Akshata Murthy, the First Lady of the United Kingdom, gave a surprise’ heartfelt speech about her husband, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, at the Conservative Party conference in Manchester on Wednesday, October 5, 2023. The nine-minute speech was a cheerful kickstart blended with humour and an emotional note as she began to talk about the PM and their 14 years of marriage and other key elements of the party ideas.
I’m making long-term decisions for a brighter future.
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) October 4, 2023
Watch my speech at #CPC23 live 👇https://t.co/oCVJms8cu4
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) Akshata Murthy started by apologising for ‘gatecrashing’ the event, which even PM Sunak had no idea about. The 43-year-old talked about her husband, who is also her best friend, and how they have dealt with every difficult situation as a team. She said, “Rishi and I are each other’s best friends; we are one team, and I could not imagine being anywhere else than here today to show my support to him and to the party”.
Here are some of the interesting and unknown facts that she shared in the conference meeting:
The first meeting: As per her speech, Sunak and Murthy met in America while completing their education, and two things about Rishi stuck with her even now. “Rishi and I met when we were 24, when we were both studying abroad in America. Right from the very beginning, I was struck by two things about him… his deep love for his home, the United Kingdom, and his sincere desire to ensure as many people as possible have a chance to have the opportunities he was lucky enough to have had. It completely energised him. Being with Rishi was the easiest decision of my life,” she said.
Shared ideology: Both partners have motivated each other as she shared some of the important qualities of PM Sunak that no media had covered. “He has an incredible zest for life. What drew me to him most was his strength of character, his honesty, and his integrity, with a firm understanding of right from wrong. It’s what I’m still drawn to, even today, after 14 years of being married.”
At last, she shared a personal note with her husband, reminding him that his dedication and perseverance have made her and their kids very proud of him. She expressed, “Rishi, you know this; you know that doing the right thing for the long term, even when it is hard, is the right thing to do. I hope you also know how proud you make our girls and me every single day”.
