In London, “I have given everything to this job,” said Rishi Sunak in his farewell speech as British Prime Minister on the steps of 10 Downing Street, and this is likely to be how he will go down in history.
As the UK's first leader of Indian descent, the first Hindu and the first of non-white ethnicity, the 44-year-old leaves quite a legacy despite presiding over the Conservative Party's worst electoral performance in history.
His words that “one of the most remarkable things” about modern Britain is how “unremarkable” its migrant roots were in reaching the top job will resonate with many, not least the Indian diaspora of 1.8 million. people.
“I think history will be relatively kind to Rishi Sunak; Despite the magnitude of this defeat, I think the analysis will be that he faced an almost impossible situation after 12 years,” says Sunder Katwala, director of the British think tank Future, reflecting on the turmoil Sunak inherited when he took office. post. in October 2022 after 12 years of Conservative government.
“I think Sunak will be seen as a man who strove to steady the ship in very, very difficult economic and geopolitical conditions. And what he didn't really have was a political recipe that might have required a magic wand, but he did put the country back on balance after a very, very chaotic period of government, losing two prime ministers in a matter of weeks,” he stated. he. grades.
It was after Boris Johnson was expelled by his own party in the wake of the partygate scandal of parties breaking the law in Downing Street and then Liz Truss, voted for by Tory members, turned out to be a disastrous election that his party turned to Sunak.
The fact that Johnson decided not to seek re-election and that Truss was humiliatingly defeated in a Conservative stronghold while her successor was re-elected with a solid majority in her North Yorkshire seat is also seen as a sign that the electorate blamed her predecessors. more than Sunak.
“I have known Rishi for literally a decade, and I really like him and his lovely wife Akshata. They are wonderful people, decent people. He is a very bright man, very capable,” shares businessman and colleague Lord Karan Bilimoria.
“It is very sad that we have had this historic achievement of an Indian being at number 10 and yet leaving with the biggest defeat that his party has suffered in decades and decades; It is not a position to be proud of. He said he is a decent man, a brilliant man, a hard-working man. I don't doubt for a minute his intention; It's a shame it was such a disappointment,” he says.
The sense of pride that a British Indian had reached the country's highest office was visible to the end, with seniors showering blessings and presenting rosaries to Sunak during his campaign visit to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, the north. London, last weekend.
“His legacy will be that of the first British Indian Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. “I think it's a hugely symbolic moment,” says Kevin McCole, CEO of the UK Indian Business Council (UKIBC).
“Being part of a Diwali celebration organized by him at 10 Downing Street was an extraordinarily moving moment. So I think that would be Mr Sunak's legacy, more so than this election. “He has been a great ambassador for the British Indian community and it really shows Britain at its multicultural best, that Mr Sunak could achieve so much in this country,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Sunak, his Indian wife, his daughters Krishna and Anoushka and the family dog Nova have moved out of their temporary residence on the country's most famous street.
According to Akshata Murty's social media posts, the family is back at his home in Richmond, North Yorkshire, where Sunak has promised to serve his constituents as an MP “for years to come”.
As the UK's first leader of Indian descent, the first Hindu and the first of non-white ethnicity, the 44-year-old leaves quite a legacy despite presiding over the Conservative Party's worst electoral performance in history.
His words that “one of the most remarkable things” about modern Britain is how “unremarkable” its migrant roots were in reaching the top job will resonate with many, not least the Indian diaspora of 1.8 million. people.
“I think history will be relatively kind to Rishi Sunak; Despite the magnitude of this defeat, I think the analysis will be that he faced an almost impossible situation after 12 years,” says Sunder Katwala, director of the British think tank Future, reflecting on the turmoil Sunak inherited when he took office. post. in October 2022 after 12 years of Conservative government.
“I think Sunak will be seen as a man who strove to steady the ship in very, very difficult economic and geopolitical conditions. And what he didn't really have was a political recipe that might have required a magic wand, but he did put the country back on balance after a very, very chaotic period of government, losing two prime ministers in a matter of weeks,” he stated. he. grades.
It was after Boris Johnson was expelled by his own party in the wake of the partygate scandal of parties breaking the law in Downing Street and then Liz Truss, voted for by Tory members, turned out to be a disastrous election that his party turned to Sunak.
The fact that Johnson decided not to seek re-election and that Truss was humiliatingly defeated in a Conservative stronghold while her successor was re-elected with a solid majority in her North Yorkshire seat is also seen as a sign that the electorate blamed her predecessors. more than Sunak.
“I have known Rishi for literally a decade, and I really like him and his lovely wife Akshata. They are wonderful people, decent people. He is a very bright man, very capable,” shares businessman and colleague Lord Karan Bilimoria.
“It is very sad that we have had this historic achievement of an Indian being at number 10 and yet leaving with the biggest defeat that his party has suffered in decades and decades; It is not a position to be proud of. He said he is a decent man, a brilliant man, a hard-working man. I don't doubt for a minute his intention; It's a shame it was such a disappointment,” he says.
The sense of pride that a British Indian had reached the country's highest office was visible to the end, with seniors showering blessings and presenting rosaries to Sunak during his campaign visit to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, the north. London, last weekend.
“His legacy will be that of the first British Indian Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. “I think it's a hugely symbolic moment,” says Kevin McCole, CEO of the UK Indian Business Council (UKIBC).
“Being part of a Diwali celebration organized by him at 10 Downing Street was an extraordinarily moving moment. So I think that would be Mr Sunak's legacy, more so than this election. “He has been a great ambassador for the British Indian community and it really shows Britain at its multicultural best, that Mr Sunak could achieve so much in this country,” he adds.
Meanwhile, Sunak, his Indian wife, his daughters Krishna and Anoushka and the family dog Nova have moved out of their temporary residence on the country's most famous street.
According to Akshata Murty's social media posts, the family is back at his home in Richmond, North Yorkshire, where Sunak has promised to serve his constituents as an MP “for years to come”.
