Former UK PM Rishi Sunak joins Microsoft, Anthropic as adviser

Former UK prime minister Rishi Sunak has joined Microsoft and AI startup Anthropic as a paid adviser.

He will offer strategic advice to Microsoft and support internal analysis at Anthropic.

Sunak, who remains a member of parliament, is also set to advise Goldman Sachs, where he previously worked.

The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments said Sunak must not lobby UK ministers or help the firms bid for government contracts for two years.

Anthropic and Microsoft both have major interests in UK technology policy.

🔗 Source: BBC

🧠 Food for thought

Implications, context, and why it matters.

He convened Bletchley Park in 2023 with around 150 representatives 1 and the AI Seoul Summit May 2024 where 16 firms agreed the “Frontier AI Safety Commitments” to publish safety frameworks pre-release 2. His advisory work with Microsoft and Anthropic could guide rollout before France’s 2025 AI Action Summit 2.
The Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA), the UK watchdog for former ministers, barred him from lobbying ministers or advising on UK contract bids for two years from leaving office.
His tenure launched the world’s first AI Safety Institute for pre-deployment testing, a UK body that evaluates advanced AI systems before wide release 1. Supporters see more UK sway in global AI governance, while critics warn about a blur between public interest and corporate advocacy.

G-Cloud 14 launched in November 2024 gives public bodies a pre-approved route to cloud services and has generated £2.3 billion since inception with 90% of suppliers being small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) 3.
Cloud Support (Lot 3) accounts for 60% of G-Cloud spend, and vendors with AI support with safety testing plus compliance aligned to the Seoul commitments can stand out when each round closes 4 2.
Spend peaks in Q4 from January to March as budgets are used 4. Late 2024 to early 2025 offers a window for outreach to the top 50 non-central government buyers who account for 9% of total spend, but framework listing alone does not secure contracts 4.