Politician of Indian descent for next British Prime Minister. A possibility?

The author analyses the phenomenon of the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom as several outstanding politicians of Indian origin currently attract the attention in the United Kingdom, as well as abroad, particularly in India. The chances for a successful political career for some of them, for instance, Rishi Sunak, are considered as rather high. The ongoing crisis has brought extra focus on this politician, whose position as Chancellor in the current UK government holds keys to hopes for the economic recovery of the country, severely affected by both BREXIT as well as the pandemic. The Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom has a number of distinctive features that distinguish it from the Indian diaspora in other countries with large presence of people of Indian descent, such as, US, Canada, Malaysia. These features are the consequence of the history of the formation of the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom, also traced by the author in this article. TheIndian diaspora is not just a bridge between the United Kingdom and India. It has acquired significant influence over domestic and business affairs, as well as foreign policy in both countries. The unprecedented upward social mobility of the members of the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom is closely connected with the high importance the British government attributes to the British-Indian relations. The attitude of the Indian government towards the diaspora has changed significantly, starting from late 1990’s. For over twenty years now, the diaspora continues to remain an important factor for India too.

Keywords

Indian diaspora in the UK, relations between India and Great Britain, British politicians and businesspersons of Indian descent

Received

06.08.2020

Publication date

24.11.2020

Number of characters

35297

Cite

GOST	Kulik L. Politician of Indian descent for next British Prime Minister. A possibility? // Asia and Africa Today – 2020. – Issue 11 C. 56-63 [Electronic resource]. URL: https://asaf-today.ru/S032150750012194-5-1 (circulation date: 25.04.2024). DOI: 10.31857/S032150750012194-5
MLA	Kulik, Lydia "Politician of Indian descent for next British Prime Minister. A possibility?." Asia and Africa Today 11 (2020):56-63. DOI: 10.31857/S032150750012194-5
APA	Kulik L. (2020). Politician of Indian descent for next British Prime Minister. A possibility?. Asia and Africa Today (11), pp.56-63 DOI: 10.31857/S032150750012194-5

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