Abdul Lawal with agency
report
Rishi Sunak, Indian with East African roots, has been elected as the new leader of the Conservative Party and will now be named the UK prime minister.
He was announced as the new leader of the UK in a tweet on the Conservatives Twitter handle on Monday.
Three days ago Jacob Rees-Mogg, the business secretary, said it was “Boris or bust”.
He has not deleted that tweet, but he has congratulated Rishi Sunak and offered his support.
Jake Berry, the Conservative party chair, has put out this statement about Rishi Sunak’s election as Tory leader.
I’d like to congratulate Rishi Sunak on becoming the new leader of our party. Now is the time for the whole party to come together and unite four-square behind Rishi, as he gets on with the vital work of tackling the challenges we face as a country. The time for internal debates is well and truly over, and led by Rishi Sunak, I know we can and will deliver on the priorities of the British people.
thinktank
Sunder Katwala, who runs the British Future thinktank, which focuses on issues relating to immigration, identity and race, says Rishi Sunak’s appoinment as PM is a historic moment. He says:
Rishi Sunak becoming the first British Indian prime minister is an historic moment. This simply would not have been possible even a decade or two ago.
It shows that public service in the highest office in Britain can be open to those of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds. This will be a source of pride to many British Asians – including many who do not share Rishi Sunak’s Conservative politics.
Most people in Britain now rightly say the ethnicity and faith of the prime minister should not matter. They will judge Sunak on whether he can get a grip on the chaos in Westminster, sort out the public finances, and restore integrity to politics.
But we should not underestimate this important social change. When Sunak was born in Southampton in 1980, there had been no Asian or black MPs at all in the postwar era. There were still no black or Asian Conservative MPs when he graduated from university in 2001.
Sunak reaching 10 Downing Street does not make Britain a perfect meritocracy. While there is more to do, this is a hopeful sign of progress against the prejudices of the past. National politics has set the pace and business, public services and charities should accept the challenge to reflect modern Britain
BREAKING: Rishi Sunak, Indian With East African Roots, Is UK Prime Minister October 24, 2022