities may seem like teenage platitudes. The Star Wars and James Bond franchises are among his best films (and Jaws is one of Boris' favorites). The Beatles are his favorite group. His passion for Nando's, a chain of chicken restaurants, was such that he kept his own set of bottles of the signature sauce in the Treasury. “He was a guy of average sexuality,” the aide said. Chicken sandwiches were also a favorite lunch order.
Film buff Sunak with his family during a trip to the cinema Photo: Instagram
Despite his slight build and being only 5ft 6ins tall, he has a very sweet tooth. “He just always carries a bar of chocolate with him,” said a Treasury insider. Sunak doesn't drink alcohol: he was forced to drink vodka on his stag night and hated the taste.
His love of Coca-Cola was widely broadcast, not least thanks to a giggling clip of two schoolchildren that went viral, in which he admitted to being a «total Coca-Cola addict.» A full-sugar version of the popular drink was Sunak's Saturday night treat while he was in charge of the UK economy. After a meeting in California with the “leader of the free world,” President Joe Biden, the plane home was filled with bottles of Mexican cola, known to be particularly harmful.
For the most part, he was seen as a geek, but that image doesn't fit perfectly. There's also a strong «tech bro» trait, honed from years spent surrounded by Silicon Valley unicorns while studying for an MBA. On trips abroad, Sunak would often change into a sweatshirt, sweatpants and socks before heading to the back of the plane to chat with reporters: a stark change from predecessors who remained in formal attire. Sunak's black Palm Angels slides — plastic slip-on shoes — caused such a stir when he was pictured wearing them as chancellor that they ended up on the front of his Christmas cards.
He has a weakness for gizmos. He landed himself in hot water when photos published showing his budget preparations showed a £180 smart coffee mug keeping liquid warm. In issue 10, he was seen using an «erasable ink» pen, allowing him to make corrections. He also has a Peloton bike in apartment 10. He has previously named Cody Rigsby as his favorite Peloton instructor, noting, again, the frequency with which Britney Spears plays in classes.
It's in the tech space that Sunak feels himself most comfortable, in the words of former Tory Chancellor: “When he sits with a group of corporations, the FTSE CEOs, his eyes glaze over. When he talks to startups, unicorns and Californians, his eyes light up.”
Cycling is not his only sporting activity. Sunak is running. In May 2023, he ran 10km in 47 minutes and 41 seconds — a time likely not matched by any of his predecessors as prime minister. He follows football wholeheartedly, especially his hometown club Southampton. According to one of his aides, he expressed bewilderment at Johnson's suiting up for the England jersey, even though he did not like the sport.
Sunak is also a cricket fan. At the Treasury, he had a signed England bat in his office, which he swung as he practiced forward shots in defense and cover while discussing the situation with the officials. In the evenings he would sometimes go with his cousin to play nets at the Oval.
The Prime Minister always monitors the BBC's Test match coverage. Photo: Paul Cooper
During the working day during the England Test, he kept the BBC's online ball-by-ball coverage on his computer so he could follow the match. Appearing on the BBC's beloved live commentary program Test Match Special in July 2023 during the Ashes series, Sunak admitted he dove into the statistical breakdown of England's performances in 2022 to find out whether Buzzball was working.
The Prime Minister, whose grandparents were of Indian descent, spoke of past family days spent attending matches in Hampshire.
Another reflection of his Indian origin is Sunak's religion. According to those who know him well, he is the first Hindu Prime Minister to hold dear the teachings and principles of the religion. “What Hinduism gives him is about values and what it teaches about how you treat other people, what respect means, what kind of person you are. He is a very valuable person,” said one of the allies.
After becoming chancellor, Sunak placed a small statue of the deity Shri Ganesha on his desk, a symbol of good luck in new endeavors. He left it there for Boris Johnson when, battling Covid-19, the then prime minister was isolated in the part of the Downing Street complex where the chancellor's office was located. The statue will still be on Sunak's desk in Number 10.
When it comes to his professional life, one thing colleagues always point out is Sunak's relentless work ethic. “He feels the weight of responsibility very strongly. It’s a very Indian idea, this idea of public service and duty,” said one ally. Some of his team related this to his childhood.
When he was growing up, the Sunaks had no money. Although Sunak is regularly credited with the title of «richest MP», his enormous wealth came through his marriage to Akshata Murthy, whose father, Narayana Murthy, is a billionaire Indian entrepreneur. Sunak's father, Yashveer, was a GP who worked around the clock to pay for Sunak to be sent to boarding school at Winchester, a state school, while his mother, Usha, ran a pharmacy, with young Rishi occasionally helping with the bookkeeping.
“His father literally worked seven days a week, seven days a week, taking every shift he could because he wanted to earn money to put towards his education,” a Sunak ally said. “He grew up watching his father do it, and as the eldest of three children, Rishi understood much more what his parents did.”
Today Sunak prefers to work late rather than start super early. He usually arrives at his office by 7.30 or 8 am, holding meetings in the morning whenever possible so that he can devote time in the afternoon to his ministerial red box, sometimes until 10 pm.
Rishi shows off Palm Angels rompers. Photo: Simon Walker/HM Treasury
He has a keen intellect, honed through the ranks: he was head boy at both his prep school, Stroud School, and at Winchester. He earned a first-class degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) at Oxford University before beating stiff competition for a Fulbright scholarship that brought him to Stanford.
“Superman Sunak” became a favorite cliche of political cartoonists, the “purer purity” image catching on largely because it sounded plausible. But he also ignores the hours he puts in. «Rishi is fifth gear, 100 per cent energetic, dedicated to his job,» said Dominic Raab, who was Sunak's deputy prime minister. «If he weren't in politics, he'd be the same in business.»
A former Treasury colleague said: “His answer to most questions is to work harder.”
>This approach makes his ministerial work very thorough, and others are expected to take the step too. Sunak, as chancellor, had a habit of asking to speak to junior officials whose skills he wanted to master. This was a sign of his determination to deeply understand politics and his willingness to listen to younger staff, but it also required that they could be contacted at a moment's notice, on weekends or evenings. Some in Downing Street believed Sunak had a photographic memory, such was his ability to conjure up specific details from material he read, although he always denied this.
Sunak's resolute focus meant he could have frustrations, often poorly hidden. when reporters used press conferences on specific announcements to ask him questions about other topics. Sunak was not an avid newspaper consumer. He occasionally skimmed the front pages, but he had an unusual approach to the press. Instead, he will rely on early briefings from his public relations team.
As with all politicians, intense press scrutiny can lead to irritation. “He could be a little thin-skinned at times,” said one colleague who worked at the Treasury Department. “You can see that he can be a little grumpy sometimes during interviews.”
But one of Sunak's key features as boss was the strong bond he forged with his close-knit group of advisers. His core team has changed little between the Treasury and Number 10 — a testament to the loyalty Sunak has instilled.
Abridged extract from The Right to Rule, released September 28 (John Murray, £25); pre-order at books.telegraph.co.uk
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