Rishi Sunak: The Rise

by Michael Ashcroft

In the middle of 2019, Rishi Sunak was an unknown junior minister in the local government department. Seven months later, at the age of thirty-nine, he was Chancellor of the Exchequer, grappling with the gravest economic crisis in modern history. Michael Ashcroft's new book charts Sunak's ascent from his parents' Southampton pharmacy to the University of Oxford, the City of London, Silicon Valley - and the top of British politics.

Rishi The Rise is the tale of a super-bright and hardgrafting son of immigrant parents who marries an Indian heiress and makes a fortune of his own; a polished urban southerner who wins over the voters of rural North Yorkshire - and a cautious, fiscally conservative financier who becomes the biggest-spending Chancellor in history. Sunak was unexpectedly promoted to the Treasury's top job in February 2020, with a brief to spread investment and opportunity as part of Boris Johnson's levelling-up agenda. Within weeks, the coronavirus had sent Britain into lockdown, with thousands of firms in peril and millions of jobs on the line. As health workers battled to save lives, it was down to Sunak to save livelihoods. This is the story of how he tore up the rulebook and went for broke.

445 pages, Kindle Edition

Published December 20, 2022

About the author

Michael Anthony P. Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, KCMG, PC is an English–Belizean businessman and politician. He is a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Ashcroft founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates in 1972 and is the 95th richest person in the UK, as ranked by the Sunday Times Rich List 2017, with an estimated fortune of £1.35 billion.

Reviews

[Dr Kashmira Gohil · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book depicts the rise of Rishi Sunak, the PM of the UK, from his entry in to politics, his role as a treasurer and chancellor in the conservative group of ministry. As to his background, he's son-in -law of the Infosys founder Narayan Murti and Sudha murti,as Rishi sunak is married to their daughter Akshata Murti but very little is published about this personal aspects including his own parents. The book is mainly about Rishi Sunak's foray in to politics, his work and opinions in politics, his humanitarian work, schemes and his over all stand, smartness, decency human being, intelligence and empathy was much appreciated by large public in UK.
The book is overall okay as it provides much information, but I didn't enjoy reading it much like other biographies as it's written by someone else and phrased like brief interviews of several people, not by the rishi sunak himself, in the first word. Also too much of UK politics and about Brexit that I can care to read, so, only 3 stars for this one.

[Swapna Peri ( Book Reviews Cafe ) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Rise of Rishi Sunak is a biography of British politician and investor Rishi Sunak, who has been the Chancellor of the Exchequer since October 2022. The book chronicles Sunak's journey from his Southampton pharmacy to the University of Oxford, the City of London, Silicon Valley, and the pinnacle of British politics. Sunak is portrayed as intelligent, thorough, and data-driven, but the novel leaves critical aspects unresolved, such as his riches and how he has avoided creating enemies in Westminster. The book has 22 chapters, covering Sunak's birth, childhood, teenage, wedding, and his journey into the cabinet. While it does not address all Sunak's queries, it provides a fascinating peek into his life and profession.