Rishi Sunak may have had a disappointing night - but at least he has an array of gorgeous houses to mope about in as he recovers from his election day blow.

Following a crushing landslide defeat - which saw 12 Cabinet casualties - Mr Sunak has announced his resignation as party leader, making room for incoming PM Sir Keir Starmer. Having been in office for one year and 254 days, Mr Sunak is one of the shortest-serving PMs in British history, but has at least lasted significantly longer than his predecessor, Liz Truss, who spent a woeful 49 days at the helm of the party.

The Tory party leader, 44, will likely be remembered for his extraordinary wealth, with him and wife Akshata Murty worth an estimated £651 million as per the most recent Sunday Times Rich List. To put this in context, this makes the couple richer than King Charles III, who is estimated to be worth 'just' £610 million, as of May this year.

As you might therefore expect, the Sunaks' property portfolio also rivals the Windsors, and they'll be spoiled for choice when it comes to which one to head to next after vacating Number 10...

First flat

Mr Sunak bought his first flat in South Kensington back in 2001, during his days working as an investment analyst for Goldman Sachs. Nowadays, the finance whizz turned politician uses his starter home for visiting families to stay in.

The former PM spoke of his pride in the property during his ITV debate with incoming PM Keir Starmer. Touching upon the issue of home ownership among young people, he declared: "I want everyone to feel what I felt when I got the keys to my first flat."

Kensington mews House

Mr Sunak purchased his five-bedroom mews house in Kensington in 2010 - one year after his wedding to Akshata. Nowadays, it's used as the family's London base, and it's here where Mr Sunak enjoys weekends with Akshata, and their two young daughters, Krishna and Anoushka, after a long working week spent in parliament.

As reported by Homes and Garden, it's believed the Sunaks paid £4.5 million for the property, which is now worth an estimated £6.6 million.

Grade II-listed Georgian manor house

The country retreat boasts 12 acres of land (
Image:
Ben Lack Photography Ltd)

Away from the city, the Sunaks also owns a Grade II listed Georgian manor house in the North Yorkshire village of Kirby Sigston. Mr Sunak purchased the beautiful 19th-century former vicarage, which comes with 12 sprawling acres of land, for £1.5 million in 2015.

In August 2022, it was reported that the period property would be undergoing an extensive £400,000 makeover, with the loaded family splashing out on a new swimming pool, gym, and tennis court.

Santa Monica bolthole

It's been speculated that the Sunaks could make a new life for themselves in California (
Image:
POOL/AFP via Getty Images)

Should Mr Sunak tire of the UK, then he can always fly over to California, where he first locked eyes with wife Akshata as a young graduate student at Stanford University. Long before entering political office, Mr Sunak ran a hedge fund in Santa Monica, and it's here where, in 2014, the couple purchased a luxury penthouse apartment on Ocean Avenue.

With views overlooking the Pacific, this £ 5.5 million pad makes for an idlyllic location, and some have speculated that the family could well make a fresh start here following his election defeat.

While meeting with Mr Sunak in San Diego last year, US President Joe Biden joked: "I want to welcome you back to California - he's a Stanford man, and he still has a home here in California. That's why I'm being very nice to you, maybe you can invite me to your own home in California."

Responding to digs about this rumoured move at the G20 summit back in June, Mr Sunak insisted he would remain as an MP for the full five years of a new parliament. Despite losing out on the number one job, Mr Sunak has kept his seat in Richmond, and at the time of writing has not indicated any plans to move across the pond. As we moved forward into a new era of Labour rule, however, with a severely weakened Tory party, the future for former top leaders remains to be seen.

In a resignation speech given this morning, Mr Sunak apologised to defeated candidates, and took responsibility for the brutal Tory cull, which saw big beasts such as Grant Shapps, Penny Mordaunt, Gillian Keegan and Johnny Mercer lose their seats.

Mr Sunak said: "I am sorry, I have given this job my all but you've sent a clear signal that the Government of the United Kingdom must change." Praising victor Sir Keir, Mr Sunak added: "He is a decent, public-spirited man who I respect. He and his family deserve the very best of our understanding as they make the huge transition to their new lives behind this door."

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