Sansad TV Perspective: Rishi Sunak: UK’s New PM

In the series Sansad TV Perspective, we bring you an analysis of the discussion featured on the insightful programme ‘Perspective’ on Sansad TV, on various important topics affecting India and also the world. This analysis will help you immensely for the IAS exam, especially the mains exam, where a well-rounded understanding of topics is a prerequisite for writing answers that fetch good marks.

In this article, we feature the discussion on the topic: ‘Rishi Sunak: UK’s New PM’

Anchor: Teena Jha

Participants: 

1. Vishnu Prakash, Former Ambassador
2. Harsh V. Pant, Vice President, Studies and Foreign Policy, ORF
3. Gulshan Sachdeva, Professor, Centre for European Studies, JNU

Highlights of the Discussion:

1. Introduction to Rishi Sunak
2. Background
3. Significance of the election of the ‘first person of colour’ as UK’s PM
4. Implications on India-UK relations
5. Common grounds of convergence for both countries

Context: Rishi Sunak was elected as the prime minister of the UK after he won the race to lead the Conservative Party in October 2022.

Introduction:

• Rishi Sunak is the U.K’s first Asian-origin non-white Prime Minister to be elected to the top post. At the age of 42, he is the youngest British Prime Minister in over 200 years.
• Sunak served as a Chief Secretary to the Treasury from July – February 2020 and as a Chancellor of the Exchequer from February 2020 – July 2022. 
• A member of the Conservative Party, he has been a Member of Parliament since 2015. 
• He becomes Britain’s third prime minister in less than two months and is now tasked with the enormous challenge of taming the economic crisis that has left Britain’s finances in a precarious state and millions of Britons struggling to afford food and energy bills.
• After meeting King Charles III, Sunak said he would confront the “profound economic crisis” with compassion and lead a government of “integrity, professionalism and accountability.” 

Background:

• Previous Prime Minister Liz Truss’s tenure was marred by turmoil as mortgage rates soared, the pound fell to record lows and chaos in bond markets threatened the country’s financial stability.
  • Truss’s decision to announce 105 billion pounds of tax cuts and spending increases in a mini-budget without providing details on how the administration would pay for it spooked markets concerned about soaring public debt. 
  • This undermined confidence in the government’s ability to pay its bills and raised questions about the economic credentials of Liz Truss.
• Britain has been locked in a state of perma-crisis ever since it voted in 2016 to leave the European Union.
  • The accumulated economic problems are the result of Brexit shocks, the pandemic, and the Ukraine war.  Some of the issues can be tackled through domestic responses, but many issues need wider coordination within Europe and beyond.

Significance of the election of the ‘first person of colour’ as UK’s PM:

• Rishi Sunak is the first person of colour and the first Hindu to become prime minister of Britain which is a milestone for a nation that is more and more ethnically diverse and has a long history of colonialism and has often struggled to welcome immigrants from its former colonies — and continues to grapple with racism and wealth inequality.
• This is also a significant moment for Britain’s Indian diaspora.
• This appointment also tells a progressive story of British meritocracy and hard work and further maturity in British politics, attitudes, and democracy.
• The first Member of Britain’s Parliament of Indian origin was Dadabhai Naoroji, who sat as a Liberal Democrat from 1892–95. 
  • As recently as 1987, there were no people from ethnic minority backgrounds in the House of Commons. One Asian and three Black members were elected to Parliament that year.
  • Numbers have increased steadily since, with 65 people from ethnic minority groups, or 10% of the House of Commons, elected during the last general election in 2019. 

Implications on India-UK relations:

• It is an opportunity for India and the U.K to work closely together on global issues and implement the roadmap 2030 for bilateral relations with the elevation of a person of Indian origin as prime minister of the U.K.
• Both countries expect Rishi Sunak to act as a bridge between India and Britain by ushering in a new era of ties.
• In his phone conversation with Prime Minister Modi, Rishi Sunak described himself as “a visual representation of the historic links between the UK and India.”
• Early conclusion of a balanced free trade agreement (FTA) and deepening the security and economic partnership between the two countries is expected during this tenure.
  • A Free Trade Agreement is expected to enhance economic growth and prosperity by increasing import and export flows; increasing investment flows; enhancing productivity through a more efficient allocation of resources and greater openness to international competition.
• During his campaign in August 2022, Rishi Sunak said he wants to change the UK-India relationship to make it a more two-way exchange that opens up easy access to UK students in India and UK companies and Indian companies to work together.
• Internationally, he is expected to continue the UK’s role and responsibilities at the UNSC, NATO, G7, and G20. 
• He has got an opportunity to prove his capability in stabilising the British economy with a detailed and credible tax rise, expenditure cuts, and defence spending plan of action. Limited economic stability can strengthen him politically within the Conservative Party’s rank and file. 

Shared interests:

• India-UK bilateral relations are mainly focused on trade, investment and visas. Shared interests and convergence are also expected to be strengthened in broader regional and international affairs.
• Issues of counter-terrorism, cyber-security, or the Indian Ocean and maritime security are becoming more important to build a strategic relationship between the two countries.
• The UK has been at the forefront, along with the US, France and Germany, on the Financial Action Task Force, placing Pakistan on the ‘grey list’. 
• The UK has also been an early supporter of India’s membership in an expanded UN Security Council. 
• Both countries have enhanced interests in Indian Ocean cooperation. 
  • The Indian Ocean is part of India’s “extended neighbourhood”, where it has strong security, political and economic interests as well as military capabilities. 
  • The UK also has key interests in the Indian Ocean, with 80 percent of natural gas imports passing through its sea lanes and India is a key strategic partner for the UK in the Indo-Pacific both in terms of market share and defence.
  • For India, the UK is a regional power in the Indo-Pacific as it possesses naval facilities in Oman, Singapore, Bahrain, Kenya, and British Indian Ocean Territory.
• Both countries are also working on strengthening their partnership in the cyber domain to deliver results on governance, deterrence, resilience and capacity building. Beyond defence, security and advanced technologies, cooperation on mitigating climate change and promoting clean energy is also focused on by both countries.
• The UK and India agree that Chinese investments in infrastructure projects overseas need to meet international standards on transparency and good governance, even though they differ on its mega Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). 

Conclusion: As India looks towards the future rather than the past, a “transactional” bilateral relationship with the UK becomes more important to India than their “shared history”. But, to seek a “transformative” bilateral relationship there will need to be greater convergence on issues of concern to each other on both regional and international affairs.

Read all the previous Sansad TV Perspective articles in the link.

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