Akshata Murty's ?42,000 dress at Rishi Sunak's resignation speech sparks viral jokes

Outgoing UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's resignation speech outside 10 Downing Street could have been a plain official formality if not for an unexpected focal point—his wife, Akshata Murty, and her choice of attire.

On this sombre occasion, Murty's dress code involved an Indian label dress costing just over ?42,000. With elements of blue, red, and white stripes symbolising Britain’s national flag, this high-neck dress was quickly turned into a subject of hilarious jokes on the internet.

As Murty, daughter of Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy and Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty, donned a dress with downward-pointing arrows and a red bottom section, internet users didn't shy away from seizing this as a metaphor for the Conservative Party’s loss in the 2024 UK general election to the Labour Party.

?"Nice to see Mrs Sunak wearing an American flag-style dress," commented a user on X about Murty’s dress during Sunak’s resignation speech. Another internet user remarked that the dress reminded them of a “skeleton.”

“Sunak: ‘Yours is the only judgement that matters.’ He said that to his wife when she asked what dress she should wear this morning - and look what happened,” wrote another social media user, referring to Sunak’s last speech as the UK Prime Minister.

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Another individual noted, “is the stuff of a million memes.” “Even Rishi Sunak’s wife’s dress says you’re going down!” added another X user.

A report published by The Telegraph revealed that the dress worn by the Indian businesswoman is from Ka-Sha, an Indian fashion label. The dress is made of cotton and is available through Omi Na Na, an online boutique specializing in the sale of clothing from that brand, which focused primarily on notions of sustainability. It carries a price tag of 395 pounds, which becomes around Rs 42,000 if converted.

Also Read:?UK Election 2024: British Parliament?to have 29 MPs of Indian origin, the highest ever

The couple's wealth is estimated at 651 million pounds ($815 million), making them the wealthiest inhabitants of No. 10 Downing Street, according to the Sunday Times’ 2024 Rich List. Known for her love of statement pieces from high-end designers, Akshata Murty topped Tatler magazine’s best-dressed list for Britain in 2023.

Earlier, after exit polls predicted a clear victory for the Labour Party led by Keir Starmer, Ryanair humorously featured Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in their latest advertisement. The playful ad, captioned "don't worry @RishiSunak we've got a seat for you," depicted a cheerful Rishi Sunak seated on one of their flights.

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