Destination Number 10

Rishi Sunak, Liz Truss and Penny Mordaunt lead the race to find Johnson's successor

- AJISH P. JOY

RISHI SUNAK 42, former chancellor of the exchequer

Sunak resigned on July 5 as chancellor of the exchequer along with health secretary Sajid Javid, triggering an avalanche of resignations leading to Johnson’s downfall. For a large number of Tory supporters, Sunak was Johnson’s presumed heir for a long time, his popularity burnished by his efficiency in offering a competent financial response to Covid-19.

But he faces unexpected headwinds after revelations that his wife, Akshata Murthy, daughter of Infosys founder N.R. Narayana Murthy, opted for non-domicile status, which allowed her to avoid paying tax in the UK. Adding to Sunak’s woes is the fact that he retained his US green card for a while even after taking over as chancellor and the fixed-penalty notice he received for attending booze parties during the lockdown.

Some critics also pointed out that he was the first chancellor to find a place in the Sunday Times rich list and that he chose to build a £400,000 leisure complex at his £ 2 million Yorkshire mansion, even as the UK faced double-digit inflation, showing that he is out of touch with the travails of the common man. His tax hikes as chancellor, too, have been unpopular. Moreover, Johnson’s inner circle is unhappy with Sunak, as they feel that the former chancellor was not sufficiently loyal and was planning his leadership campaign even as he served in the cabinet.