London: Rishi Sunak -- the Indian origin son-in-law of Infosys Co-founder Narayana Murthy – has been appointed by PM Boris Johnson as the new Finance Minister.
He will join Home Secretary Priti Patel on the top of the pecking order as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Earlier, Pakistani-origin Sajid Javid resigned as the Finance Minister in a shock move in one of the biggest shakeups since Johnson won a thumping majority in the December 2019 general election.
Javid walked away after a blazing row with Johnson on Thursday morning after he rejected an order to fire his team of aides, saying "no self-respecting minister" could accept such a condition.
The resignation follows rumours of tensions between Javid and the prime minister's senior adviser Dominic Cummings.
Sunak was until now Javid's junior as the Chief Secretary to the Treasury and seen as a rising star within the Cabinet.
The 39-year-old is set to move into No. 11 Downing Street, next door to the Prime Minister's Office, as he takes charge of the second most important government position as the finance minister.
Married to Murthy's daughter Akshata, the MP for Richmond in Yorkshire, first entered the UK Parliament in 2015 and has fast risen up the Conservative Party ranks as a staunch Brexiteer who had backed Johnson's strategy to leave the European Union.
Sunak co-founded a 1-billion pound global investment firm and specialised in investing in small British businesses before his entry into politics. He strongly believes that small businesses in the UK would flourish as a result of Brexit as the “vast majority of British businesses (94 per cent) don't have anything to do with the EU; but they are still subject to all EU laws”.
"From working in my mum's tiny chemist shop to my experience in building large businesses, I have seen how we should support free enterprise and innovation to ensure Britain has a stronger future," Sunak had said during the Brexit referendum.
Commenting on Javid's resignation, Labour's shadow chancellor John McDonnell told BBC: "This must be a historical record with the government in crisis after just over two months in power: Dominic Cummings has clearly won the battle to take absolute control of the Treasury and install his stooge as chancellor."
Another elevation is that of International Development Secretary Alok Sharma, who will be the new Business Secretary; home secretary Priti Patel has been re-appointed in the Cabinet reshuffle.
Input PTI
