Britain's first Asian PM - Rishi Sunak

Our EUSA intern, Espeana Green writes her first piece for the OBV website in another tumultuous week for UK politics.  Espeana is completing a Psychology Major with Political Science at Boston Univerity, and hails from Bowie, Maryland. Welcome Espeana, you're in for a ride in this exciting and uncertain time for our country.  But it's a good time to learn your political chops, and you join a long line of interns from the EUSA programme that have fantastically contributed through their volunteerism towards OBV.  No pressure!

On 25 October 2022, one day into the five day festival of lights, Diwali, Rishi Sunak made history in the United Kingdom. Upon being appointed Prime Minister, Sunak became the first British-Asian PM, the first Hindu PM, and the youngest PM of modern times. This is a significant milestone in British national history as Sunak is the very first non-white person to hold the post. Sunak has the power to not only represent a minority ethnic group from the highest ranking in British Politics, but also to pave the way for other people of colour to gain interest in, and enter high politics.
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With the current economic standing of the United Kingdom, Sunak has a grand job ahead of him, the maelstrom that is the energy crisis is a very real and daunting aspect of the reality; however, this is not Sunak’s first time entering a high position in politics in the midst of tumultuous times. In his 2020 appointment as chancellor of the Exchequer, Sunak entered this position at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic which proved a significant test of his ability to aid the country. Sunak quickly became popular for the financial support packages that he rolled out to businesses and workers impacted by the coronavirus lockdowns. Not only did this show a sense of support for the working class, but it also showed an awareness of the increasing need of aid during an economic crisis.
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Wednesday's PMQs were an absolute whirlwind, with buzzing excitement, hecklers, and an intense head to head with Labour party leader, Sir Keir Starmer. Even with an intense row coming from Labour party members, it could not be denied that Sunaks appointment was a moment to be adored and, as Starmer put it, “part of what makes us all so proud to be British.” During Sunaks first PMQs he made it clear that he would be supporting rural communities that extend past North London, this not only acknowledges the diversity in socio-economic status which exists in the UK, but also encourages an embracing and uplifting of parts of England with less economic stability. Furthermore, by reversing Liz Truss’s lift on the fracking ban, a controversial topic, Sunak is supporting many people’s opinions towards the climate impacts posed by fracking. Additionally, with Budget Responsibility’s fiscal assessment of UK finances due within the week, which provides independent and authoritative analysis of the UK’s public finances, there is a bit of pressure on Sunak to come up with a plan to aid the people. While the new Prime Minister received intense criticisms from Starmer, he held his ground and proved a well capable public speaker, which his predecessor struggled with. It is no wonder why Rishi Sunak is listed as the second most popular conservative politician, and seventh most popular political figure, he is a pioneer in diversity in politics.
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Moving forward, there is interest in observing how Sunak addresses diversity on an intersectional level, with racial and socio-economic diversity being at a crosspoint. The new Prime Minister has made history and has a big job ahead of him to not only aid the people, but to uplift them.