Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty has given her first official outing as wife to the prime minister since his tenure in No 10 began.
The former chancellor set in motion his first full week as prime minister by welcoming members of the Royal British Legion into his Whitehall residence, whom he later lead onto the front steps, flanked by his wife, for a photo opportunity.
The couple were seen helping one another pin red poppies to their clothing. The pair were joined by their labrador retriever Nova who, with the help of the prime minister, had a poppy attached to its collar.
Mr Sunak later tweeted: “There is no greater sacrifice than that of those who lay down their lives in service of their country. So during this year’s #PoppyAppeal, please give generously to honour our veterans – past and present – and those who continue to protect us today.”
Mr Sunak won the Conservative leadership contest last Monday after becoming the only candidate to win the backing of more than 100 MPs. The estimated combined worth of the prime minister and his wife is thought to be worth £730million,
Ms Murty’s finances were forced under the spotlight after The Independent first revealed that she had non-dom status, which typically applies to someone who was born overseas and spends much of their time in the UK but still considers another country to be their permanent residence or “domicile”.
It means she does not pay UK tax on foreign income or gains but does pay an annual charge of £30,000 to keep that status.
Her father is Narayana Murty, the founder of the £3.5bn IT services company Infosys. Ms Murty’s 0.91 per cent stake in her Indian IT billionaire company are worth an estimated £700m.
She has also received £11.6 million in dividends from the Indian firm in the past year.
The non-dom status means she would not have to pay UK tax at a rate of 39.35 per cenr on dividends. India sets the rate for non-residents at 20 per cent, but this can fall to 10 per cent for those who are eligible to benefit from the UK’s tax treaty with India.
Ms Murty met Mr Sunak while she while taking an MBA at Stanford University, and he there on a prestigious Fulbright scholarship. Four years later, the couple married later in Bengaluru.
Together with her chancellor husband, Ms Murty also owns the London-based Catamaran Ventures UK. Mr Sunak transferred his shares to his wife shortly before entering parliament as an MP in 2015.
Ms Murty, 42, is also listed as a shareholder in at least six other companies, including Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria, Wendy’s restaurants in India and New & Lingwood, a men’s apparel store which measures Etonians for tailcoats and silk dressing gowns.
