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‘India’s G20 presidency highly ambitious one’

Ellis said these are the priorities that the UK and India share together as part of a broad and deep partnership agreed two years ago, which we want to drive further…reports Asian Lite News

British High Commissioner to India Alex Ellis on Thursday said India’s G20 presidency has been a highly ambitious one and has dealt with issues like disaster resilient infrastructure, global health, and global food chains.

“We’re reaching the climax of India’s G20 presidency with the summit in Delhi. This has been an incredibly ambitious presidency. It’s been ambitious on substance, dealing with the big issues like disaster resilient, infrastructure, global health, global food chains,” the British High Commissioner said.

Ellis said these are the priorities that the UK and India share together as part of a broad and deep partnership agreed two years ago, which we want to drive further.

He said: “Partnership between two of the largest democracies in the world, also the fifth and sixth biggest economies in the world, benefits the UK, it benefits India and it benefits the world.”

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The British High Commission in India on Thursday tweeted: “Over 220 meetings across 60 cities and 16 ministerial visits. The much awaited #G20 Summit is less than 48 hours away.”

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty will arrive in India on Friday to support India’s G20 presidency and UK-India partnership.

Meanwhile, New Delhi is geared up to host the G20 Leader’s Summit in the national capital at the newly inaugurated Bharat Mandapam.

This is the first time that the G20 Summit is taking place under India’s presidency. The event will be graced by many global leaders and delegates. Extensive preparations and arrangements have been made for the summit, with the intention of showcasing both India’s soft power as well as modern face.

Formed in 1999, the G20 was formed to maintain global financial stability by incorporating middle-income countries.

India assumed the G20 presidency on December 1 last year and about 200 meetings related to G20 were organized in 60 cities across the country. The 18th G20 Summit in New Delhi will be a culmination of all the G20 processes and meetings held throughout the year among ministers, senior officials, and civil societies.

A G20 Leaders’ declaration will be adopted at the conclusion of the G20 Summit, stating Leaders’ commitment towards the priorities discussed and agreed upon during the respective ministerial and working group meetings.

The next G20 presidency is going to be taken over by Brazil in 2024, followed by South Africa in 2025.

‘Heading to G20 with clear focus’

Sunak on Friday said that he is heading to the G20 Summit set to be held under India’s Presidency with a clear focus, which includes stabilising the global economy, building international ties and supporting the most vulnerable.

Sharing a post on X, Sunak stated, “I’m heading to the #G20 Summit with a clear focus. Stabilising the global economy. Building international relationships. Supporting the most vulnerable. This action is part of that – Putin again has failed to show up for the G20, but we will show up with support for Ukraine.”

Rishi Sunak’s remarks come ahead of his arrival in New Delhi for the G20 Summit which is due to be held in Bharat Mandapam, Pragati Maidan, New Delhi on September 9-10.

Sunak shared the post in response to a statement made by UK Prime Minister’s Office on X which reads, “The war in Ukraine continues to affect us all. We’re making sure food exports get out of Ukraine to countries that need it: Establishing surveillance in the Black Sea Providing £3m funding for the World Food Programme Convening an international food security summit.”

UK Prime Minister’s Office in a press release said that during the G20 summit Rishi Sunak would emphasise that global leaders must make it clear that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative has increased Russia’s global isolation, and pledge to protect those whose lives have been devastated by the ongoing conflict.

According to the release G20 leaders will on Saturday gather in Delhi to discuss the big challenges faced by the world, including the spike in the cost of living driven by Putin’s actions.

The press release said, “At the summit, the Prime Minister will stress the importance of those who do choose to attend demonstrating their leadership, both in helping the world’s most vulnerable people to deal with the terrible consequences of Putin’s war and in addressing wider challenges like climate change and the stability of the global economy.”

ALSO READ-India right country to hold G20 presidency, says Sunak

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Sunak makes historic G20 visit to India

Downing Street is hoping Sunak’s Indian heritage and the presence of his wife will help guarantee a warm reception from locals when he arrives…reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak has said he is looking forward to a “special” trip to New Delhi, where he believes he will be welcomed as “India’s son-in-law” during his first visit to the country since entering Downing Street.

The prime minister will land in the city on Friday morning ahead of this weekend’s G20 summit – the first time he has been to India since before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Downing Street is hoping Sunak’s Indian heritage and the presence of his wife, Akshata Murty, the daughter of one of India’s richest men, will help guarantee a warm reception from locals when he arrives. Sunak plans to use the trip to make headway on a trade deal with India, as well as persuading other countries to work to circumvent Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian grain.

Speaking to journalists on the journey to Delhi, Sunak said: “It’s special. I’ll be visiting a country that is very near and dear to me. I haven’t been back for a few years.”

The prime minister usually takes his family to India every February, but said he had abandoned those annual trips since being made chancellor in 2020.

He added: “I saw somewhere that I was referred to as India’s son-in-law, which I hope was meant affectionately. But I’m excited to be back. It’s nice to have Akshata with me as well.”

G20 leaders will arrive in Delhi over the next 24 hours in preparation for the summit. They are set to include the US president, Joe Biden , as well as several European heads of state. However, neither the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, nor the Chinese president, Xi Jinping, will attend.

Unlike most other world leaders, Sunak enjoys a special status in India as the grandson of Indian immigrants and a practising Hindu. He and Murty will visit the vast Akshardham Hindu temple in Delhi over the weekend. Ahead of the summit, street vendors in India were selling paintings of Sunak with messages of congratulations and good luck for the British prime minister.

UK officials are hoping that the star status enjoyed by both Sunak and Murty in India will cut through with the public and help the prime minister secure concessions from his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.

Sunak and Modi will hold a bilateral meeting during the weekend, at which Sunak is expected to press for a trade deal before the end of the year as well as for India to take a tougher stance towards Russia.

The British prime minister is not due to meet Sergei Lavrov, the Russian foreign minister, during the summit. Sunak said, however, that he would have a strong message for Moscow if the pair did come face-to-face.

The prime minister told reporters: “The message is, the fact that Putin is not there demonstrates his isolation in the global community. He wasn’t there last year, he’s not there this year to answer for what he’s doing. He doesn’t want to be held accountable.”

He added: “They’ve destroyed about a third of Ukraine’s civilian export capacity with their bombardment. That is wrong, it’s not right. It’s causing suffering in Ukraine, but it’s also causing suffering to millions of people in very vulnerable countries around the world. And I want to do everything I can to hold them to account for that and to call out that behaviour.”

Sunak was more circumspect, however, on whether he would meet Li Qiang, the Chinese premier, and what he would say to him if he does.

“He’s there, so there’s range of people that I’ll be expecting to try and speak to,” the prime minister said. “I look forward to engaging with everybody on the issues that matter to the UK and where we can make progress on things that are important to the British public and to the government.”

The prime minister will meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, where it is likely they will talk about a UK-India free trade agreement.

There is increasing optimism a deal can be reached soon.

India’s Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said she hoped it would be done before the end of the year.

Downing Street has refused to be drawn on a timescale.

India’s desire for visas with more flexibility has long been seen as a potential sticking point in the negotiations.

The prime minister’s official spokesman told us: “This is a trade deal which is focused on trade and business – immigration is a separate issue.

“The only aspect of the movement of people covered by a free trade agreement is business mobility, which is the temporary movement of business people for specific purposes.”

Shadow foreign secretary David Lammy said the Conservatives had said the trade deal “would be completed by last October” and claimed Mr Sunak “arrives at the G20 as a minnow on the global stage”.

But for all the politics, and diplomacy, the early focus of this trip will be pictorial, symbolic and drenched in history – a British prime minister visiting a former British colony.

A British prime minister of Indian heritage, as India hosts the world – or at least a huge economic chunk of it.

ALSO READ-Feast, music awaits Sunak in India

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Sunak may face vote as Pincher’s suspension upheld

Both the Liberal Democrats and Labour believe they can take her Mid Bedfordshire seat, which Dorries won in 2019 with a majority of just under 25,000…reports Asian Lite News

Prime minister Rishi Sunak is facing the prospect of two parliamentary by-elections in Conservative strongholds this autumn after Chris Pincher lost his appeal against an eight-week suspension from the House of Commons for groping two men last year.

An independent parliamentary panel upheld the recommendation by the Commons standards committee in July, ruling that the sanction imposed on Pincher, a former Conservative deputy chief whip, was “far from being arbitrary or disproportionate”.

The move triggers a recall petition under which Pincher’s Tamworth constituents can demand a by-election if 10 per cent of them sign it. Pincher won the seat in 2010 and secured a majority of nearly 20,000 in the 2019 general election.

A successful petition would leave Sunak facing a second by-election this autumn after former culture secretary Nadine Dorries finally carried out her threat to quit as an MP just over a week ago.

Both the Liberal Democrats and Labour believe they can take her Mid Bedfordshire seat, which Dorries won in 2019 with a majority of just under 25,000.

The prospect of two tough by-elections is a major distraction for Sunak, who wants to use the autumn to regain the political initiative, building on what he believes is an improving economic situation ahead of the general election expected next year.

In July, Sunak suffered two crushing losses in the previously safe seats of Selby and Ainsty in northern England and Somerton and Frome in the south-west to Labour and the Lib Dems, respectively. However, his party narrowly clung on to the seat of former prime minister Boris Johnson in Uxbridge in west London.

Asked whether Sunak thought Pincher should resign immediately, Downing Street said: “It’s a matter for him in the first instance.” Sunak promised last year that his government would embody “integrity, professionalism and accountability”.

Pincher, who announced earlier this year that he would not stand for parliament at the next election, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The suspension of Pincher came after two men told the standards committee that the then deputy chief whip had touched them inappropriately at the private members’ Carlton Club in London in June 2022.

The committee said Pincher had been unable to recall the events in question and that the MP had drawn attention to inconsistencies in the evidence provided by the two victims and witnesses.

The committee found that Pincher’s behaviour had represented “an abuse of power”, although it conceded that he had expressed “genuine contrition” and had resigned as a government minister.

On Monday the independent parliamentary panel concluded that the committee had approached its task “properly” and with “fairness and obvious reason to the facts”.

“We consider that the appellant’s arguments are misconceived or erroneous,” it said. “The sanction is far from being arbitrary or disproportionate. This appeal is dismissed and the eight-week suspension stands.”

ALSO READ-Sunak’s cabinet gets new Indian-origin minister

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UK-India Free Trade Agreement Delayed, No Deal Ahead of G20 Summit

Those close to the talks say agreements have been reached in some key areas, such as the need for India to cut tariffs on whisky and cars and for the UK to remove those on textiles and other goods…reports Asian Lite News

UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has ruled out a quick-fix trade deal with India, making it impossible to get an agreement over the line in time for this week’s G20 summit in Delhi – and possibly even by next year’s elections, the media reported.

Multiple sources close to the negotiations have told The Guardian the UK prime minister has rejected the idea of an “early harvest” deal, which could have lowered tariffs on goods such as whisky 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, The Guardian reported.

It means the prospect of a UK-India free trade agreement, long held up as one of the biggest possible opportunities for Britain after Brexit, remains distant.

One government source said: “There was talk last year of a deal by last Diwali, but that was only going to happen if it was a shallow deal based around a limited number of goods. Kemi Badenoch (the trade secretary) and Rishi Sunak have decided they don’t want to go down that route and so have taken a deadline off the table.”

Another person close to the negotiations added: “India wants to do an early agreement on goods, but the risk is that instead of being the start of a wider trade agreement, that becomes the end point and the UK doesn’t get any of the more fundamental things it wants.” 

Those close to the talks say agreements have been reached in some key areas, such as the need for India to cut tariffs on whisky and cars and for the UK to remove those on textiles and other goods. 

The Sunday Times reported earlier this month that India was prepared to reduce tariffs on scotch whisky by a third to 100 per cent in return for tax breaks for Indian workers in the UK – though British officials say exact figures have not yet been agreed.

This might have been enough to sign a slimmed-down trade agreement this week, according to sources, but Sunak and Badenoch have rejected such an idea for fear it will make the goal of a more wide-ranging deal impossible, The Guardian reported.

There are still significant areas of disagreement when it comes to the comprehensive deal under negotiation.

India has long pushed for more visas for Indian students and for employees of Indian companies. The Home Office does not want such terms being placed within the trade agreement itself, although sources indicate a separate deal could be reached on immigration.

The UK says it has already shown flexibility on visas, more than doubling the number of work visas it gives to India each year since the country left the EU. 

But the government is reluctant to change the rules on who can enter, especially in the case of students, The Guardian reported.

However, there are also more fundamental issues facing reaching an agreement.

The UK is pushing for greater intellectual property protections for companies trading in India, especially in the pharmaceutical industry, where western companies fret about their drugs being produced much more cheaply by Indian laboratories.

Meanwhile, India wants to limit the proportion of UK goods that can be produced outside the UK, as a way of preventing other countries benefiting from the agreement indirectly, The Guardian reported.

ALSO READ-Sunak’s cabinet gets new Indian-origin minister

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Sunak’s cabinet gets new Indian-origin minister

Like Sunak, UK-born Coutinho grew up in a family connected with the National Health Service (NHS) and was in the field of investment banking before joining politics…reports Asian Lite News

Claire Coutinho, a close aide of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, got a big promotion as his new Energy Security and Net Zero Secretary in a mini reshuffle on Thursday.

Coutinho, 38, becomes the second Goan-origin minister after Home Secretary Suella Braverman in the Sunak Cabinet and has a tough brief ahead of her as energy costs have been soaring in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

She has committed herself to work on safeguarding energy security and reducing bills for families struggling with a cost-of-living crisis.

In her first Cabinet role, Coutinho replaced Grant Shapps after he was promoted to the post of Defence Secretary following the resignation of Ben Wallace.

“I am delighted to have been appointed Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero. I will work with the Prime Minister to safeguard our energy security, reduce bills for families, and build cleaner, cheaper, homegrown energy,” she tweeted.

Like Sunak, UK-born Coutinho grew up in a family connected with the National Health Service (NHS) and was in the field of investment banking before joining politics.

The pro-Brexiter with a Master’s degree in Maths and Philosophy from Oxford University was elected member of Parliament for East Surrey, south-east England, in 2019 with a promise to serve people.

“I was elected the Member of Parliament for East Surrey in 2019. Growing up, I watched my parents work as GPs (general practitioners) in the NHS, listening to people’s problems and solving them as best they could. It is in that spirit that I hope to serve the people of East Surrey,” reads the London-born politician’s mission statement as a Tory MP.

Sunak’s decision to catapult her into the cabinet – as its youngest member in fact – marks her out instantly as a major figure in Conservative politics, present and future, the BBC reported.

She says she started her career at Merrill Lynch, before leaving the City of London firm for a career in social justice policy.

“I focused on a wide range of issues from education to financial inclusion, to the regeneration of deprived communities including at the Centre for Social Justice. I then spent two years within government as a Special Adviser, including at HM Treasury. My local priorities include fixing our roads, supporting the local economy, and protecting our environment,” she adds in her mission statement.

Having worked as special adviser in the UK Treasury department, Coutinho went on to become an aide to Sunak in his role as Chief Secretary to the Treasury and later Chancellor of the Exchequer.

She backed the British Indian candidate for Prime Minister in his leadership bid last year and was later rewarded with a junior ministerial post in the Department for Education.

“Big thank you to my stellar team who supported me as Minister for Children, Families and Wellbeing. I know my successor, David Johnston, will be champing at the bit to improve the lives of children and families up and down the country,” she tweeted after her promotion.

“From the largest expansion of childcare in history, to our new Freedom of Speech Act, to driving forward reforms in SEND, for foster carers, in children’s social care and for childminders. It has been a privilege to work with so many talented people,” she said.

ALSO READ-Sunak apologises for ‘inadvertent’ code breach

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Sunak apologises for ‘inadvertent’ code breach

Rishi Sunak(twitter)

Under the requirements of the Standing Order, Sunak acknowledged and apologised for the breach of the rules…reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak has apologised to the parliamentary watchdog after an investigation concluded that the British Prime Minister’s failure to declare wife Akshata Murty’s relevant business interest arose “out of confusion” and was “inadvertent”.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Daniel Greenberg, had opened an inquiry into allegations that when discussing the government’s financial incentive scheme for people joining the childminding workforce, Sunak failed to declare that his wife held shares in one of six childminding agencies selected by the government to provide its new members with an enhanced financial incentive.

Sunak, 43, told the parliamentary watchdog that he had declared the interest on the Ministerial Register and Greenberg concluded that he was satisfied that Sunak had confused the concept of registration with the concept of declaration of interests.

“I formed the view that the failure to declare arose out of this confusion and was accordingly inadvertent on the part of Mr Sunak,” noted Greenberg in his inquiry report released on Wednesday.

“In view of this, I decided to conclude my inquiry by way of the rectification procedure available to me under Standing Order No. 150,” he said, which stops short of a formal report to be tabled with members of Parliament in the House of Commons to determine a course of action.

Under the requirements of the Standing Order, Sunak acknowledged and apologised for the breach of the rules.

“I apologise for these inadvertent errors and confirm acceptance of your proposal for rectification,” Sunak wrote in his letter to the Commissioner.

“I welcome your confirmation that your investigation related to declarations of interests; there is no question that I correctly registered my wife’s shareholding,” he said.

“I am also grateful that during our helpful discussion, you accepted that my response during the Liaison Committee hearing on March 28, 2023 complied with the rules on declaration, given that at that time, I had no idea of the connection between Koru Kids and the Childminder Grants Scheme policy. It was only after the hearing that I became aware of the link, as set out in my subsequent letter to Sir Bernard, the Chair of the Liaison Committee, dated April 4, 2023,” he said.

In his correspondence, the British Indian leader also noted that should such a scenario arise again, he acknowledges a duty to write to the committee after an appearance before a parliamentary appearance to correct the record.

“I accept and once again apologise that my letter to the Liaison Committee on 4 April 2023 was not sufficiently expansive, as it confused the language of registration and declaration,” he said.

The issue had dominated the headlines in the wake of the Spring Budget in March, which included a pilot scheme of incentive payments of 600 pounds for childminders joining the profession, a sum that doubles to 1,200 pounds if they sign up through an agency.

Koru Kids was one of six childminder agencies in England listed on the government’s website when the policy was announced, and Akshata Murty was listed as a shareholder in the most recently filed paperwork for the business on Companies House.

ALSO READ-‘Sunak under pressure to sack Braverman’

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‘Sunak under pressure to sack Braverman’

John Glen, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, is hotly tipped to replace him…reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak is under growing pressure to sack Suella Braverman in his upcoming reshuffle as both main party leaders prepare for an autumn relaunch.

Conservative MPs believe the Home Secretary may be in the firing line when the Prime Minister changes his Cabinet team in a shuffle expected to take place at the start of September.

The Tory leader and many of his backbenchers have been cheered by signs the economy may finally be turning around and are hoping to shift into election mode with the nation likely to go to the polls in just over a year from now.

For both Sunak and Sir Keir Starmer, a reshuffle in the coming weeks may be the final chance to ensure they have the front bench they want to take into the election.

The Prime Minister is weighing up the future of experienced ministers such as Michael Gove, Grant Shapps and Steve Barclay – all allies of his but figures who are seen by some as belonging to the past rather than the future. Gove, well known for his policy credentials but also his love of political scheming, is said by some colleagues to be eyeing up a move to one of the “great offices of state” such as Home Secretary or Foreign Secretary as one last big job.

The only obvious vacancy is at the Ministry of Defence, where Ben Wallace has confirmed he will step down shortly before leaving politics altogether at the next election. John Glen, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, is hotly tipped to replace him.

But Tory insiders say it is increasingly likely that the Home Office will also fall vacant, claiming that those around Sunak are frustrated with Braverman’s divisive rhetoric and failure to slash the number of asylum seekers crossing the English Channel in dangerous small boats – with the latest PR disaster being the evacuation of migrants from an accommodation barge where the bacteria legionella was found.

“The chatter is Suella will go”, one MP told i. “She hasn’t fully delivered, we’ve got the Illegal Migration Act through now, and need gentler hands.” Another added: “Braverman has got to go, she is shit. All of this right-wing nonsense is just playing into Labour’s hands.”

Another Tory insider claimed ministers were “trying to blame each other post the barge fiasco”, adding: “A couple of MPs who are normally supportive of Suella have said if she can’t deliver then she should go.

“But No 10 are basically worried she’ll machine gun them for the next six months in the run up to the election, which she will. She would lead the charge on quitting the ECHR [the European Convention on Human Rights], which would be a nightmare”.

A former Cabinet minister said of Sunak: “Whether he feels politically strong enough to get rid of the likes of Braverman, I don’t know – but that is what I would do. This is his opportunity to get the Cabinet he actually wants.”

Friends of Braverman insist there is no chance she will be fired or demoted, while a spokesperson for No 10 refused to comment on the possible outcome of the reshuffle.

But whatever her fate, many MPs see the shuffle as Sunak’s golden opportunity to reshape the top of the party for electoral success. “Tories don’t get elected on touchy-feely stuff, they get elected on competence,” one said. “We are not showing the competence, we are not showing the vision. He has got to start promoting competence. You can’t be having a government made up of fashion statements.” The MP called for “Red Wall dickheads” such as deputy chairman Lee Anderson who are “playing to the Farage wing of the party” to lose their jobs – not least to give them a chance to focus on trying to keep their own seats.

ALSO READ-Suella Braverman wins 1st Queen Elizabeth II award

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I am right PM to lead UK through tech change, says Sunak

Asked if people struggling with a cost-of-living crisis will feel better off in a year’s time, he said it was his job to make sure that people can feel that happening…reports Asian Lite News

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has insisted that he is the right person for the UK’s top job, especially at a time of rapid technological change and tough economic challenges, as he gets back into the full swing of work after a rare family holiday in California.

In an interview with ‘The Times’ on Wednesday, the 43-year-old British Indian leader pointed to the latest official figures showing a fall in inflation from 7.9 per cent to 6.8 per cent as a sign that the economy was moving in the right direction with him in charge at 10 Downing Street.

As he edges closer towards his first year in office after he was suddenly elevated to the post of Prime Minister in October last year when predecessor Liz Truss was forced out amid financial turmoil, Rishi Sunak pointed to how he had not “got this job in not the easiest of circumstances” but is the right choice as the leader going into a general election expected next year.

“I think I’m the right person, the right Prime Minister, at a time when technological change is so important to help lead the country through that change so we can benefit from it,” Rishi Sunak told the newspaper.

“This is the country that benefits from those changes in technology, this is where those companies are locating, where they’re growing, where they’re investing, where they’re creating jobs,” he said.

Asked if people struggling with a cost-of-living crisis will feel better off in a year’s time, he said it was his job to make sure that people can feel that happening.

He noted: “You can start to see now that there is a prospect of wages growing faster than inflation going forward. I’m really proud of our country and what makes us special. I’m really optimistic about the future.

“We’ve got a challenge right now to overcome but I’m entirely confident we will do it. Is it taking a bit longer than anyone would like? Of course, it is, but we’re making progress. The last couple of months show that the plan is working.” With a general election expected around mid-2024, the Conservative Party government under his leadership is quite obviously now pitching its tent to start wooing the electorate.

One of the key pillars of that approach is also to show up the Labour Party as not being up to the task, even as the Opposition party currently leads most opinion polls.

“The biggest economic challenge is inflation. Not having an answer that’s clear, that’s unequivocal, that you believe in, is an abdication of leadership. That’s a massive contrast between me and him,” said Rishi Sunak, with reference to his main opponent – Labour Leader Keir Starmer.

Asked about his US holiday, where he was joined by wife Akshata Murty and daughters Krishna and Anoushka on a visit to Disneyland, the leader dubbed it as “lovely”.

“We went on hikes, I dragged the kids around the ‘Star Wars’ bit of Disney. The new ‘Rise of the Resistance’ ride is amazing. I made everyone pose in the Millennium Falcon,” he said.

ALSO READ-My Hindu faith guides me, Sunak 

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My Hindu faith guides me, Sunak  

Sunak says that he is proud to be British and Hindu and adds that he often visited his neighborhood temple with family during his childhood in Southampton…reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak said on Tuesday that his Hindu faith guides him in every aspect of his life and gives him the courage to do the best as the Prime Minister of Britain. During a visit to the ongoing ‘Ram Katha’ being conducted by spiritual leader Morari Bapu at Jesus College, University of Cambridge, Britain’s first Indian-origin Prime Minister highlighted the significance of the event coinciding with India’s Independence Day.

“Bapu, I am here today not as a Prime Minister, but as a Hindu,” said Sunak, opening his address at the gathering.

“For me, faith is very personal. It guides me in every aspect of my life. Being Prime Minister is a great honour, but it is not an easy job. There are difficult decisions to make, hard choices to confront and our faith gives me courage, strength, and resilience to do the best that I can for our country,” he said.

The 43-year-old leader shared the special moment when he first lit Diwali diyas outside No. 11 Downing Street as the first British Indian Chancellor in 2020. Pointing to a large golden image of Lord Hanuman as the backdrop to Morari Bapu’s Ram Katha, the British prime minister said it reminded him of how a golden Ganesha sits gleefully on my desk at 10 Downing Street.

“It is a constant reminder to me about listening and reflecting on issues before acting,” he shared.

Sunak, just back from a family holiday in the US with his wife Akshata Murty and children Krishna and Anoushka, said he was proud to be British and Hindu as he reflected upon his childhood years in Southampton where he often visited his neighbourhood temple with family.

“Growing up, I have very fond memories of attending our local mandir in Southampton. My parents and family would organise havans, pujas, aartis; afterwards, I would help serve lunch and prasad with my brother and sister and cousins, said Sunak. Our values and what I see Bapu does each day of his life are the values of selfless service, devotion and keeping faith. But perhaps the greatest value is duty or sewa, as we know it. These Hindu values are very much shared British values,” he noted.

Referencing his family’s immigrant history, Sunak noted how many among the hundreds gathered at the Katha had parents and grandparents who came to the UK with very little from India and East Africa and worked their way up to give his generation the greatest opportunities ever.

“Today, I want to say thank you to the generation who worked day and night for our education and our today now is the time for our generation to give back,” he said.

“I leave here today remembering the Ramayana’ that Bapu speaks on, but also the Bhagavad Gita’ and the Hanuman Chalisa’. And for me, Lord Ram will always be an inspirational figure to face life’s challenges with courage, to govern with humility and to work selflessly,” he added.

He concluded his address with the words “Jai Siya Ram” and went on to participate in an aarti on stage, with Morari Bapu invoking the blessings of Lord Hanuman, seeking “boundless strength” to facilitate his service to the people of Britain.

While the UK Prime Minister typically refrains from accepting gifts, Morari Bapu presented him with a consecrated Shivlinga from the Somnath temple as a sacred offering from the Jyotirlinga Ram Katha Yatra.

‘Defining ties of our times’

Previously, Sunak had said he was confident that the India-UK partnership will be a “defining one for our times”. “India Global Forum’s annual UK-India Week is a highly anticipated fixture in the bilateral calendar of our two great nations,” said Rishi Sunak.

“It is a catalyst for forging new trade ties, lasting collaborations, and a better future for our peoples. I’m confident this partnership will be a defining one for our times,” he said.

India and the UK have been negotiating an FTA since January last year, with a goal towards a comprehensive pact that is expected to significantly enhance the bilateral trading relationship, worth an estimated GBP 34 billion in 2022.  .

“Given the geopolitical upheaval and economic turbulence around the world, I believe it is more important now than ever before that the UK and India forge closer and deeper ties. I am, therefore, grateful to Prime Minister Sunak for recognising the role that IGF is playing in bringing our two great democracies closer to unlocking the true potential of the partnership,” said IGF Founder Professor Manoj Ladwa.

ALSO READ-Sunak most frequent UK flyer among recent PMs

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Sunak most frequent UK flyer among recent PMs

In 2019, before the pandemic struck, international and domestic UK aviation accounted for 8% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions…reports Asian Lite News

Rishi Sunak has used RAF jets and helicopters for domestic flights more frequently than the UK’s previous three prime ministers, the BBC can reveal.

Ministry of Defence data show he took almost one such flight a week during his first seven months in office. The prime minister has been accused of hypocrisy for flying short journeys domestically, given his pledges to curb planet-warming carbon emissions.

But Sunak has said air travel was the “most effective use of my time”.

In response to Freedom of Information requests, the BBC was told the number of domestic flights on Command Support Air Transport aircraft broken down by prime minister between July 2016 and April 2023.

The RAF division – known as 32 Squadron – operates two Dassault Falcon 900LX jets and a helicopter to transport the PM and other ministers domestically.

In total, Sunak boarded 23 domestic flights on these aircraft in 187 days, which is one every eight days on average.

Two caveats to bear in mind are the brevity of Truss’s time in Downing Street, and the limitations on Johnson’s travel during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The prime minister sometimes has access to an RAF Voyager plane for overseas trips, and the government also charters private flights on aircraft operated by Titan Airways.

Separately, Sunak has accepted more than £70,000 worth of private jet and helicopter travel to Conservative Party events from political donors this year.

Sunak’s use of flights for UK engagements has come under intense scrutiny, with critics questioning why he had not used the train instead of RAF aircraft for relatively short trips to Newquay, Dover and Leeds this year.

Last month, Sunak said those who say “no one should take a plane” in their approach to climate change were “completely, and utterly wrong”.

Labour said the PM was “developing an expensive habit of swanning around on private jets courtesy of the taxpayer”. The party’s deputy leader, Angela Rayner, suggested Sunak had breached the ministerial code, which states he is supposed to use scheduled flights, unless “it is essential to travel by air”.

The SNP said the flights data showed Sunak was “completely out of touch” and “grossly hypocritical” after pledging to curb carbon emissions.

In his speech at the COP27 climate summit last year, Sunak said it was “morally right to honour” the UK’s promise to reduce carbon emissions. The UK has set a legally binding target of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, as part of the global effort to avert the worst effects of climate change.

Flights produce greenhouse gases – mainly carbon dioxide (CO2) – from burning fuel, and these emissions contribute to global warming.

Emissions per kilometre travelled from domestic flights are significantly worse than any other form of transport, and private jets typically produce more CO2 than commercial flights.

But carbon emissions vary considerably depending on the size of the plane, how efficient its engines are, and how many passengers it carries.

In 2019, before the pandemic struck, international and domestic UK aviation accounted for 8% of the UK’s total greenhouse gas emissions.

Anna Hughes, whose Flight Free UK campaign urges people to fly less for the sake of the climate, said Mr Sunak’s transport choices were “frustrating”.

She said if leaders demonstrated “the kind of behaviour that we all need to adopt to avert the climate crisis, it communicates that it’s serious and real”.

“You can’t just say I’m the prime minister, I’m too busy and important,” she added.

One former official with knowledge of ministerial travel prior to Sunak’s premiership said transport choices “were based on time”, adding the train would be used “nine times out of ten”.

The former official, who did not wish to be named, said they “had access to the PM’s diary and every single minute of every day is accounted for”.

“In order to achieve a long visit, the only way was to use an aircraft,” they said.

A Downing Street spokesperson said ministers “sometimes require the use of non-commercial air travel”. “This is a standard practice for governments around the world and this has consistently been the case under successive UK administrations of all political colours,” the spokesperson said.

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