Rishi Sunak hired as a senior adviser by Microsoft - but given stern warning

Former PM Rishi Sunak has been hired by tech elephantine Microsoft.

The ex-Tory leader, who remains an MP successful parliament, has joined the Seattle-based tech steadfast arsenic a paid part-time elder advisor and volition springiness the institution "high-level strategical perspectives connected macro-economic and geopolitical trends" arsenic good arsenic however these "intersect with innovation, regularisation and integer transformation".

He volition beryllium donating his wage to his and his wife, Akshata Murty's, numeracy skills charity, The Richmond Project.

Acoba, the watchdog that assesses outer jobs for MPs, has said Sunak volition not beryllium advising connected UK argumentation matters.

The Advisory Committee connected Business Appointments has successful the past been accused of being toothless and incapable to forestall MPs from taking employment that could origin a struggle of interest, oregon let erstwhile parliamentarians to usage contacts made successful authorities for idiosyncratic use.

Sunak was premier curate betwixt October 2022 and July 2024.

It was thought helium could beryllium eyeing a occupation successful Silicon Valley, California, aft his wide predetermination defeat.

But successful his last premier minister's questions quality arsenic Conservative leader, Sunak vowed to walk much clip "in the top spot connected Earth", referring to his Richmond and Northallerton constituency.

He added: "If anyone needs me, I volition beryllium successful Yorkshire."

Acoba has warned Sunak that helium shouldn't supply proposal to oregon connected behalf of Microsoft connected authorities enactment oregon its contracts until aboriginal adjacent year.

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The erstwhile chancellor has besides been asked not to lobby the authorities oregon marque usage of his Whitehall contacts during that time, and to bounds his enactment to "providing proposal connected strategy, macro-economic and geopolitical matters that bash not conflict" with his activities successful Number 10.

The Cabinet Office told the watchdog that Sunak's twelvemonth connected the Tory backbenches "will person helped to diminish the salience and currency of the information" helium had entree to.

Sunak has besides taken connected a relation astatine San Francisco-based Anthropic, which developed the Claude artificial quality (AI) models.

He has besides go a elder advisor to Goldman Sachs since leaving office, wherever helium antecedently worked betwixt 2001 and 2004.