Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Forget takeaways, welcome the Asian take-over

By Barnie Choudhury


Former BBC Journalist

I WILL never forget the first time I got up close and personal with Boris Johnson.

It was in New York in 2017, and we were at the UK embassy. He was the foreign secretary and I was the Commonwealth secretary-general’s media and PR director. All eyes were on Boris because of a rumoured rift between the prime minister (Theresa May) and him.

The evening was about the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), to be hosted in London the following year.

Every Commonwealth foreign minister and prime minister, who were attending the UN General Assembly, had been invited.

In between ensuring I looked after my principal, I had one eye on Boris. He expertly worked the room, flicking his fingers through his untamed golden mane, a lion eyeing his prey.

The next time I met him, I was in conversation with Fiji’s prime minister in London during CHOGM. Ignoring me, without a by-your-leave, Boris dragged the poor chap away for a photograph. He would spend many a moment during the summit ensuring he was photographed with Commonwealth leaders, foreign ministers and anyone of importance.

I tell these two stories because it goes to the heart of how Johnson thinks, works and acts. In September 2017, he was already plotting his claim to the UK’s top political office, and he didn’t care who he trampled over to achieve his childhood ambition. A perfectly ruthless politician to deliver Brexit, do or die, and save his party, Johnson also knows he must surround himself with those clever enough to make history.

From a south Asian perspective, he has made three full-time appointments and one who has visiting rights. Talk about an Asian takeover. With Munira Mirza heading the Number 10’s policy unit, his cabinet is the most diverse ever.

It is clear that Sajid Javid’s place as the chancellor is the price for not only him running an excellent campaign, but an immensely intelligent hire. Javid has worked successfully in the City, negotiated deals and has run four other government departments.

Yet it is Priti Patel and Rishi Sunak I would like to concentrate on.

Sunak’s parents were born in the UK, as was he.

He has a 23,000-vote majority in his seat of Richmond, North Yorkshire, held previously by William Hague.

Married to the daughter of the Indian billionaire and Infosys co-founder, NR Narayana Murthy, at 39, Sunak is, for me, the south Asian Tony Blair or David Cameron.

He has the charisma, chutzpah and confidence to make you believe that black is white, Santa Claus exists, and Boris Johnson is the second coming. He is utterly loyal to his leader. Failing any slips, we’re looking at the first South Asian to be elected Conservative party leader and prime minister.

That is quite a statement, I know, but there is something about Sunak that cries out PM-designate. He has worked with Johnson, and has the south Asian work ethic and common sense to know that you look, listen and learn from others. All Sunak has to remember is that you cannot trust any politician, especially those in your party, your ethnicity and your community. The green eyes of envy and the stiletto of the silent assassin run rampant in politics. Just ask Theresa May.

Priti Patel will certainly be watching Sunak. Her political resurrection, after her unwise meetings with Israeli officials while on holiday, is the modern-day equivalent of the raising of Lazarus. In my encounters with her, Patel has always been courteous. Her fierce intelligence shines through, although she laughed when I warned her that, unfortunately, she would be judged more harshly for being a woman and South Asian.

She comes across as ruthless. Not only did she previously advocate a return to capital punishment, but as international development secretary, Patel all but halved the UK’s contribution to the Commonwealth, angering the Queen and weakening her secretary-general. Don’t expect the fact that her parents left Uganda before expulsion to influence her immigration decisions. Unless I’m mistaken, ‘hostile environment’ will be writ large as she cements her position as the first South Asian woman to hold a top four post.

What this demonstrates is that Boris is all about promoting talent and surrounding himself with people who have skills he may not wish to use. It also shows that South Asians can achieve anything to which we put our minds.

The pioneers are now a long list. So, Boris conducts his orchestra. The only question is whether it plays in harmony or pushes out bum notes.

More For You

Fauja Singh

Fauja Singh

Getty Images

What Fauja Singh taught me

I met Fauja Singh twice, once when we hiked Snowdon and I was in awe he was wearing shoes, not trainers and walking like a pro, no fear, just smiling away. I was struggling to do the hike with trainers. I remember my mum saying “what an inspiration”. He was a very humble and kind human being. The second time I met him was when I was at an event, and again, he just had such a radiant energy about him. He’s one of a kind and I’m blessed to have met him.

He wasn’t just a runner. He was a symbol. A living contradiction to everything we’re taught about age, limits, and when to stop dreaming. And now that he’s gone, it feels like a light has gone out—not just in Punjab or east London, but in the hearts of everyone who saw a bit of themselves in his journey.

Keep ReadingShow less
“Why can’t I just run?”: A south Asian woman’s harrowing harassment story

Minreet with her mother

“Why can’t I just run?”: A south Asian woman’s harrowing harassment story

I was five years old when my parents first signed me up for a mini marathon. They were both keen runners and wanted me to follow in their footsteps. At the time, I hated it. Running felt like punishment — exhausting, uncomfortable, and something I never imagined I’d do by choice.

But one moment changed everything. I was 12, attending a gymnastics competition, and had gone to the car alone to grab my hula hoop. As I walked back, a group of men started shouting at me. They moved closer. I didn’t wait to hear what they had to say — I ran. Fast. My heart was pounding. It was the first time I felt afraid simply for existing in public as a young girl. I never told anyone. But I remember feeling thankful, strangely, that my parents had taught me how to run.

Keep ReadingShow less
Sri Aurobindo

Heehs’s biography is grounded in extensive archival research across France, England, India and Israel

AMG

Sri Aurobindo and the rise of the Asian century

Dinesh Sharma

My friend and colleague, the American historian Peter Heehs, who has lived in Pondicherry, India, for decades, recently published a compelling new biography, The Mother: A Life of Sri Aurobindo’s Collaborator (2025). Heehs previously authored The Lives of Sri Aurobindo (2008), which remains one of the most balanced and scholarly accounts of Aurobindo’s life.

According to Heehs, most previous biographies of the Mother were written for devotees and relied on secondary sources, often presenting her as a divine incarnation without critical engagement. “Such biographies are fine for those who see the Mother as a divine being,” Heehs said, “but they can be off-putting for readers who simply want to understand her life – as an artist, writer, spiritual teacher, and founder of the Ashram and Auroville.”

Keep ReadingShow less
INSET Hatul Shah Sigma conference chair

Hatul Shah

Showing up with purpose: Lessons in leadership and legacy

Hatul Shah

Last week, I had the privilege of speaking at the Circles of Connections event hosted by the Society of Jainism and Entrepreneurship at Imperial College London. The event was organised by Yash Shah and Hrutika S., and generously sponsored by Koolesh Shah and the London Town Group, with support from Nikhil Shah, Priyanka Mehta, and Ambika Mehta.

The experience reminded me that leadership isn’t just about vision or results — it’s about how you show up, and why you do what you do.

Keep ReadingShow less
Aspirations ignited following Leicester schools Parliament visit

Aspirations ignited following Leicester schools Parliament visit

Dr Nik Kotecha OBE DL

Delighted to pause and look back on a pioneering partnership project, which saw our Randal Charitable Foundation, Leicestershire Police and the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) support pupils, from 5 Leicester schools, tour London and the Houses of Parliament with the aim to help raise aspirations and demonstrate possible future career paths.

With more young people than ever struggling to stay in education, find employment and track down career opportunities, I’ve reflected on the importance of collaborations like this one, which model just one way in that small interventions could reap rewards in the life course of youngsters.

Keep ReadingShow less