Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

A tale of two prime ministers: All change in politics as May goes and Modi stays

by AMIT ROY

THE contrast between what was happening in London and Delhi last week could not be sharper or more dramatic.


While British prime minister Theresa May’s three years in office ended in tears outside 10 Downing Street on a beautifully sunny morning, India's Narendra Modi was being showered

with rose petals after winning a second five-year term as prime minister.

In 2017, the British prime minister called a general election and, against all expectation, lost the Conservative majority. In India, the conventional wisdom was that Modi would probably be back with a greatly reduced number of seats. No one foresaw his landslide victory with 303 seats for the BJP alone.

By and large, the Indian election was peaceful. The process works primarily because those who are defeated are willing to accept the result. The fact that Modi was able to increase his majority defies logic, but perhaps the last five years have been relatively corruption free. On the minus side have been the “beef lynchings” and the assault on minorities.

These need to be stopped if India is to progress as a country that is for all its citizens.

Back in Britain, the Conservative Party is now tearing itself apart over who should replace May. The chances are that it will be Boris Johnson, who is popular with Indians from

his time as mayor of London.

Nor is everyone happy, though, with the way the prime minister has been ousted.

Rami Ranger, deputy treasurer of the Conservative Party and chairman of Conservative Friends of India, told me: “I am gutted, disappointed that our PM has been forced out of office.

"She worked so incredibly hard to get a Brexit deal with minimal side effects that protected jobs and the economy. We are now in a very precarious situation. Alas, she was knifed by people for their personal ambitions.”

Asked who would be the best person to succeed May as prime minister from the Asian point of view, Ranger surprisingly did not suggest Boris, but the Pakistani-origin home secretary, Sajid Javid.

“Javid has been very good to India – he is above parochial politics,” said Ranger.

The contest to replace her has already turned “toxic”, with Boris causing controversy with his pledge: “We will leave the EU on October 31, deal or no deal.”

Any attempt by a future prime minister to take the UK out of the European Union without a deal is likely to be thwarted no matter what the Brextremists demand. It is hard to see how a change in prime minister is going to heal the deep divisions in the country.

More For You

starmer-bangladesh-migration
Sir Keir Starmer
Getty Images

Comment: Can Starmer turn Windrush promises into policy?

Anniversaries can catalyse action. The government appointed the first Windrush Commissioner last week, shortly before Windrush Day, this year marking the 77th anniversary of the ship’s arrival in Britain.

The Windrush generation came to Britain believing what the law said – that they were British subjects, with equal rights in the mother country. But they were to discover a different reality – not just in the 1950s, but in this century too. It is five years since Wendy Williams proposed this external oversight in her review of the lessons of the Windrush scandal. The delay has damaged confidence in the compensation scheme. Williams’ proposal had been for a broader Migrants Commissioner role, since the change needed in Home Office culture went beyond the treatment of the Windrush generation itself.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh’s ‘Sapphire’ collaboration misses the mark

The song everyone is talking about this month is Sapphire – Ed Sheeran’s collaboration with Arijit Singh. But instead of a true duet, Arijit takes more of a backing role to the British pop superstar, which is a shame, considering he is the most followed artist on Spotify. The Indian superstar deserved a stronger presence on the otherwise catchy track. On the positive side, Sapphire may inspire more international artists to incorporate Indian elements into their music. But going forward, any major Indian names involved in global collaborations should insist on equal billing, rather than letting western stars ride on their popularity.

Ed Sheeran and Arijit Singh

Keep ReadingShow less
If ayatollahs fall, who will run Teheran next?

Portraits of Iranian military generals and nuclear scientists, killed in Israel’s last Friday (13) attack, are seen above a road, as heavy smoke rises from an oil refinery in southern Teheran hit in an overnight Israeli strike last Sunday (15)

If ayatollahs fall, who will run Teheran next?

THERE is one question to which none of us has the answer: if the ayatollahs are toppled, who will take over in Teheran?

I am surprised that Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, has lasted as long as he has. He is 86, and would achieve immortality as a “martyr” in the eyes of regime supporters if the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, succeeded in assassinating him. This was apparently Netanyahu’s plan, though he was apparently dissuaded by US president Donald Trump from going ahead with the killing.

Keep ReadingShow less
Comment: Talking about race isn’t racist – ignoring it helped grooming gangs thrive

A woman poses with a sign as members of the public queue to enter a council meeting during a protest calling for justice for victims of sexual abuse and grooming gangs, outside the council offices at City Centre on January 20, 2025 in Oldham, England

Getty Images

Comment: Talking about race isn’t racist – ignoring it helped grooming gangs thrive

WAS a national inquiry needed into so-called grooming gangs? Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer did not think so in January, but now accepts Dame Louise Casey’s recommendation to commission one.

The previous Conservative government – having held a seven-year national inquiry into child sexual abuse – started loudly championing a new national inquiry once it lost the power to call one. Casey explains why she changed her mind too after her four-month, rapid audit into actions taken and missed on group-based exploitation and abuse. A headline Casey theme is the ‘shying away’ from race.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

Shraddha Jain

Eye Spy: Top stories from the world of entertainment

FUNNY UK TOUR

The tidal wave of top Indian stand-up stars touring the UK continues with upcoming shows by Shraddha Jain this July. The hugely popular comedian – who has over a million Instagram followers – will perform her family-friendly show Aiyyo So Mini Things at The Pavilion, Reading (4), the Ondaatje Theatre, London (5), and The Old Rep Theatre, Birmingham (6). The 90-minute set promises an entertaining take on the mundane and uproarious aspects of everyday life.

Keep ReadingShow less