In a move that bridges politics, technology, and strategy, former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has taken on part-time senior advisory roles with two leading tech entities: Microsoft and Anthropic. These roles have been cleared by the UK watchdog, the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), ensuring that both the appointments and their restrictions comply with ethical guidelines.

At Anthropic, Sunak will advise on global strategy, macroeconomic trends, and geopolitical developments. Importantly, his role is explicitly not to influence UK-specific policy, and he is prohibited from initiating contact with UK government officials on behalf of Anthropic.

Similarly, at Microsoft, he will provide strategic perspectives on geopolitics, macroeconomic issues, and innovation. Part of his role includes speaking at events such as Microsoft’s annual summit. As with his responsibilities at Anthropic, he will not be involved in UK policy advising or lobbying. 

Sunak, who continues to serve as Member of Parliament for Richmond and Northallerton, has pledged to donate all earnings from these advisory roles to The Richmond Project, a charity he co-founded with his wife Akshata Murty. 

To prevent conflicts of interest, ACOBA has imposed conditions: a two-year prohibition on lobbying, no use of privileged information from his time in office, and restrictions to ensure his advisory roles remain internal and not policy oriented. 

This development marks another chapter in Sunak’s transition into the private sector after his premiership, adding to his existing advisory role at Goldman Sachs and reflecting the increasing overlap between global political expertise, AI policy, and corporate strategy.