"Letters from the Parliament's office of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) disclosing Sunak's appointments revealed concerns that the ex-Conservative PM's privileged information could "grant Microsoft an unfair advantage." Sunak has some history with Microsoft, which has several active contracts with British government departments. In 2023, he unveiled a £2.5 billion deal with Microsoft to invest in new data centers and training in the U.K.."
"Acoba also noted that "there is a reasonable concern that your appointment could be seen to offer unfair access and influence within the U.K. government...given the ongoing debate about how to best regulate AI, and at a time of intense debate and lobbying around the world on what the approach should be." Sunak said he would steer clear on advising on U.K. policy matters, stick to high-level perspectives on macro-economic and geopolitical trends, and avoid lobbying."
Rishi Sunak served as UK prime minister from 2022 to 2024 and has accepted senior advisory roles with Microsoft and Anthropic. Letters from the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (Acoba) expressed concern that Sunak's privileged government knowledge could 'grant Microsoft an unfair advantage.' Microsoft holds several active contracts with UK departments, and Sunak announced a £2.5 billion deal with Microsoft in 2023 to invest in data centers and training. Sunak pledged to avoid advising on UK policy, focus on macroeconomic and geopolitical perspectives, and not lobby while directing his salary to the Richmond Project charity. Other politicians have taken tech-sector roles, illustrating a revolving door between government and Silicon Valley.
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