Rishi Sunak’s mother-in-law has claimed that a UK immigration officer could not believe she had a connection to 10 Downing Street.
Speaking on an Indian talk show – the Kapil Sharma Show – earlier this week, author and philanthropist Sudha Murty revealed how she had to tell officials what her London residence was.
She began: “At that time, he asked me my address, ‘where are you staying in London?’
“My sister was there with me and I wrote, ‘10 Downing Street’.
“I was confused whether I should write it or not – my son also lives there, but I didn’t remember his complete address.
“That’s why I was asking my sister if I should write 10 Downing Street or not.
“Finally I wrote 10 Downing Street. That officer looked at me and said, ‘Are you joking?’”
The audience then burst in laughter and applause, before she continued: “I said, ‘No, I am telling the truth, It’s 10 Downing Street.’
“They thought that I was joking.
“Nobody can figure this out that I am a 72-year-old simple lady who can be a mother-in-law of a prime minister in the UK.”
Murty is the mother of Sunak’s wife, Akshata Murty, and the co-founder of tech giant, Infosys, along with her husband N R Narayana Murty.
Since Sunak became PM last October – making him the richest person to ever occupy No.10 – interest in their family finances has soared, especially as the cost of living crisis rumbles on.
Murty’s daughter was also in hot water last year after she was found to be using her non-dom tax status to avoid paying tax on her overseas income from Infosys.
After national outcry, she voluntarily gave up the status, saying it was becoming a distraction for her husband’s career.
Away from Downing Street though, Sudha Murty is famous in her own right having won a series of gongs for her novels and philanthropy.