Rishi Sunak has been appointed as a senior adviser to both Microsoft and Anthropic, as disclosed in letters from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba). Sunak, who served as the British Prime Minister from October 2022 to July 2024, already holds advisory roles with Goldman Sachs International and has been engaged as a speaker for various investment firms, reportedly earning over £150,000 per talk.
His new positions come after he previously praised Microsoft during his term, referring to it as “one of the founding fathers of modern technology.” Sunak follows Nick Clegg, the former Deputy Prime Minister, who similarly became a paid adviser for a tech company, specifically Meta. Additionally, Liam Booth-Smith, Sunak’s senior political adviser, is now also associated with Anthropic.
In November 2023, Sunak and Microsoft’s CEO Brad Smith announced a £2.5 billion investment deal, described by Sunak as “historic” for new data centers in the UK. The UK government has collaborated with Microsoft on various contracts, including a memorandum of understanding worth £1.4 billion annually aimed at digital transformation and AI deployment.
While Sunak was Prime Minister, his government’s competition authority blocked Microsoft’s attempt to acquire the gaming company Activision, a deal that was later approved after restructuring. Acoba acknowledged potential risks related to Sunak’s access to sensitive information and advised that he must avoid conflicts of interest. In his advisory roles, Sunak stated he will focus on “high-level strategic perspectives” but will not be involved in UK policy matters.
Sunak intends to donate his salary from both roles to the Richmond Project, a charity aimed at enhancing social mobility through numeracy. Anthropic, an AI startup valued at $180 billion, welcomed Sunak’s expertise, recognizing his earlier initiatives in AI while in office. However, Acoba noted concerns over potential perceptions of unfair access to government influence due to Sunak’s roles, particularly in light of ongoing debates on AI regulation.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2025/oct/09/rishi-sunak-takes-advisory-roles-with-microsoft-and-ai-firm-anthropic