London: UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has spoken of his pride at being Britain’s first Prime Minister of South Asian heritage, but also that it is “just not a big deal” because of the diversity of the country. He was addressing an annual awards ceremony organised by the Asian Media Group (AMG) in London on Tuesday evening, which marked the release of the ‘GG2 Power List 2024’ profiling the UK’s 101 most influential and powerful South Asians in Britain – with Sunak topping the rankings for a third year in a row.
“What an honour it is to be at the top of this phenomenal list. But I must tell you that there’s been a mistake; as the dad of two daughters, I’m not the most powerful Asian in the country, I’m not even the most powerful Asian in my home,” joked Sunak, evoking laughter. He also shared memories of his grandparents who had migrated to the UK many years ago and reiterated his resolve to uphold their values.
“It is a reminder of the incredible contribution of South Asian people to our economy and our society. It’s a reminder too of the values we share: hard work, family, education and enterprise. There is so much for us to celebrate,” Sunak said.
Reflecting upon AMG creating a platform in the 1960s to fight prejudice and discrimination, Sunak reiterated his anti-extremism message from a speech last week.
He noted: “Now many of us at some point in our lives have experienced hatred because of who we are. Today, as tensions are running high, we must dedicate ourselves once again to the fundamentals that our parents fought for by standing together for freedom of speech, against prejudice of all kinds, proud both of our heritage and our Britishness because in modern Britain they are the same thing.
“I’m proud of our diversity as a nation. I’m proud to be the first British Asian Prime Minister, but even prouder that it’s just not a big deal.”
The event entitled GG2 Leadership & Diversity Awards, now in their 25th year, saw British Indian peer Lord Jitesh Gadhia receive the highest honour named GG2 Hammer Award for over three decades of public and community service.
“These awards were created in 1999 to celebrate and recognise achievements of all ethnic talent, especially those who have broken through glass ceilings and succeeded through adversity,” said AMG group managing editor Kalpesh Solanki.
Among some of the other winners of the evening included Jaswant Kaur Narwal, a chief prosecutor at the UK’s Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) who received the Inspire Award, cardiologist Professor Kiran Patel who was named Man of the Year, and State Bank of India as the Bank of the Year.
The hundreds of South Asian origin subpostmasters caught up in the Post Office Horizon scandal collected the GG2 Spirit in the Community Award for the courage they displayed in clearing their names after they were wrongly accused of theft and fraud.
(With inputs from agency)
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