The year 2022 has become one that will forever live long in the minds and hearts and of everyone, more so the British public.
It’s a year characterised by a few monumental events: the passing of Queen Elizabeth II – the longest-serving monarch - the worldwide energy crisis, and Rishi Sunak, who became the leader of the Conservative Party and, ultimately, the third prime minister this year alone, following the resignations of Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.
Significantly, Sunak has become the first minority ethnic prime minister in British history, something former Prime Minister David Cameron predicted in 2015, claiming the party was steeped in ‘equality’. With Labour MP and Pakistani-heritage Sadiq Khan serving as Mayor of London, two South Asians hold the largest political positions in Britain. But should we parade this under the banner of ‘equality’, celebrating the steps and progress made in the last 70 years? Or will it reveal how minorities are thought of?
Sunak’s story is not one to be praised as a migrant ‘success story’, something he used for his unsuccessful campaign for Tory leadership earlier this year. The former Chancellor of the Exchequer has lived a life to which most ethnic minorities cannot relate. He is one of the richest MPs in the world with a net worth of over £700 million, attended a private school in Southampton, and is a philosophy, politics and economics graduate from the University of Oxford – one of the most stratified degrees possible.
The disarray of the Conservative Party has made the role of prime minister a merry-go-round of incompetent leaders who have been elected by their peers, not by the government. We pride ourselves as ‘beacons of democracy’, criticising countries in the Global South and beyond for political instability, yet a general election has not occurred to help choose our last two prime ministers. Thus, Sunak’s election cannot be perceived as something to be lauded as a step forward - he was not voted in by the public.
Nonetheless, with the deep-rooted history of British racism, colonialism, and subjugation of minorities, having two South Asians in the highest political positions in this country will certainly reveal the prejudicial ideas many people have. Populist right-wing factions such as Britain First, English Defence League and even UKIP deploy divisive tactics to show how Britain no longer pertains to the majority and we have somewhat become ‘swamped with immigrants’ - the same tactic Margaret Thatcher used in her 1979 election campaign.
It hasn’t taken long for people to reveal their negative feelings towards an Indian-heritage prime minister. A radio caller on one of Britain’s most popular stations - London’s Broadcasting Company - when Sunak announced his running for prime minister, claimed “he doesn’t love England” and “isn’t even British, in most people’s opinion”. By going on to argue that “he doesn’t love England like Boris”, the caller alluded to the psyche many British people have, that we connotate English with whiteness.
We cannot be fooled by claims of ‘equality’; it is still paper over cracks. Black and brown Tory MPs exhibit their blatant complacency for white supremacy as Home Secretary Surella Braverman said that seeing a flight take asylum seekers to Rwanda is her “dream” and “obsession”. British politics is in disarray. Their views and lived experiences don’t reflect the majority of ethnic minorities in Britain. Not every skinfolk is kinfolk, so let us not see their representation in politics as something we should be proud of if their mentality is backward.
Montel Gordon is a James McCune Smith PhD scholar at the University of Glasgow researching race and education. He is also a freelance journalist. Send feedback to columns@gleanerjm.co [2]m.