Former UK PM Rishi Sunak joins Microsoft and Anthropic in advisory roles

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the earnings from his advisory roles will be donated in full to The Richmond Project, a charity he co-founded with his wife, Akshata Murty

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced on Thursday that he has joined Microsoft and artificial intelligence (AI) startup Anthropic as a senior adviser.

 

“Delighted to say that I will be working with two of the world’s leading tech firms, Microsoft and Anthropic. Microsoft has driven productivity improvements for decades, and Anthropic is one of the most exciting AI frontier labs,” Sunak wrote in a LinkedIn post.

 

Sunak said the earnings from his advisory roles will be donated in full to The Richmond Project, a charity he co-founded with his wife, Akshata Murty.

 

The former prime minister, who remains a Member of Parliament for Richmond and Northallerton, said his new work focuses on global strategic matters rather than UK policy.   

 

 

Advisory role at Anthropic

 

Anthropic, backed by tech giants Amazon and Google, confirmed that Sunak’s part-time advisory position complies fully with the rules of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), the body that regulates post-ministerial employment.

 

Sunak will advise the AI firm on strategy, macroeconomic trends, and global geopolitical developments. The company said Sunak is prohibited from contacting UK government officials on its behalf.

 

Global strategy work at Microsoft

 

At Microsoft, Sunak will also provide insights on macroeconomic and geopolitical issues, according to a letter from ACOBA’s interim chair Isabel Doverty, news agency Reuters reported.

 

The letter noted that Sunak will not engage in UK policy matters and will speak at Microsoft’s annual summit later this year. He is barred from lobbying for the company for two years from his last day in office and cannot use any privileged government information.

 

Sunak’s new tech roles come just months after he rejoined Goldman Sachs in an advisory capacity in July. The investment bank said he will help guide international clients using his “unique perspectives and insights on the macroeconomic and geopolitical landscape", according to a statement from CEO David Solomon.   

 

Sunak's political journey

 

Sunak served as Prime Minister from October 2022 to July 2024 and previously as Chancellor of the Exchequer between February 2020 and July 2022. Before entering high office, he held roles as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and Minister for Housing.

 

First elected in 2015, Sunak has remained MP for Richmond and Northallerton. Following the Conservative Party’s heavy defeat in the 2024 general election, he reaffirmed his commitment to serve his constituency throughout the parliamentary term.