BORN in Southampton and educated in Winchester he is now one of the most important figures in UK politics.

Rishi Sunak has been revealed as the new Chancellor of the Exchequer following a shock cabinet reshuffle.

Mr Sunak was born in Southampton in 1980 before going on to study at the exclusive Winchester College.

One of his childhood heroes was reportedly Saints football player Matt Le Tissier.

Mr Sunak's claims to still own an 18th birthday card signed by the whole Southampton FC team which he describes as one of his most prized possessions.

The 39-year-old MP for Richmond in Yorkshire will be replacing Chancellor Sajid Javid following his resignation on Thursday.

It comes with just four weeks before one of the Treasury's most important events when the budget is announced.

Mr Sunak has served as Conservative MP for Richmond in Yorkshire since 2015.

The father of two lives in Kirby Sigston in the same county.

His father was a GP, and his mother was a pharmacist.

Mr Sunak studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Oxford University then worked as an investment banker at Goldman Sachs.

Meanwhile, his wife - Akshata Murthy - is the daughter of Indian billionaire and co-founder of IT services giant Infosys Narayana Murthy.

Mr Sunak campaigned to leave the EU during the 2016 referendum with 55 per cent of his constituency voting to leave.

According to his website, his hobbies include keeping fit, cricket, football and watching films.

He voted for Theresa May's Brexit deal on all three occasions and was an early supporter of Boris Johnson.

In July 2019 Mr Sunak was chosen by Mr Johnson to be the chief secretary to the Treasury, after being parliamentary under-secretary in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government from January 2018 to July 2019.

Mr Sunak is reportedly seen as a rising star by the Tories and has been endorsed by people including former Conservative Party leader Lord Hague of Richmond, who described Mr Sunak as an "exceptional individual".

He was also endorsed by Mr Javid, who in a recent tweet said: "The force is strong with young Sunak" citing a phrase from Disney's Star Wars franchise.