Beyond Downing Street: Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Joins Microsoft and Anthropic as Paid Adviser

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has accepted senior advisory positions with technology giant Microsoft and artificial intelligence startup Anthropic, according to the BBC, with the former PM announcing Thursday that he plans to donate all earnings from the roles to charity.

Sunak, who remains Member of Parliament for Richmond and Northallerton, said he was “delighted” to be working with “two of the world’s leading tech firms,” the BBC reported.

The appointments come roughly a year after he left 10 Downing Street following the Conservative Party’s defeat in the July 2024 general election.

According to letters published by the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba), Sunak’s part-time role at Microsoft will involve providing “high-level strategic perspectives” on geopolitical trends. At Anthropic, his advisory role was described as “akin to operating as an internal think tank,” the BBC reported.

Acoba, the independent watchdog that oversees post-government employment for former ministers, has imposed specific restrictions on Sunak’s new positions. He has been told he must not lobby ministers on behalf of the companies or advise on bidding for UK contracts for two years from his last day in ministerial office, according to the watchdog’s published guidance.

Sunak hosted an AI Safety Summit in 2023 and frequently spoke about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence and digital innovation.

The committee acknowledged potential concerns about the appointments, noting that both Anthropic and Microsoft have significant interests in UK government policy, meaning Sunak’s roles could potentially offer “unfair access and influence” within government. However, Acoba also noted that his time out of office would have reduced the value of any confidential information he may still possess.

Technology regulation was a cornerstone of Sunak’s premiership. He hosted an AI Safety Summit in 2023 and frequently spoke about the transformative potential of artificial intelligence and digital innovation.

All proceeds from the advisory roles will be donated to The Richmond Project, a charity Sunak founded with his wife to tackle numeracy problems in the UK, another priority issue during his time in Downing Street, the BBC reported.

In a social media statement reported by the BBC, Sunak framed his new roles within his longstanding interest in technology policy. “I have long believed that technology will transform our world and play a key part in determining our future,” he said. “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.”

The advisory positions at Microsoft and Anthropic add to Sunak’s post-government portfolio. He was previously confirmed to serve as a paid adviser to Goldman Sachs, where he worked between 2001 and 2004, according to the BBC.

Anthropic, founded by former OpenAI employees in 2021, develops AI systems and competes with companies including OpenAI, Google, and Meta in the rapidly evolving artificial intelligence sector.

This story was aggregated by AI from several news reports and edited by American Kahani’s News Desk.