Rishi Sunak, the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who served from 2022 to 2024, has accepted senior advisory positions with the technology companies Microsoft and Anthropic. This news comes from letters released by Parliament’s Advisory Committee on Business Appointments.
The committee’s letters disclosed concerns that Sunak’s privileged information from his time in office could grant Microsoft an unfair advantage. Microsoft holds several active contracts with British government departments, and in 2023 Sunak himself announced a major 2.5 billion pound deal with the company for data centers and training in the UK.
Regarding the role at Anthropic, the committee noted a reasonable concern that his appointment could be seen as offering unfair access and influence within the UK government. This is particularly relevant given the ongoing global debate about how to best regulate artificial intelligence.
In response, Sunak has committed to avoiding advice on UK policy matters. He stated he will instead provide high-level perspectives on macroeconomic and geopolitical trends and will not engage in any lobbying activities. He also said he will divert his salary from these roles to the Richmond Project, a charity he founded with his wife earlier this year.
The former prime minister also holds a senior advisor role at the investment bank Goldman Sachs and works as a speechwriter for firms like Bain Capital and Makena Capital.
Sunak is not the first British politician to join a major tech firm. His own senior political adviser, Liam Booth-Smith, is also employed by Anthropic. Furthermore, former Liberal Democrat Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg previously served as Meta’s president of global affairs.
This movement between government and tech, often called the revolving door, is also active in the United States. At Meta, Clegg was replaced by Joel Kaplan, a former deputy chief of staff for President George W. Bush. Another Meta policy team member is Dustin Carmack, a former advisor to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. Microsoft’s current president of global affairs is Lisa Monaco, who served as deputy attorney general under President Joe Biden.