Jubilee Post News & Views
Special Desk
As the race to replace Boris Johnson has begun and a new PM is being looked for in UK. There is an Indian connect too in it.
Indian-origin Rishi Sunak is among the first few leaders to bid to succeed Johnson and Rishi Sunak might be the favourite to become the next British prime minister.
The competition tough is tough as 10 more leaders are in the race including foreign secretary Liz Truss and former Health Secretary Sajid Javid.
Sunak, the former finance minister announced his bid, a day after Johnson quit. He wrote on Twitter, “I’m standing to be the next leader of the Conservative Party and your Prime Minister. Let’s restore trust, rebuild the economy and reunite the country.”
It was Sunak’s decision to quit the government that led to a flurry of resignations at Downing Street, which eventually pushed Johnson to give in. Sunak was the first Indian-origin politician to hold the high UK Cabinet office of Chancellor of the Exchequer. If he wins, he will also become the first Indian as Britain’s PM. He is married to Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Infosys founder Narayana Murthy.
Liz Truss, foreign secretary also joined the race for the PM’s post. The 46-year-old leader, who is seen as a frontrunner in the context, announced her candidacy saying she had “a clear vision of where we need to be, and the experience and resolve to get us there”.
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She is only the second woman to lead Britain’s foreign office. Truss visited India in March 2022 and held extensive talks with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. She emphasised on deeper ties between the two nations to boost security in the Indo-Pacific and globally, and create jobs and opportunities in both countries.
Penny Mordaunt, the trade minister has also announced her bid shortly after Truss. A former navy reservist, who has also held several senior ministerial roles, she is not among the favourites to succeed Johnson. As defence minister, she was all for partnership with India and said it was key to global security.
Transport secretary Grant Shapps has served as secretary for state transport since 2019. Earlier he held junior ministerial roles and was co-chair of the Conservative Party.
As attorney general, Suella Braverman, 42, was slammed by lawyers after the government sought to break international law over post-Brexit trade rules in Northern Ireland. Now she is in the race to replace Johnson.
A daughter of Indian immigrants, she became the first member of Boris Johnson’s Cabinet to declare a leadership bid. However, the 42-year-old arch-Brexiteer is a long-shot candidate, popular within the party for her Euroscepticism.
She is born to Indian-origin parents, Christie and Uma Fernandes. Her father is of Goan ancestry.
