Staff Writer
According to an interview that was released on Saturday, the UK’s first prime minister of color, who is also a devout Hindu, thinks the historic event reveals something significant about the diversity in Britain.
The 42-year-old Sunak also disclosed that, during the leadership contest last month, he refused to step aside for former PM Boris Johnson because he believed, based on his experience as finance minister, that he was the best candidate to guide the nation through its cost-of-living issue.
On October 24, the same day that Hindus celebrated Diwali, the festival of lights, Sunak won the contest to succeed Liz Truss as premier and head of the Conservative Party.
A Diwali reception served as the incoming premier’s first official event in Downing Street.
It was undoubtedly wonderful. Sunak, who served as Johnson’s finance minister, would place customary Diwali decorations on the threshold of his official apartment at 11 Downing Street. “It meant a lot of things to a lot of people,” he recalled.
The grandparents of Sunak left eastern Africa for Britain in the 1960s and were originally from Punjab in northern India.
“I was allowed to burn my Diwali Diyas (lamps) on the steps of Downing Street while serving as chancellor. It conveyed a beautiful message about our nation by showing that it was both doable and unimportant.
In a sense, he said, “Gosh, this is fantastic, but also that’s just Britain.”
“Hopefully it’s a source of collective pride across the country,” he continued.
Sunak claimed he never thought about withdrawing from the leadership competition to create room for Johnson or a “joint ticket” with his old employer.
Johnson considered making a comeback but gave up after failing to convince Sunak to share authority.
“I was very clear with him about the fact that I had strong support from colleagues in parliament and I thought I was the best person to do the job,” the man added.
Sunak refrained from criticizing his brief-lived predecessor Truss directly, despite the fact that he has referred to Truss’ poor economic policies as “mistakes” that it is his responsibility to “fix”.
Markets were shaken, borrowing costs rose, and the pound sank as a result of Truss’s disastrous tax-cutting October budget.
In an effort to calm the markets as Britons prepare for a winter of rising food, energy, and housing expenses, Sunak hinted at tax increases in a new budget on November 17.
He promised steps aimed at bringing down inflation “compassionately and fairly,” but he also foresaw “difficult decisions to come.”
