On July 7, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced his resignation. Will the next Prime Minister be a minister of Indian origin?
Many pending agreements and talks will be placed on hold as a result of the current political situation in the United Kingdom. It’s time to consider the administration a lame duck till the party doesn’t elect new leadership to lead the nation. All policy decisions will be put on hold until then.
A new prime minister is “obviously the decision of the parliamentary Conservative Party,” declared Johnson on Thursday outside 10 Downing Street.
The party’s decision. That is the most important aspect of the equation. Neither the people’s will nor the opposition benches have any effect. Johnson’s own party voted him out of office. A Conservative leadership competition will be declared next week, and it will be put in motion by the same party.
Is Britain ready for a non-Christian of Indian descent?
For the time being, former Finance Secretary Rishi Sunak, Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, and even Home Secretary Priti Patel are the front-runners for the job of Prime Minister.
What about a leader of color, of a different ethnicity, or of a non-Christian religion? The nation does have a chance to distinguish itself from its predecessors by forging forward on its own terms.
Even though he was forced to step down as chancellor, the resignation of this 42-year-old Indian-origin politician led to other resignations against Boris Johnson. His resignation came after Johnson apologized for his February nomination of senior Conservative MP Chris Pincher as deputy chief whip, who has been accused of sexual assault. He was setting an example for others to follow by doing so. Pincher resigned after being accused of touching two guys while intoxicated.
After Downing Street admitted that the Prime Minister was aware of Pincher’s conduct as long back as 2019, Sunak promptly resigned.
In addition to his superior moral standing, Sunak’s acute financial acumen comes in handy at a time when the nation is struggling financially because to the COVID-19 epidemic.
The Johnson administration, however, was not without controversy throughout his time there. Boris Johnson was also punished for attending a birthday party at 10 Downing Street in the ‘partygate’ controversy, along with him.
And his wife Akshata Murthy, a former tax avoider who is the daughter of Indian IT magnate Narayan Murthy, is also under investigation. It was then discovered that while working in the UK government, Sunak had not renounced his US green card, which only made things worse. This blatant disregard for the law has not gone unnoticed.
But it’s not only Sunak; the Conservatives have suffered a significant drop in support and goodwill throughout the nation. However, because the party has the numbers to form a government and no one is thinking quick elections at this time, this competition is inside the party.
Candidates must be nominated by at least eight of their fellow Conservative Party members in order to be considered for this contest. A series of secret votes are conducted if more than two MPs nominate themselves and receive the necessary support.
First it was London’s former mayor Sajid Javid, then it was Sunak, who stepped down from their positions in the cabinet after the Pincher scandal’s climax. He was one of the top four contenders for the leadership of the Conservative Party in 2019 when he launched his campaign. As a result, he withdrew from the contest and decided to support Johnson instead. Despite the fact that the odds are stacked against him, he’s still a candidate.
