What nationality is Rishi Sunak? Ancestry explored as new British PM gears up to take charge as first British-Asian premier 

Rishi Sunak is all set to take charge as the new British Prime Minister, becoming the first British-Asian premier and the first person of color to lead the nation.

The 42-year-old was elected to his role following the sudden resignation of Liz Truss after 44 days in office last week. Sunak earned the support of a majority of MPs from the Conservative Party after his opponent, Penny Mordaunt, pulled out of the race.

Former British PM Boris Johnson also wanted to announce his candidacy, but backed out after saying “this would simply not be the right thing to do.” On Tuesday, October 25, King Charles III formally anointed Rishi Sunak and appointed him the Prime Minister of the country.

Shortly after his appointment, Sunak addressed reporters gathered outside his 10 Downing Street residence and spoke about the nation's prevailing economic crisis:

“It is only right to explain why I am standing here as your new prime minister. Right now our country is facing a profound economic crisis. The aftermath of COVID still lingers.”

He also pledged to work towards fixing economic issues and living up to the demands of his position:

"I have been elected as leader of my party and your prime minister, in part to fix them. I understand, too, that I have work to do to restore trust, after all that has happened. All I can say is that I am not daunted. I know the high office I have accepted and I hope to live up to its demands.”

As the first Hindu Prime Minister of the UK, Rishi Sunak took his oath as an MP at the House of Commons on the Bhagavad Gita in 2017. While the politician was born in England and holds British citizenship, his ethnicity is reportedly Indian.

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A look into Rishi Sunak’s ancestry and ethnicity

Rishi Sunak's ethnicity his Indian and he was a British citizenship (Image via Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak was born on May 12, 1980, in Southampton, Hampshire to African-born Hindu parents of Indian Punjabi descent. Both his paternal and maternal grandfathers were reportedly born in the Punjab province of British India and migrated from East Africa to the UK with their families in 1960s.

His father Yashvir Sunak was born and raised in the Colony and Protectorate of Kenya and currently works as a general practitioner in the National Health Service (NHS).

His mother, Usha Sunak, was born in Tanganyika and serves as the director and pharmacist at Sunak Pharmacy in Southampton.

While Rishi Sunak's paternal grandfather Ramdas Sunak is from Gujranwala (located in present-day Pakistan), his maternal grandfather Raghubir Sain Berry MBE worked as a tax official in Tanganyika.

Ramdas Sunak reportedly moved to Nairobi to work as a clerk in 1935 and was joined by his wife Suhag Rani Sunak from Delhi in 1937. Meanwhile, Raghubir Berry married 16-year-old Tanganyika-born Sraksha and had three children with his wife.

Rishi Sunak's paternal grandparents had six children together. His father Yashveer was born in 1949 in Nairobi and moved to Liverpool in 1966. The latter married Usha in Leicester in 1977.

Sunak has often spoken about his Indian-origin and cultural heritage despite having British citizenship. The politician is also a practicing Hindu and reportedly lit diyas (lamps) on the festival of Diwali at his Downing Street residence while serving as the Chancellor of the Exchequer during Boris Johnson's tenure.

The British Prime Minister is married to Akshata Murty, daughter of Indian billionaire N.R. Narayana Murty and his wife, philanthropist Sudha Murty. Reports suggest that Sunak often visits Bangalore with his wife to meet his in-laws.