London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Sunday, Sep 20, 2026

Rishi Sunak and wife donate over £100,000 to Winchester college

Rishi Sunak and wife donate over £100,000 to Winchester college

Donation revealed in annual journal of private boys’ boarding school where chancellor was head boy
Rishi Sunak and his wife, Akshata Murthy, have donated more than £100,000 to the chancellor’s old private school, Winchester college.

The private boys’ boarding school, which costs £43,335 a year to attend, revealed the donation in its annual journal.

A spokesperson for Sunak said: “Rishi and his wife have donated to numerous charities and philanthropic causes for many years and will continue to do so. These donations are made to help fund scholarships for children who would not otherwise have the opportunity to go to Winchester.”

The school’s journal from 2020 also put him in the list of benefactors who have donated more than £100,000 in total, suggesting he has been a regular donor.

Speaking of his private education at Winchester, where he was head boy, Sunak told Sky last month: “I was really lucky to have that opportunity. It was something that was really extraordinary, it certainly put my life on a different trajectory.

“As I said, it’s part of the reason I’m sitting here and I’m really grateful to have had that opportunity. And I look back on that time. It’s helped make me who I am as a person, and it helps me do the job in the way that I do it. And it confirms to me that education is one of the best tools at our disposal in politics to spread opportunity.”

Labour highlighted Sunak’s previous claim that he had “maxed out” on how much support he could give state schools, while continuing to hand subsidies to “elitist private schools” through tax breaks.

Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said: “Britain should have the best state schools in the world. But after 12 years of Tory neglect four in 10 of our children leave school without the qualifications they need.

“Labour would end the tax giveaway Rishi Sunak hands out to his old boys’ network and use the money to improve every state school instead, ensuring everyone leaves education ready for work and ready for life.”

Sunak’s personal wealth has recently come under scrutiny over investments his wife holds in Infosys, which had business in Russia.

Murthy holds an estimated £690m stake in the Indian IT services company and collects about £11.5m in annual dividends. The Guardian reported last week that it was “urgently” closing its office in Russia.

Pressure had been mounting on Sunak to answer accusations that his family was collecting “blood money” dividends from the firm’s continued operation in Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine.

The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, called on the chancellor to reveal whether his family had been “benefiting from money made in Russia when the government has put in place sanctions” on firms and individuals.

After scrutiny of his wife’s holding in Infosys, Sunak told the BBC’s Newscast that it was “very upsetting and … wrong for people to try and come at my wife”.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ed Sheeran Tour Faces Backlash After Macklemore Is Removed Over Pro-Palestinian Remarks
Vandalism of Traffic Cameras Intensifies Across Parts of England
Nearly 300 Evacuated as Fire Hits Grand Burstin Hotel in Folkestone
King Charles Warns AI Executives About Risks From Uncontrolled Technology
Church of England Apologises for Role in Historical Forced Adoption Practices
UK Debate Over Online Speech Intensifies After Arrest Figures Draw Scrutiny
Oxfordshire Village Holds Symbolic Independence Vote Over Asylum Accommodation Plan
Nigel Farage and Richard Tice Sue National Crime Agency Over Alleged Banking Data Leaks
Apple Introduces Stricter Age Checks for UK Accounts
BBC Cash Reserves Fall 66% to £125 Million as Broadcaster Restructures
McLaren Announces £500 Million UK Investment and Plans 1,000 Jobs
Green Party Wins Historic Gorton and Denton By-Election as Labour Falls to Third
Burnham Government Prepares October Budget Under Growing Fiscal Pressure
UK Energy Suppliers Pull Fixed-Price Deals as Wholesale Markets Turn More Volatile
Bank of England Holds Rates at 3.75% as Middle East Energy Shock Raises Inflation Risks
Addison Lee Founder Loses £20 Million UK Tax Tribunal Case
BrewDog Creditors Face Losses on About £190 Million of Debt
Harrods Seeks to Recover Abuse Compensation Costs From Mohamed Al Fayed’s Estate
Ed Davey Targets Reform UK as Liberal Democrat Conference Opens
Great Britain Retail Sales Rise 0.5% in August
NHS England Approves Life-Extending Treatment for Incurable Breast Cancer
Proposals to Limit NHS ADHD Diagnoses Draw Criticism From Patient Groups
Resolution Foundation Warns of Housing Cost Crunch for Low-Income UK Families
BBC Cash Reserves Fall to Decade Low as Annual Deficit Reaches £121 Million
Millisecond Software Error Triggered Major UK Air Traffic Control Disruption
Twenty Women Underwent Unnecessary Mastectomies During NHS Cancer Care
Sensitive UK Police Data Found Vulnerable to Access by Foreign Actors
British Steel Faces Renewed Pressure for a Long-Term Financial Plan
MPs Urge Government to End Thames Water Restructuring Talks With U.S. Hedge Funds
Andy Burnham Warns of Difficult UK Budget Choices as Inflation Returns to 3.1%
England Tightens School Food Standards With Restrictions on Deep-Fried and High-Sugar Foods
Oxfordshire Village Votes Symbolically to Leave UK Over Proposed Asylum Centre
Michael Marra Elected Leader of Scottish Labour
BBC Cash Reserves Fall Sharply as Financial Pressures Mount
George Osborne Calls for UK to Rejoin EU Customs Union
UK Explores Joining Canada-Led Global Defence Bank
Thirlwall Inquiry Highlights Management Failures Surrounding Lucy Letby Crimes
Parliamentary Committee Calls for New UK Law to Address AI Risks to Human Rights
UK Considers Giving Regional Mayors Greater Oversight of Water Companies
UK Opposition Presses Burnham for Stronger Response to Russian Security Threats
Reform UK Faces Scrutiny Over £72 Million in Donations as Political Finance Rules Tighten
Millisecond Software Failure Behind UK Air-Traffic Outage That Cancelled More Than 2,000 Flights
Bank of England Holds Interest Rate at 3.75% as Energy Prices Complicate Inflation Outlook
Burnham Warns of Difficult Choices in October Budget as UK Inflation Rises to 3.1%
Addison Lee Founder Loses £20.5 Million Non-Domicile Tax Case
BrewDog Creditors Face Heavy Losses After Collapse
Thirteenth Metropolitan Police Officer Dismissed Over Charing Cross Conduct
Oxfordshire Village Votes Symbolically to Leave UK Over Asylum Accommodation Plan
NHS Approves Life-Extending Treatment for Women With Incurable Breast Cancer
Software Defect Blamed for Major UK Air Traffic Disruption
×