The former chancellor will then deliver his inaugural address as prime minister at roughly 4 p.m. Indian time on the steps of 10 Downing Street. Akshata Murty, his wife, and their daughters Krishna and Anoushka are anticipated to accompany him.
The festive holiday of Diwali was being celebrated Monday in northwest London, which is home to one of the largest Hindu communities in Britain. Small fireworks were thrown by children, and as they hit the sidewalk, they burst. Bright lights twinkled overhead as they were strung across the street. Families spent money on candles and chocolates.
Britain is home to a thriving and diversified group of people with roots in India, which it administered as a colony for nearly a century before India gained independence in 1947.
The largest ethnic group in England and Wales after white Britons is made up of up to 1.5 million persons of Indian heritage.
That makes Sunak’s victory an important turning point for the Indian diaspora in Britain, whose long battle against bigotry and discrimination is rarely a hot topic in British politics.
Sunak, 42, has always been proud of his Indian heritage and frequently mentions his origins as the son of immigrants. However, he has not made his ethnic background the focal point of his political discourse; rather, he has chosen to highlight his financial experience.
Sunak is a devout Hindu who embraced the Gita, a Hindu holy text, as his pledge of allegiance when he was elected to the British Parliament. As chancellor of the Exchequer, he illuminated the exterior of his official residence at 11 Downing Street to mark Diwali, often known as the festival of lights.
Being Hindus from India, we are quite proud and very excited,” said Priya Gohil as she and her family were about to leave the temple in the Harrow neighborhood after praying for the festival of lights. Simply put, “I can relate to that.”
After winning the battle to lead the Conservative Party, Rishi Sunak will take over as Britain’s next prime minister. He will lead a highly divided nation through an economic crisis that will make millions of people poorer.
After meeting King Charles III, he will assume leadership and be given the opportunity to establish the administration. At roughly 4 p.m. IST, the 42-year-old former investment banker will make his first address to the country in his new capacity as Prime Minister.
While his challenger, the former prime minister Boris Johnson, withdrew from the race claiming he could no longer unify the party, he overcame centrist politician Penny Mordaunt, who was unable to secure enough support from parliamentarians to be included in the vote.
As the nation is being pulled into a recession by the rising cost of food and energy, the multi-millionaire former hedge fund CEO is anticipated to implement significant spending cuts in an effort to restore Britain’s economic reputation.
In addition, he will take over an ideologically divided political party, a problem that has hurt the careers of several prior Conservative leaders.
When Sunak, then 39, took over as Johnson’s finance minister during the COVID-19 pandemic and created the effective furlough program, he gained widespread notice.
The former Goldman Sachs analyst will be the first prime minister of Indian descent to lead the United Kingdom.
His family immigrated to Britain in the 1960s, a time when many people from the nation’s former colonies immigrated there to aid in the nation’s post-World War II reconstruction.
TWEETS FROM NARENDRA MODI
Sunak was congratulated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who also expressed his desire to collaborate with him to modernize India-UK relations. N R Narayana Murthy, Sunak’s father-in-law and the co-founder of Infosys, wished him luck. The daughters of Sunak and Akshata Murthy are Krishna, age 11, and Anoushka, age 9. Sunak is married to Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Narayana Murthy.
