UK, Rishi Sunak & PM Race: For Londoners, Ethnicity Seems to Matter Little

Sunak's ethnic background seems to be hardly of any importance to most Londoners – it's all about merit.

UK Chancellor Rishi Sunak

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter/Rishi Sunak)

The Conservative Party leadership contest is now headed to its final stage, and former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rishi Sunak, looks certain to be one of the two final candidates to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Minister.

This contest is different in more ways than one. In the previous Conservative leadership contest in 2019, there were only two women and one person of ethnic-minority background among the 10 contenders. This time, of those originally in contention, half were women and almost half were of ethnic minority background. Prime Minister Johnson had the most ethnically diverse Cabinet. And ironically, such a milestone was achieved by a distinctly right-of-centre party and not Labour.

• Prime Minister Boris Johnson had the most ethnically diverse Cabinet. Ironically, such a milestone was achieved by a right-of-centre party and not Labour.

• As a lifelong Tory supporter, Chris, a senior white barrister says, "Sunak being Indian is the most irrelevant factor. He sounds posh and is like all other Winchester/Oxford-educated Britons.”

• Chris points out that if Priti Patel were in the race, the ‘Indian aspect’ would be more important as she is from the working class.

• Sunak is a third-generation Indian-origin citizen, who was born and brought up in the UK. So, he is as British as any white Briton.

• Being from an ethnic minority background is hardly of any importance in London.

Britain's History of Political Multiculturism

But in Britain, the Conservatives have a record of political firsts. While Indians are keenly watching this race, hoping Indian-origin Sunak becomes the UK’s Prime Minister, it is important to remember that this is not a first for an ethnic-minority person to reach the highest office. Conservatives gave the country the first Jewish Prime Minister in Benjamin Disraeli way back in 1874 and the first female Prime Minister in Margaret Thatcher. Also, in the current government, it was ethnic-minority Health Secretary Sajid Javid whose resignation led to ministerial departures that toppled Johnson. This Conservative government also gave the UK the first female ethnic-minority Home Secretary in Priti Patel. Tories also had the first Muslim (Javid) to attend the Cabinet.

People in India may be excited about an Indian-origin Sunak being within reach of 10 Downing Street, but it is important to remember that Britain has a history of political multiculturism. One cannot forget that it was Disraeli, a Jew, “an outsider” in those times, who made Queen Victoria the Empress of India.

As a lifelong Tory supporter, Chris, a senior white barrister, said, “Our system is capable of it.”

When asked what he feels about seeing an ethnic-minority, Indian-origin person as the UK’s Prime Minister, Chris said, “Sunak being Indian is the most irrelevant factor. He sounds posh and is like all other Winchester/Oxford-educated Britons. His ambitions are not very different from others in his party.”

In fact, he points out that if Priti Patel was in the race, the ‘Indian aspect’ would be more important as she is from the working class.

Sunak Is as British as Any White Briton

As a Londoner, Chris was clear that it is the most cosmopolitan city in the world and everyone speaks a different language. “People from London are people from somewhere else. It is not a homogenous ethnic or social entity. We do not have a shallow nationalist attitude. What is far more important is competency. Sunak was competent in the circumstances. Him being posh and a multi-millionaire may be a good thing!”

Clearly, being from an ethnic minority background is hardly of any importance in this city. No one is even talking about the racial or ethnic backgrounds of the candidates. However, many feel that though Sunak has a respectable chance, he may not win when the final two go head-to-head and the Conservative party members get to vote.

David Henig, UK Director, European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE), said, “The UK public has become used to politicians with south Asian origin, such as the Pakistani-origin London mayor Sajid Khan, who has majority acceptance.”

While Sunak is of Indian origin, he is a third-generation Indian-origin who was born and brought up in the UK. So, he is as British as any white Briton. Henig pointed out, “He is perfectly respectable, at least for the time being. But he is rather dry and cautious. If he wins, he may become a very boring Prime Minister in the future.” Jokingly, he added, “While his ethnicity is not an issue, people may discover how short he is. Definitely nothing like the tall, white politicians.”

It's All About Merit

Unlike what many in India think – that Sunak’s victory will mean some kind of a ‘strike-back’ on the Empire – here it shows how diverse the country is.

As Michael, a former diplomat, said, “If Britain had an ethnic-minority Prime Minister it would acknowledge Britain today. Its strength is in its diversity of culture, faiths and perspectives.”

But it is not over till it is over. Following the first debate of the candidates on Channel4 on Friday evening, in a poll of 1,000 people, 36% found that Tom Tugendhat performed the best, followed by Sunak with 25% and Penny Mordaunt at 12%. On Sunday, the Conservative Home polled party members, which threw up a very different preference list: Nigerian-origin Kemi Badenoch was leading, followed by Truss and Mordaunt, and Sunak was at the fourth position. Unfortunately, no further TV leadership debates will be held as Sunak and Truss have pulled out of further debates over fears of TV rows 'hurting' Tories. Are they scared of getting exposed?

Nonethelss, Britain is a mature democracy where ethnic backgrounds do not count – it is about merit, not ethnicity. This is a clear contrast with many South Asian nations, where race and ethnicity trump most other attributes of their political leaders.

(Nabanita Sircar is a senior journalist based in London. She tweets at @sircarnabanita. This is an opinion piece and the views expressed above are the author’s own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)