Sunak’s Post-Downing Street Role: Goldman Sachs Advisor, No Government Lobbying

Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is stepping into a new professional capacity as a senior advisor to Goldman Sachs, the global investment bank. This move signifies Sunak’s return to the financial sector, where his career first began. In this role, he will be providing strategic advice to Goldman Sachs clients on pressing economic and geopolitical matters, drawing on his extensive experience.
A critical condition of this appointment is a one-year restriction on Sunak’s ability to engage in lobbying the government on behalf of Goldman Sachs. This is a standard measure to prevent undue influence from former ministers. Notably, Sunak has also committed to donating his entire salary from this role to the Richmond Project, his charity dedicated to promoting numeracy.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) reviewed and approved the appointment, setting a two-year ban on lobbying from his departure from ministerial office in July 2024. Acoba did acknowledge a potential risk due to Sunak’s previous oversight of the “Edinburgh reforms,” which benefited banks, but noted his limited personal involvement in policy formulation.
Goldman Sachs CEO, David Solomon, expressed his pleasure at Sunak’s return to the firm. Since leaving Downing Street, Sunak has maintained a relatively low public profile, engaging in academic pursuits at Oxford and Stanford. His considerable personal fortune, estimated at £640 million with his wife Akshata Murty, continues to be a point of public discussion.