From Eat Out to Help Out, to moving out: The rise and fall of Rishi Sunak

Words by Olivia Mustafa, Producer

Before the pandemic, many would have been forgiven for not knowing who Rishi Sunak was.

It was during the time of lockdowns, social distancing, and isolation that Sunak became a household name, as the then-chancellor tried to steer the UK economy through Covid.

His political career soon went supersonic. In 2022, he secured No 10's top job, just seven years after he first arrived on the political scene.

The start of his premiership was record-breaking in more ways than one. Sunak became the country's first non-white and Hindu person to lead the country, as well as being the youngest to do so for over 200 years.

He was arguably the richest prime minister the UK has ever had, with the personal fortune of him and his wife at over £650 million - a fact which has stoked repeated criticism.

After Thursday's election result, Sunak is due to step out of the political spotlight despite holding on to his North Yorkshire seat of Richmond.

Here's a timeline of his rise to fame - and his fall from political stardom.

May 7, 2015 - Sunak steps onto the scene

Rishi Sunak was first elected to the Commons following a 14-year-long business career, spent working for the likes of Goldman Sachs and as a hedge-fund manager.

He won the traditionally Tory safe seat of Richmond in North Yorkshire during the 2015 General Election, when he was 34 years old.

The seat was previously held by William (now Lord) Hague.

Soon after, he backed Leave in the 2016 Brexit referendum, and was later appointed as a junior local government minister under Theresa May.

February 13, 2020 - Appointed chancellor

Sunak's rapid political rise reached new heights in the early stages of the Covid pandemic, when he was appointed Chancellor of the Exchequer.

He had secured a promotion to treasury chief secretary just seven months prior, when Boris Johnson became PM.

Sunak became Chancellor hot off the heels of Sajid Javid, who had resigned after a reported feud with Boris Johnson over the dismissal of his special advisors.

July 8, 2020 - "Eat Out to Help Out" launched

Sunak soon had more than he'd bargained for as the Coronavirus pandemic sent the country's economy spiralling downward.

Once the initial lockdown began to ease, he introduced the Eat Out to Help Out scheme to encourage people to return to restaurants by giving 50% off food and non-alcoholic drinks.

He was later forced to defend the policy at the Covid-19 inquiry after experts claimed it fuelled the spread of the virus and accused him of ignoring scientific advice.

April 12, 2022 - Partygate fine

As the country emerged from the pandemic, the Covid-related political scandals had just begun.

Rishi Sunak was fined along with Boris Johnson, after a police investigation found they attended an illegal gathering in the summer of 2020.

He offered his "unreserved apology", but ignored calls to resign.

July 5, 2022 - Resigns as Chancellor

As Boris Johnson fell into leadership crisis and scraped through a no-confidence vote, Rishi Sunak resigned his post as Chancellor alongside Sajid Javid.

In his resignation letter, he referred to Johnson's economic outlook, and wrote: "It has become clear to me that our approaches are fundamentally too different."

October 25, 2022 - Sunak becomes PM

Following Liz Truss' turbulent and brief spell in power - and after losing the initial Tory leadership contest to her - Rishi Sunak became prime minister.

He became the third leader of the Conservatives in a less-than two month long period, inheriting a bleak economic outlook and plummeting party poll ratings.

October 4, 2023 - End of the line for HS2

Sunak drew firm backlash for his decision to scrap the HS2 leg to Manchester, which had been in the works since 2017.

He said he would instead use the billions originally allocated to the link between Birmingham and Manchester for other transport projects in the north.

Criticism came from far and wide, with Labour's Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham calling it a "betrayal of the north of England."

November 13, 2023 - Suella Braverman hits back

Suella Braverman rocked the Tory party last autumn when she accused the Metropolitan Police of not cracking down enough of what she called "hate marches" in support of Palestine.

Sunak then made the move to sack her from her position as Home Secretary, after growing pressure from the fallout surrounding the unauthorised article in the The Times.

She then retaliated with a scathing resignation letter, where she said his “distinctive style of government means you are incapable" of achieving his political priorities.

February 7, 2024 - A Commons jibe backfires

Sunak faced calls to resign last February, after he came under fire for a remark made during Prime Minister's Questions about transgender people.

Listing the promises he believed Keir Starmer to have backtracked on, he said: “Pensions, planning, peerages, public sector pay, tuition fees, childcare, second referendums, defining a woman – although in fairness, that was only 99% of a U-turn".

He made the joke while Esther Ghey, mother of murdered trans teenager Brianna, was sat in the public gallery. Brianna's father Peter Spooner called the incident "unacceptable" and "dehumanising".

April 23, 2024 - Rwanda bill becomes law

After two years of legal setbacks and parliamentary back-and-forth, the Conservative's hard-fought Rwanda Plan was given the go-ahead to become law.

In a bid to tackle migration, some asylum seekers arriving in the UK will be sent to the east African country under the Safety of Rwanda (Asylum and Immigration) Bill.

The Bill passed its final hurdle in April, despite human rights groups condemning the scheme for being in "breach of international law".

However, Rishi Sunak did not manage to get any flights to Rwanda off the ground before his premiership came to an end.

May 3, 2024 - Local election nightmare

Trouble for the Tories - and calls for a General Election - began brewing at the beginning of May, after devastating local election losses.

The results from councils across the UK saw the Tories lose nearly 400 seats - as Labour charged ahead with a gain of over 200.

May 22, 2024 - Sunak calls General Election

Rishi Sunak braved the rain on a dreary Wednesday afternoon to call a snap General Election, set for July 4.

As the rain poured down on the then-prime minister, he promised to "fight for every vote" - as protestors blared hit D:Ream song used in Labour's 1997 campaign Things Can Only Get Better.

June 7, 2024 - The D-Day debacle

Rishi Sunak found himself pleading for forgiveness in the midst of the General Election campaign, after his decision to leave events commemorating D-Day early drew widespread backlash.

While other world leaders came together to mark 80th anniversary of the Normandy landings, Sunak made an early departure to the UK to film an interview with ITV News' Paul Brand.

He said he hoped "veterans and others can find it in their hearts to forgive me."

When it comes to what the future holds for Rishi Sunak, speculation has been rife.

He was recently been forced to deny claims he is planning to flee the country to California upon facing election defeat.

Instead, he said he was "committed" to staying in the UK - and parliament - for years to come.

July 5, 2024 - Conceding defeat

As polls rolled in through the night, it was announced that Sunak held onto his Northallerton seat with a nearly 13,000 majority over his nearest rival.

But a wider Labour win led Sunak to apologise to fellow Tory candidates who'd lost theirs. “I take responsibility for the loss," he said. "To the many good, hard-working Conservative candidates who lost tonight, despite their tireless efforts, their local records and delivery, and their dedication to their communities. "I am sorry."

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