Rishi Sunak, wife Akshata Murty plan new math charity for children in England

London: Former British prime minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty on Saturday revealed plans to set up a new charity focussed on improving the mathematics and numeracy skills among children and young people in England.

The Richmond Project, named after the North Yorkshire home and constituency Sunak continues to represent as a backbench Conservative Party member of Parliament for Richmond and Northallerton, will be launched later this year as a registered charity.

It marks the first major joint project by the couple, both 44, since Sunak left 10 Downing Street last year and will be aimed at helping schoolchildren build confidence in tackling numbers.

“Later this year, Akshata and I will launch The Richmond Project – a new charity focused on improving numeracy,” Sunak announced on social media.

“Confidence with numbers transforms lives. It unlocks opportunity, fuels social mobility, and helps people thrive. But right now, too many struggle. More to come soon,” he said.

Akshata Murty took to her Instagram to note that the charity signifies their shared passion around the power of education.

“Maths anxiety is real, but opportunity starts with confidence! Later this year, we’re launching The Richmond Project, a new charity focused on helping more people build confidence with numbers – because we believe numeracy unlocks opportunity," she said.

“Right now, half of the working-age adults in the UK have low numeracy skills. That impacts everything like getting a job, managing household bills, even navigating daily life. Both of us have seen firsthand the power of education to change lives. Now, we want to help more young people and adults build the confidence with numbers, ensuring a happier life.” The daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy said it was “early days” for the project but asked her followers to “watch this space” for more details.

During her time at Downing Street, Murty held a regular “Lessons at 10” programme to provide children from across the UK an opportunity to see behind the scenes of the famous black door – the office and residence of the British PM in London.

During his time as prime minister in 2023, Sunak had launched a review into how best to ensure all pupils in England study some form of mathematics up to the age of 18 as part of his strategy to change an “anti-maths mindset” that he said was holding the country back.

The former investment banker had also committed to extending Maths Hubs – unique partnerships of schools and colleges coming together to support maths teaching.

Earlier this week, Sunak took on another charity role as ambassador for the UK’s Prostate Cancer Research.

“Prostate cancer is now the UK’s most common cancer – yet there’s still no national screening programme for the most at-risk groups,” he said, during an intervention in the House of Commons calling on Prime Minister Keir Starmer for a targeted screening programme for the disease.

In January, the British Indian politician had taken on new academic roles at the University of Oxford in the UK and the University of Stanford in the US.