Rishi Sunak

Sudha Murty praises son-in-law Rishi Sunak's 'good Indian cultural values'

Well-known author and Rajya Sabha MP Sudha Murty has spoken of her pride in son-in-law Rishi Sunak, a British citizen with good Indian cultural values imbibed from his parents' upbringing in the UK. Murty joined Sunak and her daughter Akshata Murty as the guest of honour at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan's annual Diwali gala in London on Saturday evening. The parents of the British Indian former prime minister, Usha and Yashvir Sunak, were also in the audience as Bhavan UK students showcased a variety of Indian classical music and dance forms. I always believe when you are abroad, your parents must do two things: one is good education, which gives you wings in return and you can fly anywhere and settle; the second is great culture, your origin which is Indian origin or roots which you can get at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan along with your parents, said Murty, delivering her keynote address. I want to congratulate Ushaji, my sambandhi and a good friend of mine, who gave her son Rishi Sunak, form

UK Opposition leader Badenoch picks Priti Patel as shadow foreign secretary

Former British Indian home secretary Priti Patel has been chosen by the newly elected Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch as her shadow foreign secretary to join her top team on the Opposition benches in the House of Commons on Tuesday. Gujarati-origin Patel, 52, was one of the early contenders who went head-to-head in the race to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory chief and Leader of the Opposition. With two other opponents in the election, Robert Jenrick and Mel Stride appointed shadow justice secretary and shadow chancellor respectively, Badenoch's picks for her frontbench is being seen as an attempt to unite a divided Conservative Party. Congratulations to Kemi Badenoch on her election as leader of our great Party, posted Patel on X over the weekend after the election result was declared. Let's all unite behind her to renew and earn back the trust of the British people. I look forward to supporting her in holding this dishonest and self-serving Labour government to account and in

Kemi Badenoch elected new Conservative Party chief, UK opposition leader

Kemi Badenoch on Saturday became the first Black woman to lead Britain's Conservative Party as she succeeded Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons as the Leader of Opposition. The 44-year-old Nigerian-heritage parliamentarian defeated former Cabinet minister Robert Jenrick after a three-month-long leadership election following Sunak's resignation after the Tories suffered a bruising general election defeat on July 4. The shadow secretary of state for Housing, Communities and Local Government began by thanking her predecessor who was the first British Indian leader of the party. I want to thank Rishi, no one could have worked harder in such difficult times. Rishi, thank you for everything you did. We all wish you and your wonderful family the very best for the future, said Badenoch in her acceptance speech. Sunak took to social media to extend his support. Congratulations to Kemi Badenoch on being elected Conservative Party leader. I know that she will be a superb leader of our great

UK PM Keir Starmer meets police after 100 arrests in violent protests

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Thursday called a meeting with police chiefs after violent protests outside Downing Street in London over the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport, north-west England, as the teenage male suspect in the attack was charged with murder. The Metropolitan Police said that over 100 people have been arrested during the clashes on Wednesday evening for offences including violent disorder, assault on an emergency worker, and breach of protest conditions as some of its officers suffered minor injuries. It followed violent protests in Southport and also in Hartlepool, north-east England, and Aldershot, south-east England, believed to involve far-right groups whipped up by social media misinformation claiming the male suspect behind the stabbing was a Muslim asylum seeker who arrived illegally in the country on a boat. Following the tragic events in Southport, it is understandable the public have strong feelings about this shocking incident b

A leader is just a comma

Long-remembered leaders desist from trashing their predecessors

UK elections: Interim UK Oppn leader Rishi Sunak names shadow Cabinet

Rishi Sunak, the interim UK Opposition Leader until his Conservative Party finalises the process to choose his successor, has named a shadow Cabinet who will take their place in the House of Commons as the new members of Parliament begin being sworn in on Tuesday. The 44-year-old British Indian leader had to contend with some high-profile resignations and missing Tory MPs who lost their seats in the party's worst electoral defeat in last week's general election, which the Labour Party won with a landslide. David Cameron, a former prime minister who was parachuted into the House of Lords by Sunak to become his foreign secretary last year, has resigned and the portfolio will now be shadowed by his former deputy Andrew Mitchell. "It's been a huge honour to serve as foreign secretary, but clearly the Conservative Party in Opposition will need to shadow the new foreign secretary from the Commons," said Cameron in a social media post. "As a committed Conservative I will continue to suppo

Victories, setbacks part of journey in democracy: Rahul to Rishi Sunak

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Saturday extended commiserations to the UK's Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak on the party's recent electoral defeat, saying victories and setbacks are inevitable part of democracy and "we must take both in our stride". In his letter to Sunak, Gandhi hailed the former British prime minister's dedication to public service and commitment to the British people. "I would like to extend my commiserations on the recent electoral outcome. Victories and setbacks are both an inevitable part of the journey in a democracy and we must take both in our stride," the Congress leader said. "Your dedication to public service and commitment to your people are commendable. I also deeply value the efforts you made to strengthen the ties between India and the UK during your term in office," he said. Gandhi expressed confidence that Sunak would continue to contribute to public life with his experience. "I wish you all the best for your future ..

Former British Indian MP Alok Sharma takes seat in House of Lords

Indian-origin former Conservative Party member of Parliament Alok Sharma, who had chosen not to seek re-election in this week's general election, will now take his seat in the House of Lords after being conferred a peerage by King Charles III. The 56-year-old Agra-born MP, who was knighted as Sir Alok in the King's New Year's Honours list last year for his contribution to tackling climate change through his leadership as president of the COP26 climate summit over two years ago, now becomes Lord Sharma. Sharma was among seven nominations made by outgoing prime minister Rishi Sunak for his customary Dissolution Peerages, which also saw former Prime Minister Theresa May become a peer in the Upper House of the UK Parliament. Humbled to have been appointed to the House of Lords but so sorry to see many fine Conservative candidates lose, including in Reading West & Mid Berkshire, said Sharma in a post on X on Friday, as his party's disastrous general election results became evident. His

Nato summit, mending EU relations among first tasks for new UK PM Starmer

New British Prime Minister Keir Starmer doesn't get to take a breather. After a draining six-week election campaign, the center-left politician must get straight to work assembling his government, tackling a mountain of domestic problems and putting his stamp on the U.K.'s relations with the rest of the world. It's a daunting list for a new leader who has never served in, much less led, a government. But Starmer, who was officially appointed prime minister Friday, insisted that he is up to the challenge of heading the U.K. in a world that is a more volatile place than it has been for many years. Appoint a government Like someone moving into a new home with their IKEA furniture, Starmer's first task was to assemble a Cabinet. Starmer began putting together his government soon after he walked through the door of 10 Downing St. on Friday afternoon following his landslide election victory. He has a plethora of lawmakers to choose from - his Labour Party won more than 400 seats in ...

Record 29 Indian-Origin MPs set to shape UK Parliament after 2024 election

Labour has emerged as the predominant party among People of Indian Origin (PIO) MPs, winning 19 seats, marking a substantial rise compared to previous terms

How Labour beat Conservatives in Britain after 14 years, by the numbers

Great Britain's Labour Party has defeated the Conservatives in a historic parliamentary election for control of the nation's government. With most votes counted, here's a breakdown of the numbers: 412 SEATS Labour has won 412 seats a 63 per cent majority of the 650 seats in the lower house of Parliament. One seat remains undeclared. Meanwhile, the Conservatives have 121 seats, the smallest number in the party's two-century history, and down from 365 seats in 2019. Smaller parties picked up millions of votes, including the centrist Liberal Democrats, who captured 71 seats up by 60 from the last election. And one of the biggest losers was the Scottish National Party, which held most of Scotland's 57 seats before the election but looked set to lose all but a handful, mostly to Labour. Each seat represents a geographic area of the U.K. The leader of the party with enough seats to command a majority either alone or in coalition becomes prime minister and leads the government. 14

UK's newly-elected Parliament most diverse ever except at the top

The Conservatives went from having just two minority MPs in 2005 to 22 in 2019 as well as Britain's first Asian prime minister, who lit Diwali candles outside Downing Street with his family

Highlights: PM Modi's goal for high-income India by 2047 unlikely to be achieved, says Martin Wolf

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India-UK ties: 'Continuity' the buzzword among former diplomats, experts

The Labour Party's manifesto promised that its government will seek a new strategic partnership with India, including a FTA

UK will get a 'government of service': Keir Starmer in first speech as PM

Keir Starmer promised a government of service that will urgently get down to delivering the change voted for by the British public as he took charge as Britain's 58th Prime Minister, the seventh for the Labour Party, here on Friday. Earlier, the 61-year-old Labour leader who won a landslide majority in Thursday's general election was driven to Buckingham Palace for his customary audience with King Charles III to be formally asked to form a government in the name of the British monarch. In total, Labour had 412 seats and the Conservatives 121. Starmer and his wife, Victoria, then hugged and greeted several of their supporters who had patiently lined up in Downing Street awaiting the newly-elected Prime Minister's convoy. Our country has voted decisively for change, for national renewal and a return of politics for public service, said Starmer in his inaugural address as leader of a new Labour Party-led government, adding that the work ahead is urgent and we begin it today. When the

Record Indian-origin MPs elected in UK; PM Modi congratulates Keir Starmer

A record number of around 26 Indian-origin members of Parliament have been elected to the House of Commons in the UK's general election as results were announced on Friday, with several Conservatives surviving an overall brutal outcome for their party. Outgoing prime minister Rishi Sunak leads the Tory charge of British Indians holding on to their seats, with a decisive win in his Richmond and Northallerton constituency in Yorkshire. It would have come as small consolation for the Tory leader, who saw his party haemorrhage over 200 seats as the Labour Party's landslide victory unfolded. On this difficult night, I would like to express my gratitude to the people of the Richmond and Northallerton constituency for your continued support. Since I moved here a decade ago, you have made me and my family feel so at home and I look forward to serving you for years to come, said Sunak, in a message clearly aimed at dismissing pre-election chatter around his future plans as a politician. Othe

Highlights: Will have your back, says Labour's Keir Starmer after victory

United Kingdom Labour Party highlights: Keir Starmer's Labour Party bagged the victory the UK general election by passing the magic number. Incumbent Prime Minister Rishi Sunak retained his seat

World leaders congratulate Starmer after Labour's victory in UK election

We will continue the work begun with the UK for our bilateral cooperation, for peace and security in Europe, for the climate and for AI, said French President while congratulating Keir Starmer

Former PM Liz Truss among big name losses amidst landslide win for Labour

Former British prime minister Liz Truss and several Cabinet colleagues of outgoing prime minister Rishi Sunak's Conservative Party on Friday lost their seats as the Opposition Labour Party was swept to power. Truss, whose turbulent 45-day period in power has been blamed by many Conservatives for Thursday's historic defeat, lost her South West Norfolk constituency to Labour candidate, Terry Jermy, by 630 votes, having previously held a huge 24,180 majority, the BBC reported. The result in South West Norfolk is likely to become an emblem of what looks set to be the Tories' worst-ever election result, with the exit poll predicting they will win just 131 seats nationwide. Britain's Labour Party swept to power Friday after more than a decade in opposition, as a jaded electorate handed the party a landslide victory - but also a mammoth task of reinvigorating a stagnant economy and dispirited nation. Labour leader Keir Starmer will officially become prime minister later in the day, leadin

Starmer to be UK's new prime minister, Sunak concedes election defeat

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak may be on course for a bruising defeat with his Labour Party rival Keir Starmer set for a landslide win, according to the definitive election night exit poll released on Thursday as polling stations across the country closed in the landmark UK general election. According to the exit poll, which is often quite close to the final tally, Labour could win as many as 410 seats, comfortably crossing the halfway 326 mark and notching up a 170-seat majority with the incumbent Tories down to just 131 seats. Sunak's future as leader of the Conservative Party now hangs in the balance, hours after the British Indian leader and the man who wants his job -- Starmer -- were among the first few voters to cast their votes along with millions in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty walked hand-in-hand to their local polling booth on a sunny day in his constituency of Richmond and Northallerton in Yorkshire, northern England