Why Are Microsoft & Anthropic Hiring Former PM Rishi Sunak?

Nowadays, the path from Whitehall to Silicon Valley is well trodden. This modern pilgrimage has become a popular post-politics manoeuvre for ministers and enterprises alike, with companies looking to secure valuable policy expertise.

Rishi Sunak is the latest British MP to take this road, following in the footsteps It has been revealed that the former Prime Minister has accepted paid advisory roles at both Microsoft and Anthropic, as well as a similar role at his former employer, Goldman Sachs.

Sunak, who was defeated in a landslide election result in July 2024, is set to offer strategic advice to both tech firms while continuing to serve as as Member of Parliament for Richmond and Northallerton.

Why Microsoft wants political insights

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments has imposed conditions on both roles, including a ban on lobbying ministers for either company for two years.

"I have long believed that technology will transform our world and play a key part in determining our future."

It is well documented that Sunak worked in the private sector in his early career, having spent time at Goldman Sachs between 2001 and 2004.

At Microsoft, Sunak will offer what the watchdog calls "high-level strategic perspectives" on geopolitical trends. The committee points out that Microsoft has substantial investments in the UK, raising questions about potential access and influence in government circles.

The former PM has been told he must not lobby ministers on behalf of the companies by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), an independent watchdog.

The watchdog's letter recognises that the time since Rishi left office has reduced the value of any privileged information he might have – but it still maintains standard restrictions preventing former ministers from advising on UK contract bids or lobbying government during the two-year period.

His role at Anthropic will work as what he described to the committee as "akin to operating as an internal think tank".

The company, set up by former OpenAI executives, focuses on building what it describes as "safe" AI systems and counts Google among its backers.

The watchdog has noted that Anthropic has "a significant interest in UK government policy", raising concerns that the appointment could be seen as offering "unfair access and influence" within government.

This matters because, during his time as Prime Minister, Sunak made technology regulation a priority and hosted an AI safety summit in 2023, bringing together governments and tech companies to discuss risks around advanced AI systems.

Sunak's relationship with the tech sector

Sunak has promised to donate all earnings from the three advisory roles to The Richmond Project, a charity he set up this year with his wife Akshata Murty.

The charity's goal is to improve numeracy education in the UK, reflecting a policy priority from his time in government.

After last summer's election defeat, many expected that Sunak might move to California, where he and Murty own an apartment, to pursue opportunities in Silicon Valley. His new roles strengthen these links to the US, but it looks like the former PM will stay in the UK for now.

"I have long believed that technology will transform our world and play a key part in determining our future," he says.

"We stand on the edge of a technological revolution whose impacts will be as profound as those of the industrial revolution: and felt more quickly."