Categories
-Top News India News UK News

Modi, Sunak Discuss Progress in India-UK FTA

Rishi Sunak also congratulated Narendra Modi on Team India’s strong performance in the ongoing Cricket World Cup.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak discussed the progress on the Free Trade Agreement during their telephonic conversation on Friday.

Sunak also congratulated PM Modi on Team India’s strong performance in the ongoing Cricket World Cup.

“Turning to the friendship between the UK and India, the leaders discussed recent progress on Free Trade Agreement negotiations. They agreed on the importance of securing an ambitious deal that benefitted both sides,” the UK government said in a statement.

India and UK are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement, talks for which had begun in 2022. The 12th round of negotiations for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) took place from August 8-31 this year.

The UK PM affirmed hope of a good performance from the English side during the Test series in India in January next year.

“The leaders discussed the ongoing Cricket World Cup being held in India. The Prime Minister congratulated Prime Minister Modi on the strong performance of the India team and said he hoped England would have more luck during their test series in India in January,” the statement added.

Notably, India is having a strong run in the ongoing Cricket World Cup and has won all seven matches it has played so far. The defending champions, England on the other hand, have had poor show, winning only one game out of the six they have played.

In the India versus England game at Lucknow, the Men in Blue registered a huge 100-run victory, after India’s pace attack rattled the English batting while defending a below-par total.

PM Modi and PM Sunak also discussed the conflict situation in the Middle East amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.

The two leaders condemned Hamas’s attacks on Israel, and reiterated that Hamas “did not represent” the Palestinian people.

They reflected on the need to deescalate tensions in the wider region. PM Sunak also underscored the importance of protecting innocent civilians in Gaza and ensuring aid was able to flow into the country, the statement added. (ANI)

ALSO READ: India Mulls Domestic Tax to Counter EU Carbon Tax

Categories
Lite Blogs Politics UK News

It’s Game Over Rishi Sunak – Why not call a General Election?

The reality after losing the by-elections in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire last week is grim for Rishi Sunak… writes Kishan Devani BEM, FRSA

As Sir Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party said recently – Rishi Sunak is “completely wrong” to say nobody wants a general election actually “What he really meant was he’s not happy to go to the electorate because he thinks he will lose.”

The reality after losing the by-elections in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire last week is grim for Rishi Sunak. The Conservative Party suffered crushing defeats in electoral contests for two of its safest parliamentary seats, sending an ominous signal to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about his chances of holding onto power in the next general election. The Tories are heading for a 1997-style defeat, Rishi Sunak needs to wake up and smell the coffee, after two historic by-election losses. 

Prof John Curtice said Labour’s shock wins in Tamworth and Mid Bedfordshire meant the Tories had not seen such poor by-election results since the run-up to Tony Blair’s 1997 general election landslide. Sir John warned that without a “dramatic” turnaround, Sunak’s party is on course for a huge defeat – predicting that Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party could claim an even bigger win than under Tony Blair in 1997.

Labour overcame a 24,664 majority to win Mid Bedfordshire, marking the largest Conservative numerical majority overturned in the U.K. by the main opposition party since 1945.

In Tamworth, the 23.9-point swing from Conservative to Labour represented the second-largest percentage overturn of its kind since 1945 and took on what was a 66% Conservative majority in the 2019 general election.

Mr Sunak has to go to the country by January 2025 at the latest, but spring or autumn 2024 are more likely options. But why not do it now? Spare everyone the continuing incompetence, division, empty words, nonsensical policies & complete and utter disregard for the problems facing communities across our country. Do us all a favour and call a General Election – if you are so confident that you will win and the Conservatives will continue their campaign of dividing our nation – then please go ahead and call one. The electorate are now fed up of this populist, slogan led, empty and hollow government. It is this that the Conservatives and Mr Sunak obviously know and hence are not calling the General Election our country desperately needs.

ALSO READ: ‘Rishi Sunak Does Not Represent Us’

Categories
-Top News Arab News UK News

Rishi Sunak Due In Israel

Sunak will first meet his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after his arrival, after which the British leader will travel to other regional capitals….reports Asian Lite News

Amid the escalation of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will land in Tel Aviv on Thursday, making him the second world leader to visit the war-torn nation after US President Joe Biden.

According to a BBC News report, Sunak will first meet his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu shortly after his arrival, after which the British leader will travel to other regional capitals.

Ahead of his trip, Sunak said: “Every civilian death is a tragedy. And too many lives have been lost following Hamas’s horrific act of terror.”

The BBC also said that the Prime Minister will offer his condolences for the civilians killed in the deadly Hamas attacks, as well as press for humanitarian aid to be delivered to Gaza as soon as possible.

Meanwhile, British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly will meet leaders in Egypt, Turkey and Qatar in the coming days to seek support for a peaceful resolution in Israel and Gaza.

He “will push for an agreement on humanitarian access to Gaza, and the release of British hostages held by Hamas”, the BBC report said.

Sunak and Cleverly’s trips follow Biden’s extraordinary wartime visit to Israel on Wednesday which came a day after the deadly explosion at a Gaza City hospital.

Biden had said the blast appeared to have been caused by a failed rocket launched by Palestinian militants, supporting Israel’s account of the incident, the BBC reported.

But Palestinian officials said an Israeli airstrike hit the hospital.

At Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, Sunak said that British intelligence services were working to establish who was behind the blast, telling MPs not to “rush to judgment”.

In a later statement, he said: “The attack on Al-Ahli Hospital should be a watershed moment for leaders in the region and across the world to come together to avoid further dangerous escalation of conflict.

“I will ensure the UK is at the forefront of this effort.”

ALSO READ: 5,000 Afghan Migrants Return from Pakistan

Categories
-Top News India News UK News

‘Rishi Sunak Does Not Represent Us’

I worry for the sake of my young family and the British Indian Community that we must not build a country for just a few at the top of the socio-economic chain, but for all – regardless of background. The more one delves into the life of our current PM – the more one sees how far detached from reality he really is … writes Professor Kishan Devani BEM, FRSA

Many across my community (the Indian Community) continue to ask me all over the world, it must be great to have an ‘Indian PM’ of the UK.  My answer to them is simply, NO. What do I have in common with Mr Sunak – absolutely nothing.

Kishan Devani, BEM, FRSA

Was I born to privilege- No, was I privately educated – No, am I worth over £700M – No. These matters may seem futile to some, however, I ask how will he ever understand the issues that the majority of our community faces? For example, does he really know what it feels like to live on a weekly budget – trying to feed one’s children/family, will he ever understand what it feels to arrive here as an immigrant and have to live as a Paying Guest or in a bedsit?

Will he ever understand what it means to borrow money to have to care for your elderly parents? Or to remortgage your home to make ends meet? Of course not, he probably has no idea what it feels like to budget for anything at all. This for me puts him far away from the reality of what 100,000’s of members of our community go through daily in their lives. I for one, feel that our country is crying out for a Prime Minister that is in touch with the needs of the majority of our country – not just the elite.

I worry for the sake of my young family and the British Indian Community that we must not build a country for just a few at the top of the socio-economic chain, but for all – regardless of background. The more one delves into the life of our current PM – the more one sees how far detached from reality he really is.

Whether it is Climate Change, HS2, Immigration or just general economics he is so far off from the realities affecting families like mine and many other families in the British Indian Community, that it pains me to see him in a position to affect our lives. So when the question is asked, whether I should just simply support the PM as I am a British Indian too – I say – Why? We owe it to our future generations to challenge the status quo and not simply follow as blind followers of a cult.

Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty visit BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple. (Picture by Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street)

The Conservatives have decimated our country in recent years, whether it be Brexit, the systematic dismantling of our NHS and economic policies that have helped the rich get richer. One needs to understand we are a nation for all, not north, not south. All regions of our UK are one and we must work together – unlike what the Conservatives have tried to do, divide communities across our country.

As it says in Hindu/Vedic Scriptures – ” Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam” – “The Whole World is One Family” – these are, our values and this is the type of world I want to live in. One that the Tories and the Leadership of our current PM Rishi Sunak are far off from delivering. Another pillar of the Vedic traditions is the concept of Unity in Diversity – which forms a great part of our lives as a community – this is also something our current Conservative Home Secretary Suella Braverman and PM Rishi Sunak could learn from.

PM Rishi Sunak speaks to guests at a garden reception to celebrate London Tech Week in 10 Downing Street. (Picture by Simon Dawson No 10 Downing Street)

The right-wing dogwhistle, callous policies of this government need to be thoroughly examined, before one simply supports them. In conclusion, the next time someone asks me whether I should just simply support Rishi Sunak as our PM due to the fact we share ethnic backgrounds – I will simply point them to this article, to lay out my rationale of not supporting him/the Tories and the moral obligation we all have as a community to do what is right for our country and not simply follow someone blindly.

(Professor Kishan Devani BEM, FRSA is a UK political & public figure and a writer & columnist)

ALSO READ: Is Rishi Sunak, the perpetual student or election winner?

Categories
-Top News Politics UK News

Is Rishi Sunak, the perpetual student or election winner?

Rishi Sunak’s net-zero policy changes, and the likely abandonment of HS2, is meant to provide clear water between the Tories and Labour. Whether this will help his sailboat get to safe harbour remains to be seen, writes Mihir Bose

Rishi Sunak always gives me the impression of being a young college student who is busy discovering this new world he has sought so long and finally entered. A year into his Prime Ministership he is yet to give the impression of having bottom, to use the word Conservative MPs are fond to convey a political heavyweight . When I see him on television with his tie tucked in his shirt I wonder if he has done this because his tie has marks from the breakfast he had that morning. He comes over as a man still working to getting his degree in leadership.

Of course, he could not have been worse than Liz Truss or Boris Johnson. This country was run by  Boris Johnson, the man whose chancellor Sunak was,  as if he was still a newspaper columnist. Liz Truss behaved a bit like the gypsy ladies who congregate at Epson Downs on Derby days and offer flowers to racegoers promising them a magical win in the Derby if they should buy them. We know how magical Liz Truss’s flowers proved. They nearly crashed the economy.  That Sunak has brought order, after such extraordinarily inept leadership, does not say much. Nor does it mean that he has the making of the leader who can lead the Tories after thirteen years in power to victory again.

Labour Leader Keir Starmer with Rachel Reeves MP.

His search for policies that will wrongfoot Labour is a classic example of a student seeking solutions but not at all certain the solution is remotely right. Take his dramatic U-turn on the green measures necessary to hit the net zero target by 2050. Having been outflanked by the BBC he revealed his plans at a hurried press conference where he announced a flurry of U-turns on climate targets – pushing back the ban on purchasing new petrol cars from 2030 to 2035 and delaying the target of eliminating gas boilers. Then, as often happens with Tory politicians under attack, he invoked Margaret Thatcher saying the modern Tory goddess would have agreed with his rationale, and that it was not right for “working families” to face significant costs as part of the country’s transition to net zero.

Yet when questioned further, like the college student playing with a new toy, he struggled to provide an explanation for claims that he had scrapped measures critics said had never seriously been mooted – such as an alleged tax on meat, compulsory car sharing and forcing households to use seven recycling bins. All he could say very lamely was, “These are all things that have been raised by very credible people,” without providing any evidence.

“Sunak is indulging in the classic talk of politicians trying to get to the high ground. The need to change politics. Thinking of our children.”

Sunak also hinted there would be further announcements in other areas to come. “We have to change the way we do politics,” he said. “You can’t chase the short-term headline – you’ve got to do the things that are right in the long term. That’s not going to be easy. I know I’ll get criticism and flak for it, as you’ve seen over the last day or two. But I’m not going to be deterred from doing what I believe is right for the long-term future of our children. That’s what yesterday was about and that’s what I will continue to do.”

Sunak is indulging in the classic talk of politicians trying to get to the high ground. The need to change politics. Thinking of our children.

What he did not say was this must have come from the focus groups of voters where, as one of our best election experts, John Curtice, put it Sunak had “picked up the zeitgeist”, particularly among Conservative supporters about climate change. What Curtis said was spot on that voters do not like things that would cause their bills to grow. Voters may say they recognise the need to do something about climate change but when it hits their pockets they quickly say, in the classic phrase of those who do not really want change, good idea but not now. It may not be clear whether Sunak’s announcement would leave people financially better off in the long run but that does matter for Sunak. The long run may be so long away that by then Sunak will have won the election which must come in a year’s time. The problems caused by Ulez gifted the Conservatives the Uxbridge by-election and is driving these policy changes strengthening the Tory view that this can be used to exploit inept Labour leadership.

Rishi Sunak with Boris Johnson

And it is the Labour leadership that provides Sunak and the Tories with the greatest hope that they can turn round the opinion polls and get to the magic land of a fourth election victory. If Sunak is the perpetual student than Keir Starmer comes over as the well organised office manager who will always make sure the office is in order and tea and coffee available to the staff but without suggesting that going to work will be something to look forward to, let alone it might be fun. Not long ago at the Financial Times Weekend Festival I asked Rachel Reeves, the shadow Chancellor, who was sitting next to a prominent Tony Blair New Labour, whether this was not New Labour Mark2. The answer was no but with no details as to how it would be different.

And that is the problem with Labour. Historically it is a party that loses elections. It wins them when it has exceptional leaders against the background of people yearning for change. Clement Attlee after the war, Harold Wilson after 13 years of Tory rule in 1964 when the Conservatives had run out of ideas and looked a spent force and then Tony Blair after eighteen years of Conservative rule in 1997 when the country wanted the Tories out. Even then Blair won by stressing this was new Labour and not the old Labour of tax and spend and other ideas that the country would never subscribe to. Now Keir Starmer gives the impression of a man who is keeping his ideas so close to his chest that it is difficult to know what exactly they are. Blair had produced a pledge card with five policies new Labour were determined to implement. Starmer has no such pledge card and at the Financial Times Weekend Festival when I asked Rachel Reeves she denied there would be one for this election.

Sunak’s net-zero policy changes, and the likely abandonment of HS2, is meant to provide clear water between the Tories and Labour. Whether this will help his sailboat get to safe harbour remains to be seen. The bookmakers are not convinced and providing very long odds on a Conservative victory. Bookies are rarely wrong and that may be Labour’s best hope. But to pin an election victory on how much money the bookies might make from it will be a first in British politics.

@mihirbose

Mihir Bose’s latest book is Dreaming The Impossible available at  www.amazon.co.uk/books

ALSO READ: Sunak scraps home energy efficiency taskforce

Categories
-Top News India News UK News

Modi, Sunak Hold Talks on Sidelines of G20

Both leaders have discussed the India-UK free trade agreement, innovation, and science along with ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a bilateral meeting with his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 Summit being held in the national capital under India’s presidency.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a bilateral meeting with his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 Summit being held in the national capital under India's presidency.

The meeting between the two leaders was held at the Bharat Mandapam in Pragati Maidan, the venue of the Summit.

Talks between the two leaders followed their meeting held on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Hiroshima in May this year in which they had discussed the India-UK free trade agreement, innovation, and science along with ways to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the two countries.

The two countries are negotiating a Free Trade Agreement, talks for which had begun in 2022. The 12th round of negotiations for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) took place from August 8 to 31 this year.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a bilateral meeting with his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 Summit being held in the national capital under India's presidency.

In August this year, Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and the UK’s Secretary of State for Trade Kemi Badenoch took stock of the FTA and agreed on ways to progress the negotiations. The 13th round of negotiations is due to take place in September.

Earlier today, PM Modi and Rishi Sunak participated in Session 1 on ‘One Earth’ during the G20 Summit. Sunak said that the world is looking to G20 to provide leadership and that the leaders are meeting at a time of enormous challenges. He expressed confidence that the leaders will together be able to address the challenges.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday held a bilateral meeting with his UK counterpart Rishi Sunak on the sidelines of the G20 Summit being held in the national capital under India's presidency.

In a post shared on X, Sunak stated, “15 years ago, #G20 leaders came together for the first time to restore global growth after the financial crisis. We meet at a time of enormous challenges – the world is looking to the G20 once again to provide leadership. Together I believe we can address these challenges.”

PM Modi welcomed world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, UK PM Rishi Sunak, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and others as they arrived to attend the Summit at the Bharat Mandapam venue.

Rishi Sunak and PM Modi warmly greeted each other with Namaste and shook hands. They two leaders also hugged each other as they posed for cameras.

Sunak, accompanied by wife Akshata Murty had arrived in Delhi on Friday. This is Rishi Sunak’s first visit to India as Prime Minister since he assumed the office of Prime Minister of UK in October last year.

India and the UK are bound by strong ties of history and culture, according to the Ministry of External Affairs. India’s multifaceted bilateral relationship with the UK intensified with its upgradation to a Strategic Partnership in 2004. (ANI)

Categories
-Top News India News UK News

Family Preps for Rishi Sunak’s Homecoming

Sources reportedt that Sunak’s relatives will host a feast with flower bouquets and “non-stop dancing” to Punjabi music in New Delhi on Thursday or Friday….reports Asian Lite News

Ahead of Rishi Sunak’s first official trip to India as Britain’s Prime Minister during the G20 summit this week, his relatives are planning a banquet in New Delhi to welcome the Indian-origin leader to his ancestral land.

The Telegraph reported that the Sunak’s relatives will host a feast with flower bouquets and “non-stop dancing” to Punjabi music in New Delhi on Thursday or Friday.

Sunak’s maternal uncle, Gautam Dev Sood, said all relatives have been asked to gather in New Delhi to mark the arrival of the Prime Minister, who is likely to be accompanied by his wife Akshata Murthy on the three-day trip.

The menu will feature a mixture of North and South Indian cuisines, with “flower bouquets and beverages for the dinner as well”, Sood told The Telegraph, adding that it is a “great honour for us that he is visiting his ancestral land”.

“We can’t divulge exact details but a plan is in place to welcome the Prime Minister. We are gearing up for a night of non-stop dancing, mostly to the lively-beats of the traditional Punjabi music, although I imagine we might also groove to a few English tunes along the way,” said Subhash Berry, Sunak’s paternal uncle.

However, Sunak is not planning to attend the event, pencilled for Thursday or Friday night, because of an intense schedule of meetings with world leaders between Friday and Sunday, the newspaper reported.

Born to Indian parents in Southampton with roots in Punjab, the 42-year-old is the first Indian-origin person to assume the office of the Prime Minister in the UK.

The British Indian leader has described India as an “indispensable partner” of the UK across all spheres of bilateral cooperation, which he is keen to bolster further.

On Tuesday, he ruled out a ‘quick-fix’ trade deal with India, which is held up by disagreements over New Delhi’s demands for greater migration rights for Indian people.

Multiple sources close to the negotiations told the Guardian that Sunak rejected the idea of an “early harvest” deal, which could have lowered tariffs on goods such as whiskey but would not have dealt with trickier subjects such as professional services.

The decision has scuppered any chance of an agreement being struck this week, before the Prime Minister meets his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, in the Indian capital this weekend.

Many now believe a deal is impossible before both countries hold elections in 2024, although some in government still believe it could be reached later this year.

ALSO READ: Boris and Rishi at war

Categories
-Top News China UK News

Truss urges govt to get tough with China on Taiwan

Truss called on Sunak to make good on his pledge during the Conservative leadership campaign last year to designate China a strategic “threat”…reports Asian Lite News

Former prime minister Liz Truss on Wednesday urged her successor Rishi Sunak to get tough with China on issues such as Taiwan, describing the democratic island as “an enduring rebuke to totalitarianism”.

China considers self-ruled Taiwan to be its territory, to be taken one day by force if necessary and strongly opposes any formal engagement with the island, including by high-profile foreign political figures.

Truss, who is on a five-day visit to Taiwan, accused Sunak and other Western governments of “trying to cling on to the idea that we can cooperate with China on issues like climate change, as if there is nothing wrong”.

“But without freedom and democracy, there is nothing else. We know what happens to the environment or world health under totalitarian regimes that don’t tell the truth,” she said.

“You can’t believe a word they (China) say.”

Rishi Sunak

Truss also called on Sunak to make good on his pledge during the Conservative leadership campaign last year to designate China a strategic “threat”, and went on to say the West could not avoid another “Cold War” with Beijing.

It is “absolutely clear” that Chinese President Xi Jinping “has ambitions to take Taiwan”, she added at a press conference later.

“We don’t know exactly when that could take place and we don’t know how… All we can do is make sure Taiwan is as protected as possible.”

Sunak has pushed back on the tough rhetoric against China that Truss deployed before and during her 49-day tenure at 10 Downing Street last year.

She was ousted after her radical economic policies crashed financial markets.

Since then, Truss — who is still a sitting MP — has been trying to rebuild her profile with a series of speeches overseas, including in Tokyo, Washington and Copenhagen.

The Chinese government has slammed Truss’s Taiwan visit as a “dangerous political show which will do nothing but harm to the UK”.

A spokesman for the Chinese embassy in London accused her of “colluding with ‘Taiwan independence’ secessionist forces to provoke confrontation”, in a statement issued before her speech in Taipei.

It added that Truss’s visit would “further expose herself as a failed politician”.

The former leader has also faced accusations back home that she is indulging in irresponsible sabre-rattling in a bid to maintain her political relevance.

“The (Taiwan) trip is performative, not substantive,” House of Commons foreign relations committee chair Alicia Kearns told The Guardian newspaper last week.

“It is the worst kind of example of Instagram diplomacy,” the Conservative said, recalling previous criticism of Truss’s tireless self-promotion on social media.

Pic credits @CGMeifangZhang

Kearns added the trip was likely to deepen problems for Taiwan.

Truss defended herself Wednesday by saying she was invited by Taipei, which was “best placed to understand what will help Taiwan’s course”.

Beijing has in recent years stepped up air and sea incursions around Taiwan, whose President Tsai Ing-wen has refused to accept that the island is a part of China.

After a visit to Taiwan by then-speaker of the US House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi, China launched massive military drills around the island.

There were more drills this year following a meeting in the United States between Tsai and Pelosi’s successor.

ALSO READ: ‘China and UK should focus on cooperation’

ALSO READ: ‘Russia becoming a vassal of China amid Ukraine war’

Categories
-Top News India News UK News

Sunak reads from Bible at coronation

Rishi Sunak, Britain’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage and a practising Hindu, reading from a biblical book will resonate with the multi-faith theme being struck for the Christian ceremony.

Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak read from the biblical book of Colossians at the coronation of King Charles III in keeping with the tradition of British Prime Ministers giving readings at state occasions.

Sunak, Britain’s first Prime Minister of Indian heritage and a practising Hindu, reading from a biblical book will resonate with the multi-faith theme being struck for the Christian ceremony.

Sunak described the coronation as “a proud expression of our history, culture and traditions”.

The service has been designed to reflect the changes in the UK since King Charles’ mother Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953, the character of Britain as it is today, and the Church of England’s role in contemporary society.

As one of the newer elements, the 74-year-old monarch also prayed aloud using words specially written for the occasion that reflect the “duty and privilege of the Sovereign to serve all communities”.

Thousands have congregated at the Abbey today and millions are watching the live telecast on screens.

But even before King Charles and Queen Camilla, 75, left Buckingham Palace aboard the Diamond Jubilee State Coach for a rainy procession to the Abbey, police arrested dozens of protesters using new powers rushed onto the statute book to crack down on direct action groups.

The coronation is the first since 1953 and the first of a king since 1937. It is only the second to be televised and the first in colour and streamed online.

Much of the two-hour Anglican service, led by the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, would be recognisable to the 39 other monarchs crowned at Westminster Abbey since 1066.

ALSO READ: King Charles III crowned with regal pomp

Categories
-Top News Politics UK News

Dowden appointed Sunak’s deputy after Raab’s exit

Oliver Dowden had been serving in Rishi Sunak’s government as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Cabinet Office secretary before the new appointment.

Oliver Dowden has been named UK’s new deputy prime minister, Sky News reported.

Dowden had been serving in Rishi Sunak’s government as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Cabinet Office secretary before the new appointment. He will continue in the roles alongside his new responsibilities, as per Sky News. Dowden after the announcement tweeted: “Deeply honoured to have been asked to serve as deputy prime minister. I look forward to working even more closely with the prime minister as we tackle the issues that matter most to the people of this country”.

Rishi Sunak and Oliver Dowden at Shakespeare’s Globe. Photo taken in November 2020 when Sunak was Chancellor and Dowden was Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. (Picture by Pippa Fowles / No 10 Downing Street)

Dowden’s appointment came after the resignation of former Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab. He resigned earlier on Friday in the wake of bullying allegations.

“I am writing to resign from your government, following receipt of the report arising from the inquiry conducted by Adam Tolley KC. I called for the inquiry and undertook to resign if it made any finding of bullying whatsoever. I believe it is important to keep my word,” read Raab’s statement.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Alex Chalk was appointed new justice minister, a position which was previously held by Dominic Raab.

Allegations surfaced about Raab in November, with former staff claiming he created a “culture of fear” in their departments.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appoints Alex Chalk to the cabinet. 10 Downing Street. Picture by Simon Walker / No 10 Downing Street

He denied the allegations and requested an investigation into himself after two formal complaints were made.

The Dy PM and Justice Secretary, Raab was appointed by Rishi Sunak after he took power in October.

“It has been a privilege to serve you as Deputy Prime Minister, Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work as a Minister in a range of roles and departments since 2015, and pay tribute to the many outstanding civil servants with whom I have worked,” he said.

Raab’s departure follows Sunak’s decision to dismiss Tory party chairman Nadhim Zahawi from his post in January after the former chancellor was found to have broken the ministerial code over his tax affairs. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Sunak declares wife’s link to childcare firm