What did Rishi Sunak do before becoming a politician, what background does he have and what is his profession?

Rishi Sunak’s days as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom could well be numbered, with polls suggesting the current PM’s Conservative Party (the Tories) are set for a comprehensive defeat to the Labour Party in the 2024 United Kingdom general election, which would see opposition leader Keir Starmer move into No. 10 Downing Street.

Sunak hoping to avoid making unwanted election history

Indeed, Sunak’s position is said to be so precarious that sources have told British newspaper The Guardian he is even fearful of losing his constituency in Richmond in Yorkshire on Thursday, which would make him the first sitting Prime Minister to lose his seat.

The 44-year-old was became leader of the Tories in October 2022 as a successor to Liz Truss, who resigned from her position after only 50 days in office, making her the shortest-serving UK Prime Minister of all time.

Sunak’s Conservative Party career

Prior to that, Sunak had been (officially) involved in politics for seven years after being elected to the House of Commons, the lower house of the parliament, in 2015. Initially Richmond (Yorks), his current constituency is now called Richmond and Northallerton.

From there, he made his way up through the Tory ranks, serving as Chief Secretary to the Treasury (July 2019 to February 2020) and Chancellor of the Exchequer (February 2020 to July 2022). For those not familiar, both are high-ranking roles responsible for economic and financial matters.

Having Sunak in those positions made plenty of sense, given his background. Before venturing into politics at the age of 35, the first British Asian PM worked in the financial services industry from 2001 through to 2015.

Rishi Sunak: education and pre-politics career

Sunak studied philosophy, politics and economics at Lincoln College in Oxford, graduating with a first in 2001, the highest possible grade. Although he did an internship with the Conservative Party during his time at university, he initially went down the economics route in terms of work.

The Tory leader started out as an analyst for Goldman Sachs (2001 to 2004) before working for two hedge fund management firms, The Children’s Investment Fund Management (2004 to 2009), of which he also became a director, and Theleme Partners (2010 to 2013), with whom he was based in California.

He later worked as a director of Catamaran Ventures, an investment firm, between 2013 and 2015, at which point he resigned to focus on his career in politics.

What will happen to Rishi Sunak after the election?

According to The Guardian, Sunak is considering a return to the financial services industry, even if he continues as a Member of Parliament (MP), although a Conservative Party source has denied that is the case. He has previously publicly refuted suggestions he would return to California if he lost the election, claiming he would stay on as an MP even if Labour is voted in, provided, of course, he retains his seat.