Rishi Sunak became the United Kingdom's prime minister in October 2022, replacing Liz Truss.
He was the first Hindu and the first person of color to lead the UK, and at the age of 42 he was the youngest person to take the office in more than 200 years.
He was replaced by Keir Starmer in July 2024 after the Labour Party won the general election in a landslide.
Sunak was first elected to Parliament in 2015, and he spent two years on the backbenches when Brexit dominated the political agenda. He subsequently became a junior minister in Theresa May's government.
It was Boris Johnson who gave Sunak his first major government role when he first appointed him as the chief secretary to the Treasury in 2019. Johnson also promoted Sunak to chancellor in 2020.
![Sunak and Boris Johnson watch as a sheep is sheared during a visit to a farm in North Yorkshire, England, in July 2019. At the time Johnson was running to lead Britain's Conservative Party and Sunak was a member of Parliament.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100123-02-rishi-sunak-gallery-2019.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Johnson, as Prime Minister, holds his first Cabinet meeting in London in July 2019. Johnson appointed Sunak, seen on the right, as chief secretary to the Treasury.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100323-04-rishi-sunak-gallery-2019.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak speaks in front of the words "Get Brexit Done" at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester, England, in September 2019. He voted for the UK to leave the European Union in the 2016 referendum.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100203-03-rishi-sunak-gallery-2019.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak speaks during a general election debate in Cardiff, Wales, in November 2019.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100356-05-rishi-sunak-gallery-2019.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak poses for a picture at the Treasury Office in London in March 2020. Johnson promoted Sunak to chancellor in 2020.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100422-06-rishi-sunak-gallery-2020.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak is seen outside 11 Downing Street in London before heading to the House of Commons to deliver his budget in March 2020.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100509-07-rishi-sunak-gallery-2020.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![From left, Sunak, Johnson and Dr. Jenny Harries speak about the coronavirus pandemic at a media briefing in London in March 2020. Sunak won popularity during the early weeks of the pandemic when he unveiled an extensive support plan for those unable to work during lockdown.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100536-08-rishi-sunak-gallery-2020.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Johnson and Sunak visit a London pizza restaurant as it prepared to reopen in July 2020 when lockdown rules were eased.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100623-09-rishi-sunak-gallery-2020.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Douglas Ross, leader of the Scottish Conservative Party, meets with Sunak at Wemyss Bay on the west coast of Scotland in August 2020.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100702-10-rishi-sunak-gallery-2020.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak meets with local businesses during a visit to the Isle of Bute in Scotland in August 2020.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100738-11-rishi-sunak-gallery-2020.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak learns the art of handling clay to make plates during a visit to a pottery business in Stoke-on-Trent, England, in September 2020. Employees were returning to work after being furloughed.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024100845-12-rishi-sunak-gallery-2020.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak is seen on Downing Street ahead of a Cabinet meeting in September 2020.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024101052-13-rishi-sunak-gallery-2020.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![In October 2020, customers at the Tib Street Tavern in Manchester watch Sunak announce that the government will pay two-thirds of staff wages in pubs, restaurants and other businesses if they are forced to close under new coronavirus restrictions.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024101650-14-rishi-sunak-gallery-2020.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak delivers a speech during the annual Conservative Party Conference in Manchester in October 2021.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024101652-15-rishi-sunak-gallery-2021.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, speak to Prince Charles during a reception at the British Museum in London in February 2022. Murty is the daughter of an Indian billionaire. Earlier this year, Sunak and Murty appeared on the Sunday Times Rich List of <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/rishi-sunak-akshata-murty-net-worth-sunday-times-rich-list-86ls8n09h" target="_blank" target="_blank">the UK's 250 wealthiest people</a>. The newspaper estimated their joint net worth at £730 million ($826 million).](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024101654-16-rishi-sunak-gallery-2022.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak launches his bid to become leader of the Conservative Party in July 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024101655-17-rishi-sunak-gallery-2022-restricted.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak and Murty are seen with their daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, while campaigning in Grantham, England, in July 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024101700-18-rishi-sunak-gallery-2022.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![In August 2022, Sunak visits his family's old business, Bassett Pharmacy, in Southampton, England. His parents came to the UK from East Africa in the 1960s. His father was a local doctor while his mother ran a pharmacy in southern England, something Sunak says gave him his desire to serve the public.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024101659-20-rishi-sunak-gallery-2022.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak and Liz Truss stand together on stage during the final Conservative Party Hustings event in London in August 2022. At the time, they were the final two contenders to become the country's next Prime Minister. Truss defeated Sunak with 81,326 votes to 60,399 among party members. When she announced her resignation weeks later, he became the frontrunner to replace her.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024101702-21-rishi-sunak-gallery-2022.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Graham Brady — chairman of the 1922 Committee — announces Sunak will become the new leader of the Conservative Party on October 24, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024103445-23-rishi-sunak-gallery-2022-restricted.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak waves in London after winning the Conservative Party leadership contest on October 24, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221024105640-24-rishi-sunak-gallery-2022.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![King Charles III welcomes Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become prime minister on October 25, 2022.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/221025064122-bpt103-rishi-sunak-1025.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak and UK finance minister Jeremy Hunt fix a sign during a trip to the Accrington Market Hall in Accrington, England, in January 2023. Sunak announced funding to more than 100 projects across the UK through the government's <a href="https://levellingup.campaign.gov.uk/" target="_blank" target="_blank">"levelling up" fund</a>.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/240703153410-01-sunak-gallery-update-file-jan-2023.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/06/08/politics/joe-biden-rishi-sunak-visit/index.html" target="_blank">meets US President Joe Biden at the White House</a> during a visit to Washington, DC, in June 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/240703153454-02-sunak-gallery-update-file-jun-2023.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak speaks with journalists as he travels to India for the G20 Summit in September 2023.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/240703153547-03-sunak-gallery-update-file-sep-2023.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak holds a news conference about immigration in December 2023. Sunak, himself the son of immigrants, has made bringing down the UK's net migration numbers one of his <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/12/09/uk/rishi-sunak-conservative-infighting-gbr-intl/index.html" target="_blank">key priorities</a>, as small boat crossings in the English Channel have become a touchstone in British politics.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/240703153622-04-sunak-gallery-update-file-dec-2023.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak, soaked by rain, delivers a statement outside No. 10 Downing Street in May 2024. <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/22/uk/uk-early-elections-sunak-conservatives-intl/index.html" target="_blank">Sunak announced a snap general election</a> as his Conservative Party faces an uphill struggle to extend its 14 years in power. Sunak was required to hold a vote by January 2025.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/240703153805-06-sunak-gallery-update-file-may-2024.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak joins Queen Camilla, King Charles III, French President Emmanuel Macron and French first lady Brigitte Macron during a D-Day commemorative event in France in June 2024. Sunak later <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2024/06/07/uk/rishi-sunak-d-day-event-uk-election-gbr-intl/index" target="_blank">apologized for leaving the D-Day commemorations</a> early in order to film a TV interview, a decision that prompted incredulity and further derailed his floundering general election campaign.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/240703153848-07-sunak-gallery-update-file-jun-2024.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak debates Labour Party leader Keir Starmer in Nottingham, England, in June 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/240703153935-08-sunak-gallery-update-file.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murty, arrive to cast their vote in the general election in July 2024.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/240704153543-01-rishi-sunak-voting-gallery-070424.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak arrives for the declaration of election results in Northallerton, England, in July 2024. Sunak <a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/uk-general-election-results-2024-intl#h_d5ff79320936a54cd729d57296efb86f" target="_blank">conceded defeat</a> in the general election, telling people at the count: "I am sorry."](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/240705050218-01-rishi-sunak-070524.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)
![Sunak <a href="https://www.cnn.com/world/live-news/uk-general-election-results-2024-intl#h_788a36f27124dca707e9876c2df6f643" target="_blank">delivers a speech</a> outside No. 10 Downing Street following the general election in July 2024. "I have heard your anger, your disappointment, and I take responsibility for this loss," he said.](https://cdn.statically.io/img/media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/240705134743-01-sunak-gallery-update-070524.jpg?q=w_1576,c_fill)