Akshata Murty, entrepreneur, philanthropist and wife of the former Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, is our guest today. And it's particularly interesting to listen to this episode in light of the resignation of Keir Starmer yesterday (Monday 22 June 2026): what is it really like to be married to a prime minister? What are Akshata's memories of the day, in the pouring rain, that Rishi Sunak announced the fateful 2024 election? Did she feel she sacrificed her own life and career to make way for Rishi's ambitions? Plus, this episode opens with some topical chat from Gyles and Harriet - move over, Rest is Politics!
But this episode is really about Akshata's own life and times - her unusual childhood, in which she was raised until the age of five by her maternal grandparents in a small, dusty town, eating mangoes straight from the tree, while her parents worked hard to build their company, Infosys. She talks of the pain and confusion of missing her parents, and of the conflicting emotions that brings up. Akshata talks about her parents' vision and commitment to giving back to India - to "compassionate capitalism" and philanthropy. She talks about moving to Bangalore, her school life and her first crush. She talks about college in California and meeting Rishi.
This is an interesting, unexpected conversation. With many thanks to Akshata Murty. Enjoy this.
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