Kwasi Kwarteng, a British-born Ghanaian, was named the new UK Chancellor of the Exchequer (i.e. Finance Minister) on September 6 by new UK Prime Minister, Liz Truss, in a historic move. This is due to the fact that he is the first Black person to hold the job, which is ranked second only to the Prime Minister's office in UK political circles. His promotion has effectively elevated him to the position of second most powerful political figure in the United Kingdom.
This article delves deeper into the profile of the new PM's close ally.
Kwarteng was born in Waltham Forest, East London, in May 1975 to Ghanaian parents, Alfred and Charlotte, who had both come to the United Kingdom as students a decade before. His parents, an international economist and a barrister, sent him to an elite private prep school that produced a number of Cabinet-level politicians. He then attended Eton College, which produced British leaders such as Boris Johnson and David Cameron. Kwasi Kwarteng was a child prodigy who won numerous major honors while also demonstrating his exceptional mental acuity
"As an only child, Mr. Kwarteng began his education in a public elementary school before being sent by his parents to the independent prep school Colet Court at the age of eight."
"He was a top achiever, winning the Harrow History Medal in 1988 - a prize George Orwell had previously missed - and soon he proceeded to Eton College as a King's Scholar, which means he was awarded a scholarship due to his good exam achievements."
"Mr. Kwarteng's scholastic prowess grew," the UK Sky News portal claims. "He won Eton's famous Newcastle Scholarship - the best performance in a week-long set of written tests - and his next step was Cambridge, following an interview, of course."
According to Kwasi Kwarteng's official website, he studied Classics and History at Cambridge University before attending Harvard University on a Kennedy Scholarship. In 2000, he returned to Cambridge to get his PhD in Economic History.
According to the BBC, Kwasi Kwarteng previously worked as a journalist for the Daily Telegraph and a financial analyst at banks such as JP Morgan in the City of London before becoming involved in Conservative politics as the chairman of the Bow Group think tank.
He attempted to enter mainstream politics but was unsuccessful until 2010, when he was elected as MP for Spelthorne.
“He made his first bid to become an MP in 2005. In the general election, he ran as the Conservative candidate for Brent East, but finished third. In 2008, there was also an unsuccessful bid for the London Assembly.
"However, he became a member of the "class of 2010," a group of lawmakers who arrived in Westminster for the first time that year. He was elected as the MP for Spelthorne in Surrey and joined Parliament at the same time as future colleagues Liz Truss, Priti Patel, and Sajid Javid, according to the BBC.
