The UK Conservative Party faces a possible historic defeat in the upcoming general election, with three major polls released on Wednesday predicting an all-time low for the Tories amid indicators that Sunak’s unpopularity has reached record levels. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak owns a $7.2 million beach home in Santa Monica, California, which his opponents have joked about, suggesting he could move there if he loses the election next month.
The Golden State has become an issue in the election campaign, with political shorthand referring to “sending Sunak to California” as a way of ousting him from office. Sunak’s beach home overlooks the Pacific Ocean and is located in a luxury apartment building in an elite area of Santa Monica. His children would likely enroll in elite schools in the area, rubbing shoulders with the children of celebrities if Sunak opts to move straight after the election.
Rishi Sunak has made no secret of his love for California, having studied at Oxford and taken an MBA at Stanford University in California, where he met his wife Akshata Murty, the daughter of India’s sixth-richest man. The British Prime Minister ran a hedge fund in Santa Monica before returning to the UK. US President Joe Biden even joked about Sunak’s home during a meeting in San Diego last year.
Despite rumors that he is planning a move to California after a potential election defeat, Sunak has denied such claims, pledging to stay in the UK regardless of the outcome. He also dismissed suggestions that the early election had been arranged to suit his daughters’ schooling in the US.