RISHI SUNAK, former chancellor and a candidate to be the next prime minister, received a hero’s welcome with loud cheering and Indian drums at a hustings event in north London on Monday (22).
Sunak’s popularity in the community was evident as more than 650 British Asians from across the country gathered to hear from him at an event hosted by the Conservatives Friends of India (CFIN).
The former chancellor is greeted with drums as he arrives at the Conservative Friends of India event at the Dhamecha Lohana centre on Monday
The prime ministerial hopeful entered the Dhamecha Lohana Centre in
South Harrow to applause, with a dhol player whipping up the audience into a frenzy of cheers and whistles.
“Aap sab mere parivar ho (you are all my family),” Sunak said in
Hindi, after he had greeted the gathering with a mix of traditional greetings including “namaste, salaam, kem cho” and “kidda”.
The British Punjabi showed his affable side as he spent time interacting with guests who queued to greet him and take selfies. Sunak’s self-proclaimed underdog status as the candidate trailing in all the polls seemed irrelevant as he mingled with the crowd like a rock star.
He responded to comments of ‘see you at No 10 Downing Street’ with an emphatic: “That’s the plan, I’m giving it everything I got.”
The 42-year-old paid tribute to British Asian politicians who came before him, including Conservative peers Lord Dolar Popat and CFIN co-chair Lord Rami Ranger, who he said had “shattered the glass ceiling and served as an inspiration to my generation of politicians”.
“Without your incredible work and sacrifices, I wouldn’t be standing here,” Sunak added.
He was showered with blessings by elderly attendees in the crowd, while younger Asians patted him on the back. Eight-year-old Tanish Sahu got a special picture as Sunak carried the boy in his arms.
The son of Indian parents whose family immigrated from Punjab, India, to East Africa before arriving in the UK, Sunak could become Britain’s first south Asian prime minister if he beats foreign secretary and frontrunner Liz Truss in the leadership race.
Addressing the gathering, Sunak said, “Sixty years after my naniji (maternal grandmother) boarded a plane from East Africa to come here, her two great-granddaughters – my two young girls – played in the street outside their home, painted rangoli on the doorstep, lit diyas and had fun like so many other families on Diwali day. But the street was Downing Street and the door was the door to number 11.”
An audience member shouted, ‘Soon to be number 10’. Sunak added, “I am enormously proud of where I’m from. It is a huge part of who I am. But it also gives me great joy to live and belong in a country where it was possible for someone like me to become chancellor. Now what we need to do, is to make sure that this is not the end of my story, but just the beginning.
“So I humbly ask for your support, not just to be your party leader, but also the next prime minister of our great country.”
Sunak currently trails Truss by 32 percentage points, a YouGov poll for Sky News showed last Thursday (18). She was on 66 per cent to Sunak’s 34 per cent. However, his supporters – such as the transport secretary, Grant Shapps – have not given up hope, and believe he could claim an unexpected victory over Truss.
Shapps pointed to the 2015 general election and the 2016 EU referendum when polls and pundits were both proven wrong by the electorate.
On the key dividing line in the leadership contest between the two finalists, Sunak reiterated that his opponent’s tax plan would end up in a “moral failure” of a Tory government to let struggling households fall into “destitution” over the tough autumn and winter months, with imminent spiralling energy costs.
He told the audience, “I want to help everybody and focus extra help on vulnerable people… Liz’s plan is to say tax cuts for those people. “But if you are working on a low income, her tax cut doesn’t do very much.
For someone like her, it’s a tax cut worth £1,700. For someone on a low income, it’s worth about £1 a week. For a pensioner, who’s not working, it’s worth zero. My view is we have to provide direct financial help to those people and if we don’t, I will be a big failure of this government.”
Sunak also made a thinly-veiled dig at his former boss and current prime minister Boris Johnson, whose tenure has been blighted by a series of controversies. When Sunak resigned from the cabinet
in July, a move that was seen as the first step to Johnson’s downfall, he said in his resignation letter that “the public rightly
expect the government to be conducted properly, competently and seriously”.
The MP from Richmond, Yorkshire, reiterated this message on Monday, saying: “I will run a government that is conducted seriously, that is conducted competently. And that is conducted with decency and integrity at the heart of everything it does. “That is the change that I’m going to bring. That is the type of prime minister I’m going to be and that is how we’re going to beat Labour and win the next general election.”
Rishi Sunak (centre) is flanked by Tory Harrow councillor Ameet Jogia (left) and Reena Ranger
Sunak also took a swipe at London’s Labour mayor Sadiq Khan, as he thanked the Harrow public for the local election result in May which saw the Conservatives take control of the borough from Labour for the first time since 2013.
“You all know when it comes to the Ulez, when it comes to crime, when it comes to Tube strikes, the mayor we have has been letting Londoners down,” he said, referring to the low emission zone restricting older polluting vehicles in the city.
“We have got to face it and we now know how, because thanks to the heroic efforts of many people in this room, they worked hard, because they realised Harrow deserved better. They campaigned hard, they fought hard and because of your victory Harrow got better with a Conservative council.”
Speaking in front of a large British Indian audience, Sunak also revealed that he wants to change the UK-India relationship to make it a more two-way exchange that opens up easy access to UK students and firms in India.
India and the UK concluded the fifth round of negotiations towards their free trade agreement (FTA) last month, with the aim to sign a comprehensive and balanced FTA by the end of October.
“We know the UK-India relationship is important. We represent the living bridge between our two countries,” Sunak said, in response to a question about bilateral ties from CFIN co-chair Reena Ranger.
“We are all very aware of the opportunity for the UK to sell things and do things in India, but actually we need to look at that relationship differently because there is an enormous amount we here in the UK can learn from India.
“I want to make sure that it’s easy for our students to also travel to India and learn, that it’s also easy for our companies and Indian companies to work together because it’s not just a one-way relationship, it’s a two-way relationship, and that’s the type of change I want to bring to that relationship.”
Nayaz Qazi, Jogia and Lord Dolar Popat at the event
He concluded by saying if he could leave behind one legacy as prime minister, it would be to make the UK’s education system the best in the world. Sunak, who went to Winchester, Oxford, and then Stanford in the US, said, “I know it’s as important to all of you as it is to me. I wouldn’t be standing here if it wasn’t because my parents, like many of you here, saved and sacrificed to provide their children with the best education that they could.
“It is the most important thing families do to help their children have a better life. And I believe we should create an education system in this country that is the envy of the world. If I am asked what do you want your legacy to be? It will be that I have left this country with an unbelievable education system.”
Later, Amita Mishra, trustee of the Shree Jagannatha Society UK, handed over a set of gold-plated deities from India to Sunak.
“We are working on creating a Jagannath Temple in London and this gift is a special blessing all the way from India,” said Mishra. She was accompanied by a priest who recited a victory shloka from the Bhagavad Gita as the deities were handed over to Sunak on stage.
A British Sikh Tory in the crowd waited hours to get a special bottle of Jack Daniels whisky signed by Sunak – despite both him and the former chancellor being teetotallers. “I don’t drink, but this is a special gift I received on my birthday and now with this signature, it has become historic,” he said.
Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Commission and Keir Starmer, prime minister of the UK greet each other, ahead of their bilateral meeting at the 6th European Political Community summit on May 16, 2025 at Skanderbeg Square in Tirana, Albania. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS
PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer is set to sign a new deal with the EU seeking to reset ties after Brexit, his office said ahead of landmark talks.
Starmer will meet on Monday (19) with EU chiefs for the first post-Brexit EU-UK summit aimed at agreeing steps towards a closer relationship between Britain and the 27-country bloc which it left five years ago after an acrimonious and knife-edge referendum.
"This week, the prime minister will strike yet another deal that will deliver in the national interest of this country," Downing Street said in a statement, also pointing to recent trade deals with the US and India.
Britain left the EU in 2020, but the prime minister has been trying to boost ties with the country's biggest trading partner.
Starmer will welcome EU bosses Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa as well as top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas for Monday's talks at the storied Lancaster House venue in London.
"The prime minister will set out how a strengthened, forward-looking partnership with the European Union will deliver for working people and lead to more money in pockets," the statement said.
Talks looked set however to go down to the wire due to last-minute squabbling over long-standing issues, such as fishing rights and food checks.
But negotiators were hopeful of at least signing a defence and security partnership.
Starmer, elected Labour prime minister last July, wants a deeper relationship with the European Union than the one negotiated by the previous Tory government.
That deal "isn't working for anyone", Starmer's office said.
The move is aimed at opening the door to closer cooperation as both the EU and Britain race to rearm in the face of the threat from Russia and fears the US under president Donald Trump will no longer help protect Europe.
That should mean more regular security talks, Britain considering joining EU military missions and the potential for London to fully tap into a $167 billion (£137bn) defence fund being set up by the bloc.
But Starmer has several red lines he has said he will not cross, while sticking points remain over some EU demands that threaten to stall the rapprochement.
In an interview with The Times on Saturday (17), Starmer said a deal would be a "really significant moment".
Starmer has ruled out rejoining the customs union and single market but has suggested that the UK is ready for regulatory alignment with the EU on food and agricultural products.
EU diplomats in Brussels have been working on getting Britain to keep its waters open for European fishermen in return for easing the checks on some food imports from the UK.
And Starmer appeared to have made a key concession by agreeing to an EU demand and clearing the way to let young Europeans live and work in Britain under a youth mobility scheme.
While freedom of movement was a "red line," he told The Times, "youth mobility is not freedom of movement".
Starmer is approaching the scheme cautiously under pressure from rising support for Nigel Farage's anti-immigration and Euro-sceptic party Reform UK, which made huge gains in local elections earlier this month.
He said late Saturday in a statement that on Monday "we take another step forwards, with yet more benefits for the UK as the result of a strengthened partnership with the European Union".
"In this time of great uncertainty and volatility, the UK will not respond by turning inwards, but by proudly taking our place on the world stage."
A 27-YEAR-OLD American-Lebanese man was sentenced on Friday to 25 years in prison for attempting to murder novelist Salman Rushdie at a New York cultural event in 2022.
Hadi Matar was convicted in February of attempted murder and assault after he stabbed Rushdie, leaving the author blind in one eye.
In Chautauqua County Court, Matar received the maximum sentence of 25 years for the attack on Rushdie and seven years for assaulting the event’s moderator. Judge David Foley ordered both sentences to run concurrently.
Rushdie did not attend the sentencing but submitted a victim impact statement.
Matar also faces separate federal terrorism charges that could lead to a life sentence.
Video footage played during the trial showed Matar rushing the stage and stabbing Rushdie with a knife.
"It was a stab wound in my eye, intensely painful, after that I was screaming because of the pain," Rushdie told jurors, adding that he was left in a "lake of blood."
Matar, who stabbed Rushdie about 10 times with a six-inch blade, shouted pro-Palestinian slogans during the trial.
He told the media he had only read two pages of Rushdie's book The Satanic Verses but believed the author had "attacked Islam."
His lawyers tried to stop witnesses from describing Rushdie as a victim of persecution linked to the 1989 fatwa by Iran that called for the author's death over alleged blasphemy in the novel.
Iran has denied any involvement and said Rushdie alone was responsible for the attack.
Life-threatening injuries
Rushdie’s right optic nerve was severed. His Adam's apple was lacerated, and his liver and small bowel were punctured. He also suffered permanent nerve damage in one arm, leaving one hand paralysed.
Bystanders intervened to stop Matar during the attack. In 2023, Rushdie published a memoir called Knife about the incident.
His publisher announced that a new short story collection, The Eleventh Hour, will be released on 4 November 2025.
Rushdie, who was born in Mumbai and moved to England as a child, gained prominence with his 1981 novel Midnight’s Children, which won the Booker Prize for its depiction of post-independence India.
But The Satanic Verses drew intense controversy and led to global protests. Following the fatwa, Rushdie lived in hiding in London for a decade before moving to New York, where he had lived relatively openly for two decades before the 2022 attack.
The UK is expected to enjoy warm weather this weekend, with temperatures forecast to reach up to 23°C, higher than those in Ibiza. The mild conditions come after a week of sunshine, with London hitting 24°C on Wednesday.
Most parts of the country are likely to experience sunny spells and above-average temperatures over the weekend. However, northern and eastern areas may see cooler conditions, along with patches of drizzle.
While the warm weather is expected to extend into the early part of next week, forecasters have indicated that the bank holiday weekend could bring more unsettled conditions, including rain in some regions.
The anticipated rainfall would be timely, as the Environment Agency has issued a warning of a medium risk of drought in England this summer. This follows a relatively dry start to spring, raising concerns about water levels heading into the warmer months.
Although the warm spell is a welcome change, experts are continuing to monitor weather patterns closely ahead of the summer. Britons are being advised to enjoy the sunshine while it lasts, with the outlook for the long weekend remaining uncertain.
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Lammy also commented on India’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty, saying, 'We would urge all sides to meet their treaty obligations.'
FOREIGN SECRETARY David Lammy said on Saturday that Britain is working with the United States to ensure the ceasefire between India and Pakistan holds, and to support confidence-building measures and dialogue between the two sides.
Speaking in Islamabad at the end of a two-day visit, Lammy said, “We will continue to work with the United States to ensure that we get an enduring ceasefire, to ensure that dialogue is happening and to work through with Pakistan and India how we can get to confidence and confidence-building measures between the two sides.”
Pakistan has said that Britain and other countries, along with the United States, played a key role in helping de-escalate the recent fighting between the two countries. The ceasefire was brokered on May 10 after diplomatic efforts, but diplomats and analysts have said it remains fragile.
Tensions rose after a deadly attack on tourists in Kashmir, which India has blamed on Pakistan. Pakistan has denied involvement. Both countries fired missiles onto each other’s territory during the escalation.
US president Donald Trump has said talks should take place in a third country but no venue or dates have been announced.
“These are two neighbours with a long history but they are two neighbours that have barely been able to speak to one other over this past period, and we want to ensure that we do not see further escalation and that the ceasefire endures,” Lammy said.
Lammy also commented on India’s decision to suspend the Indus Water Treaty, saying, “We would urge all sides to meet their treaty obligations.”
India had said last month that it had “put in abeyance” its participation in the 1960 treaty that governs use of the Indus river system. Pakistan has said any disruption to its water access would be considered an act of war.
Lammy said Britain would continue to work with Pakistan on countering terrorism. “It is a terrible blight on this country and its people, and of course on the region,” he said.
Lammy criticised Russia following brief talks with Ukraine on a potential ceasefire. The meeting ended in under two hours, and Trump said no progress was possible until he met Russian president Vladimir Putin directly.
“Yet again we are seeing obfuscation on the Russian side and unwillingness to get serious about the enduring peace that is now required in Ukraine,” Lammy said. “Once again Russia is not serious.”
“At what point do we say to Putin enough is enough?” he said.
(With inputs from Reuters)
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Using forged documents claiming he had a law degree and a false CV, Rai gained employment at two law firms in Gloucestershire and a construction company in Bristol.
A 43-year-old man has been sentenced after using fake identity documents and forged academic certificates to secure jobs at law firms and a construction company.
Aditya Rai was sentenced at Gloucester Crown Court to 20 months, suspended for two years, and ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work. He had pleaded guilty to fraud, forgery, and identity-related offences.
The court heard Rai used a false passport and a fake UK driving licence under the name Ali Ryan, with a photo of himself and a false date of birth. He also opened bank accounts under the same false identity.
Using forged documents claiming he had a law degree and a false CV, Rai gained employment at two law firms in Gloucestershire and a construction company in Bristol. In total, he earned around £10,000 before resigning from one firm and being dismissed from another following reference checks, according to Gloucestershire Police.
He had previous convictions, which he concealed by using a false identity. A search of his home in June 2022 led to the seizure of his laptop, which contained fake documents and a forged driving licence.
Rai had been on remand since February 2025 after being arrested at a port with a false Irish licence. He was identified by his tattoos and arrested for failing to attend court.
He also admitted to an offence investigated by North Wales Police involving a fake Republic of Ireland driving licence. Two further fraud offences were taken into consideration.