Yet he was the long-time favorite and on his way to becoming Britain's first non-white head of government.

But Rishi Sunak, ex-finance minister with a meteoric political rise, is now struggling to convince in the home stretch for the succession of Boris Johnson against Liz Truss.

Favorite candidate of the deputies, this rich 42-year-old former Hindu banker, grandson of Indian immigrants, is left behind by the head of diplomacy in the polls within the some 200,000 members of the Conservative Party, responsible for deciding between them from here early September.

Brexit supporter

Accused of having betrayed Boris Johnson by slamming the door of the government in early July, deemed too smooth, too centrist or too timorous in his budgetary prudence against a competitor who promises massive tax cuts, the task is tough for Rishi Sunak, despite gaining popularity when he handed out billions of pounds in state aid during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Despite his oratorical facilities which gave him hope of climbing the slope during the campaign, this early supporter of Brexit did not manage to reverse the trend.

Worse, he seemed condescending during the first televised duel, constantly cutting Liz Truss off and seeming to lecture her.

Fiscal prudence

Faced with the fiscal shock proposed by the head of diplomacy, described as a "fairy tale", he opposes budgetary prudence and the need to control the historic inflation which is weighing down British households.

Under pressure, however, he did an about-face by promising cuts in VAT on energy and embarked on a one-upmanship of attractive proposals for the right wing of the "Tories", on immigration for example.

But in times of crisis in the cost of living, his fortune, amassed during his career in finance and through his marriage to Akshata Murty, daughter of an Indian multi-billionaire, goes badly.

Liz Truss' allies mocked her expensive suits and Prada shoes worn during the campaign.

He also recently saw a youth video resurfacing where he confessed to not having a friend from the working class.

success story

Faced with these criticisms, this fan of the

Star Wars

saga returns his family history, as a success story as conservatives like them.

Born on May 12, 1980 in Southampton, on the south coast of England, Rishi Sunak is indeed the eldest of three children and the son of a general practitioner in the public health system and a pharmacist.

Born in India, his grandparents emigrated to British East Africa in the 1960s.

“My family immigrated here 60 years ago.

(My mother) ran the local pharmacy in Southampton.

This is where I grew up, in the store, delivering the drugs.

I worked as a waiter at the Indian restaurant down the street, ”he said in a rare moment during the proceedings when he drew applause.

“I am here thanks to the hard work, sacrifice and love of my parents”.

It is also a way of recalling the career of Margaret Thatcher, the “Iron Lady” of liberal reforms, the daughter of merchants whose candidates are fighting over the inheritance and who is often cited as a model by Liz Truss.

Labor side

Rishi Sunak, however, quickly rose to the elite by attending Winchester College, a very chic boarding school for boys.

He then studied politics, philosophy and economics at the prestigious universities of Oxford, England, and Stanford, USA.

Before entering politics, he worked in finance, particularly at Goldman Sachs, and founded his own investment company.

This father of two daughters took an oath on the Bhagavad Gita, a Sanskrit text, when he was elected Member of Parliament for Yorkshire (north of England) in 2015. Barely five years later, he reached the coveted post of Minister of Finance, shortly before the start of the pandemic.

Reminiscent of Labor Tony Blair, he is building a veritable “Rishi Sunak” brand on Twitter and Instagram.

Known for not drinking alcohol and his taste for detail, we see him working in a hoodie or visiting a construction site.

With sometimes flashbacks, as when he was mocked for the very expensive smart mug on his desk.

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