Jedis to Jilly Cooper: a few of Rishi Sunak’s favourite things

UK prime minister is an unusual blend of geek, sports buff and sartorial icon

Rishi Sunak and Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, are shown a 3-D printed model of an All Terrain Armoured Transport walker from “Star Wars”
Sunak was shown a 3-D printed model of an All Terrain Armoured Transport walker from “Star Wars”, as he is a huge fan of the franchise
(Image credit: Jacob King / WPA Pool / Getty Images)

Beyond his stances on Brexit, Covid and the economy, Rishi Sunak’s other passions are less well known than his one-time nickname, Dishy Rishi, might imply.

Much to the public’s surprise, the UK’s geek-chic prime minister revealed in an appearance on ITV’s “This Morning” last month that he was a fan of Jilly Cooper’s famously raunchy novels, including the 1985 bestseller “Riders”.

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Harriet Marsden is a writer for The Week, mostly covering UK and global news and politics. Before joining the site, she was a freelance journalist for seven years, specialising in social affairs, gender equality and culture. She worked for The Guardian, The Times and The Independent, and regularly contributed articles to The Sunday Times, The Telegraph, The New Statesman, Tortoise Media and Metro, as well as appearing on BBC Radio London, Times Radio and “Woman’s Hour”. She has a master’s in international journalism from City University, London, and was awarded the "journalist-at-large" fellowship by the Local Trust charity in 2021.