British history had its Obama moment when Rishi Sunak became the first ever British Indian and Hindu Prime Minister to host a Diwali reception at 10 Downing Street on Wednesday 26 October 2022. Sunak has made history, and yet, he has a history course to correct. His appointment as the leader of the Conservative Party post-Liz Truss’ exit has put the onus of restoring the UK-India partnership on him and being accountable for Home Secretary Suella Braverman’s immigration and confidentiality breach controversies.
While the latter is a pressing matter that the Prime Minister is navigating cautiously, all eyes of the diaspora are on Sunak to steer the country out of one of the worst economic crises the nation has ever faced as well as to salvage the UK-India relationship.
Experts, leaders and community members spoke to Asian Voice EXCLUSIVELY about Sunak’s role in saving the Foreign Trade Agreement (FTA) between UK and India, and the great expectations that come with being a historic Prime Minister.
A Happy Diwali at No 10
In his first week as the Prime Minister, Sunak hosted Diwali at No10 and was joined by his wife Akshata Murthy in a red and white dress. The event was attended by members of the House of Commons and Lords, community organisations, temples and the Armed Forces. In attendance was Lord Dolar Popat with his wife, Lord Jitesh Gadhia, Lord Karan Bilimoria, Baroness Sandip Verma, Lord Tariq Ahmad, Nadhim Zahawi MP, Pam Gosal MSP, Cllr Ameet Jogia, Cllr Reena Ranger, Cllr Abhishek Sachdev, HE Vikram Doraiswami, the High Commissioner of India to the UK, HE Saida Muna Tasneem, the High Commissioner of Bangladesh to the UK, to name a few.
The passage to the reception hall and stairs were beautifully decorated with yellow and orange marigold flowers, rangoli and diyas. The reception had a small annakut on display by Jalaram Mandir and guests were treated to soft drinks and canapés catered by The Taj Hotel.
People came from as far as Scotland, Wales and Midlands to participate in Britain’s first ever British Indian Prime Minister’s first-ever Diwali at No 10.
Mr Sunak was garlanded by children from the Chinmaya Mission Sunday School and a smiling Akshata was handed over a flower bouquet. Lord Dolar Popat kickstarted the evening by welcoming PM Sunak into the room, where he was greeted with applause and loud cheers. PM Sunak lit a lamp, and a short prayer was recited by a priest, where guests joined in as Mr Sunak stood with folded hands.
Addressing the guests, the new PM described his experience with King Charles III last Tuesday, when he went to meet him and was offered a Diwali laddoo by His Majesty the King. He laughed and referred to Lord Gadhia’s efforts in “perhaps arranging the sweets”, he added. He then reminisced how in 2020 as the Chancellor of the Exchequer and while living at Downing Street, he had put Diwali diyas outside No 11, but regretted that this year he “could not manage to do anything as usual”.
He then went on to talk about his grandmother and how his dad and mum had migrated to Britain from Kenya and Tanganyika respectively. His mum Usha worked as a pharmacist in Southampton while his father Yashvir was a GP. Growing up, Rishi worked at his mum’s pharmacy called Sunak Pharmacy as a delivery boy and worked in a local restaurant too. He described his journey in Britain as a “many immigrants’ story“ and acknowledged he had a huge task at hand now to stabilise the country’s economy.
Concluding, he remarked, “I will do everything I can in this job to build a Britain where our children and our grandchildren can light their diyas and look to the future with hope. Happy Diwali everyone!”
Saving the ‘living bridge’
All eyes are on PM Sunak to now save the sinking ship that became of the UK-India Free Trade Agreement. Indian PM Narendra Modi was rumoured to visit London to close the final round of FTA negotiations on Diwali but, amid Suella Braverman’s remarks on Indians and immigration patterns, Liz Truss’ unexpected departure as the PM within 45 days of her service, PM Rishi Sunak now has to mend the bridge and make sure it doesn’t fall.
Sunak recently described himself as a visual embodiment of the “historic links” between the UK and India in a call with Narendra Modi as part of a push to secure a lucrative trade deal. “Glad to speak to @RishiSunak today. Congratulated him on assuming charge as UK PM. We will work together to further strengthen our Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. We also agreed on the importance of early conclusion of a comprehensive and balanced FTA,” Modi wrote on Twitter.
“Thank you Prime Minister Narendra Modi for your kind words as I get started in my new role. The UK and India share so much. I'm excited about what our two great democracies can achieve as we deepen our security, defence and economic partnership in the months & years ahead,” Sunak tweeted.
Building on the ongoing negotiations for a new Free Trade Agreement (FTA), a trade mission formed of business and political leaders from the UK’s West Midlands is announced to take place between 6-12 November. The delegation, led by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street, will visit Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, and Delhi to promote opportunities for bilateral trade and investment between India, the West Midlands, and the wider UK. (Read more on P2).
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly visited India last week on 28 October to strengthen UK-India relations and discuss economic cooperation as well as global security challenges. (See P5 for full story).
However, trade union leaders are reportedly supporting millions of Indian workers calling on Britain to suspend trade deal talks. Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the TUC, has warned that the trade deal might open doors to child labour and modern slavery in a “race to the bottom”.
Referring to the appointment of Sunak as the PM and his potential in sealing the FTA with India, Shehla Hasan, Executive Director at the Manchester India Partnership said, “We welcome new opportunities for an enhanced relationship between the India and UK and look forward to seeing the impact of a Free Trade Agreement on Manchester, the region and both countries, alike. As a result of challenges presented by the climate crisis and the pandemic, we’ve witnessed a strengthened partnership between the UK and India to seek solutions, both showing strong resilience and clear opportunities for collaboration. It’s promising to hear that progressing a positive partnership is still a priority.”
Sanjiv Mehta, President, FICCI told Asian Voice, “On behalf of the Indian Businesses and FICCI, I would like to congratulate The Rt Hon. Rishi Sunak on becoming the Prime Minister of the UK. We look forward to a renewed momentum in further strengthening the India-UK Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. It was heartening to learn that during a recent call, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak discussed the need for early conclusion of a balanced free-trade agreement between India and the UK.”
Bob Blackman MP told the newsweekly, “After a somewhat chaotic few months in British politics, I am pleased to welcome the Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. His appointment, taking place during Diwali, heightens this already very auspicious occasion. As the first Prime Minister of Asian heritage, I am proud that the UK is championing diversity and breaking from historical stigma, showing that we are taking a step in the right direction that deserves to be celebrated. This is truly the living bridge to write our two great countries. It is also fitting that Rishi takes office during the final negotiations of the UK-India trade deal, the very first of its kind. I am encouraged that these two nations are committed to building a deeper relationship across trade, health, climate and defence and I have no doubt that the Prime Minister will continue to prioritise finalising this deal which will boost both economies considerably, contributing to new investment and job creation.”
The reinstatement of Suella Braverman
Home Secretary Suella Braverman is an alleged ‘darling of the party's Right wing’, as evidenced by the ovations she received at the Conservative conference in Birmingham last month, The Daily Telegraph reported. Her reappointment after being sacked by Truss in Sunak’s government as the Home Secretary has stirred controversy for the new PM. She has been accused of leaking sensitive government information to a Tory MP via her personal email address. During Prime Minister’s Questions, Sunak defended her, saying, "The home secretary made an error of judgment, but she recognised that, she raised the matter, and she accepted her mistake."
Rabina Khan, Former LibDem Cllr and Special Advisor said, “It was interesting that at Prime Minister’s Question Time the Labour leader recognised the significance of Sunak’s historic achievement with the longevity of his remarks but put a short sharp question about Suella Braverman’s appointment. Sunak’s controversial reappoint of Braverman after her resignation following a breach of ministerial code saw the Liberal Democrats call for a Cabinet Office investigation into Braverman’s reappointment.
Lib Dem home affairs spokesperson Alistair Carmichael said: "Suella Braverman's appointment makes a mockery of Rishi Sunak's claims to be bringing integrity to Number 10.”
According to Khan, without a doubt, Rishi Sunak becoming the Prime Minister of the UK is a significant moment in British history. In a country where former Prime Minister Winston Churchill had said about people from India were “the beastliest people in the world next to the Germans” people should overlook the circumstances that propelled Sunak to come to be the UK's first Asian Prime Minister by default.
She further said, “Both the main opposition parties are deeply concerned with Suella Braverman’s appointment. A Home Secretary who said, “I would love to have a front page of the Telegraph with a plane taking off to Rwanda, that’s my dream, it’s my obsession” and calling Indians the largest number of visas overstayers and had “reservations” about Britain’s trade deal with India citing it would increase immigration to the UK.
“Sunak’s decision to reinstate Braverman as the UK’s Home Secretary doesn't appear to be favourable to India. Perhaps, Rishi Sunak, a vociferous supporter of Brexit who advocated harsher measures against asylum seekers needs Braverman as his fixer to implement his 10-point plan to fix the “broken” asylum system. Rishis Sunak said he would be making tough decisions in the weeks to come – Braverman must have been a tough decision for him to have made,” Rabina added.
“Sunak as the UK’s first Asian Prime Minister means different things for several different generations of South Asians in the UK, from the older generation's sentiment of pride and fulfilment to second generations feeling emotions of finally seeing an Asian person at number 10.
“For many others, it will be seeing in the context of Sunak, a Hindu, a person of colour, the youngest Prime Minister leading a country with a long history of colonialism, a nation divided over immigration and trade, and as Covid showed a population struggling with racism and wealth inequality and the Ukraine invasion.
“Prime Minister Sunak also has his work cut out for him including rectifying the mistakes his predecessor made – only his actions will tell us if he leads the Conservatives in the next General Election.
“It will of course be of a greater historic moment when a political party led by a person of colour wins a general election. At that point, British history will have an Obama moment."
Power of Higher Education in the UK
Sanam Arora, NISAU UK Chairperson said she is hopeful that Rishi Sunak can be a Prime Minister who is both restorative as well as transformative. She said, “Given that Higher Education is one of the largest exports that the UK offers to India and the world, I would imagine that rationality would dictate that he ensures that there is no degradation in the post-study offer that the UK makes to Indian students.
“At a time when Australia has extended its "post"-study working offer and Canada its "in"-study offer, I hope that at base minimum he won't let populist pressure from the far right impact the economic benefits the UK receives from its international students, of which India is one of the largest groups. This would be restorative. I think what would be transformative is if Rishi were to first, remove international students from the net migration statistics in the UK, many experts believe this would unleash the power of Higher Education in the UK economically and knowledge-wise. Secondly, if he can set an ambitious target of 2 million (instead of the current 600,000 international students) by 2030; and ensure that the infrastructure to accommodate these numbers in the UK is created then I think he will transform the British economy and Britain's place in the world through Higher Education in a hugely significant way.”
“Having an Indian-origin Prime Minister, a Jewish Home Secretary, a Muslim Mayor of London and of course, a Christian King speaks volumes for multi-cultural Britain. So, it is a historical and a big win in the UK for representation, diversity & inclusion. But I really hope in India and amongst the Indian diaspora, it makes the average person, and our politicians really think about representation at all levels of our own parliament and government. That's where we need some serious introspection as a country. Rishi is not only brown, but he is also just 42. Juxtapose this to the average age of an Indian with the average age of India's parliamentarians for starters. Much to reflect for us all!”
Son of a pharmacist
Mark Lyonette, Chief Executive of the National Pharmacy Association, told us, “I congratulate Rishi Sunak on his very significant achievement in becoming Prime Minister. It is truly a historic moment for this country to have its first British Asian PM. He is taking on the role at a hugely challenging time for the economy, global affairs and the health service.
“We look forward to developing with him and his Ministerial colleagues a can-do agenda for community pharmacy. Despite the changes at the top of government, the prevailing circumstances for the health sector remain unchanged: there is a huge NHS backlog and a crisis in primary care, both of which require community pharmacy to be part of the solution.
“As the son of a pharmacist, it’s reasonable to hope that Mr Sunak has some genuine affinity with the work that our members do. During the Conservative leadership campaign, he visited the pharmacy that his family once owned and spoke fondly of his memories there.
“However, it would be naïve to expect any special treatment from him just because of his familiarity with the sector as a young man. We need to keep making the painstaking case for investment in community pharmacy, based on a demonstrable return in terms of patient outcomes and benefits to the NHS and society as a whole. The government needs to think of community pharmacy less as a cost centre and more as a value creator.”
Unity in diversity
Lord Rami Ranger CBE told the newsweekly, that he thinks that the appointment of Rishi Sunak as the first non-white British Prime Minister is a golden milestone in British history, one that will have positive ripple effects for years to come. According to him, this development also speaks volumes about the British sense of tolerance and fair play where it doesn’t matter where one comes from what matters is where one wishes to go.
He said, “This also speaks highly about the Conservative Party for selecting three women Prime Ministers and now a non-white Prime Minister. The party has demonstrated that the Conservative Party is now truly inclusive. Rishi will act as a magnet for attracting ethnic minority votes to the Tory fold.
“Rishi Sunak has shown that with vision, commitment, and determination, one can reach any height one wishes. This is a testament to our great nation and the Conservative Party. It was not an easy election for Rishi Sunak as we saw he was not elected the first time around by the predominately white grassroots members because of his colour even though the was overwhelmingly popular with his Parliamentary colleagues.”
Lord Ranger added, “As it turned out, they elected the wrong candidate, Liz Truss MP, who fought the election on an ambitious tax cut and spending agenda. She was warned by Rishi Sunak repeatedly that her policies were unsustainable and would lead to higher inflation and high-interest rates, negatively affecting those with mortgages and further exacerbating the cost-of-living crisis and damaging the credibility of Britain on the financial markets.”
He further mentioned that Liz Truss’s policies were overwhelmingly rejected by the markets, and Liz Truss was forced to resign as the Prime Minister. The quality of the candidate came through and Rishi Sunak was given the chance he deserved in the first place.
“As they say when we keep a good person down, then we also keep the nation down. Finally, justice prevailed, and Rishi was allowed to run the country. His prime aim will be to turn the economy around, unite the party and stabilise the economic growth of the nation. Rishi Sunak’s skill and expertise will bring the nation out of the economic crisis. Furthermore, as a leader with the utmost talent, Rishi will bring immense benefit to Britain on national issues as well as the global platform, including the finalisation of significant partnerships such as free trade agreement with India.
“Rishi with his roots in India, will get more out of the trade deal than any other PM. He will attract more investment from India because of his Indian connection,” Lord Ranger said.
Sunak’s appointment will have ‘little impact in bolstering ties between the UK and India’
Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow for South Asia, The International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) told Asian Voice, “Rishi Sunak’s appointment as the first Indian-origin and Hindu prime minister of Britain is hugely exciting and significant for the British Indian community and for some in India. But it will have little impact in bolstering ties between the UK and India. The ‘living bridge’ that the diaspora community represents influences only part of the overall relationship between the two countries that is often complex and, at times, prickly. Although Sunak can be expected to improve the optics of ties with India, taking cognisance of the sentiments of the overwhelming majority of the 1.7 million British Indian community, he has not been a public advocate of strong ties with India during his parliamentary or previous ministerial stints; indeed, as Chancellor of the Exchequer for over two years, he did not visit India even once.
“However, a substantive change in bilateral ties could take place if Sunak and his foreign secretary James Cleverly deliver a UK-India Free Trade Agreement, initiated by former prime minister Boris Johnson. But Sunak’s top foreign and security policy focus will be the Ukraine war, not India, alongside a laser-sharp priority on mitigating the cost-of-living crisis in the UK. If the war escalates and the UK and Indian foreign policy divergence on the conflict widen, an early conclusion of the FTA will be unlikely.
“Suella Braverman’s return as Home Secretary could also delay such a deal as could India’s resistance to lowering tariffs on scotch whiskey. However, a successful FTA could result in Modi’s visit to the UK next summer and pave the way for the next level of partnership on defence technology cooperation before both countries go into election mode”.
