Rishi Sunak’s position as a possible future Prime Minister of Britain has been further undermined by The Sunday Times putting him and his wife Akshata Murty on its Rich List — or the “Rish List” as the roll call of the wealthiest people in the country is dubbed sarcastically by the Daily Mail.
On an Indian dominated list headed by Srichand and Gopi Hinduja, with £28.47 billion and steel tycoon Lakshmi Mittal 6th with £17 billion, Sunak is said to be the richest politician in the UK, placed at number 222 with £730 million.
He is being attacked by his enemies as an “uncaring chancellor” who allegedly does not understand the problems of ordinary people struggling to pay basic food and energy bills with inflation heading towards 10 per cent.
Assuming the £730 million is roughly right, most of the money belongs to his wife through the Infosys shares she holds in India. As a “non-domicile” resident of the UK, she is liable to pay tax on her dividends if they are brought into Britain.
The Daily Mail said that “social media users have raised eyebrows at the announcement, with some questioning how a multimillionaire Chancellor will be able to relate to the millions of Britons facing a cost of living squeeze”.
One wrote: “Does Rishi Sunak appearing in the Times Rich List give him a unique insight into working class families managing the cost of living crisis?”
A Twitter user described Sunak’s inclusion as a “bitter pill to take”. She wrote: “Rishi Sunak and his wife making the Rich List is a bitter pill to take from a man in charge of the country’s purse strings — when so many have been forced into poverty with the current cost of living crisis.”
Another wrote: “Rishi Sunak and his wife are in the Times Rich List. They’re in the top 250 richest in the country! He’s definitely going to help ordinary people isn’t he.”
Sunak was defended by his cabinet colleague and deputy prime minister Dominic Raab, who told the Rupert Murdoch-owed Times Radio: “He’s a fantastic example of someone who’s been successful in business, who’s coming to make a big impact in public service.
“I think we want more of those people. I think it’s fantastic that you’ve got someone of British-Indian origin, showing all people in our country that you can get to the top of politics.
“And frankly, I think if I understood correctly, the Sunday Times Rich List was a reflection of not just him but his wife. His wife is an incredibly successful entrepreneur in her own right.”
“Again someone that’s here, British-Indian, and actually I think we want to see more women succeeding in both business and politics.”
But it’s also worth noting that cartoonists on some papers are showing Sunak’s complexion as being much darker than it is, possibly to send a not so subtle message to Tory voters in a future leadership contest that “he’s not one of us”.
