 celebrated Meghan Markle joining the Royal Family, as though her presence was a significant symbol of progress – proof of our tolerant, progressive national sentiment. We know now that it wasn't. Meghan's position within the Royal Family did nothing to protect her from relentless racism; if anything it made her even more of a target. Her arrival certainly didn't make anything easier for ethnic minorities in the UK – and yet so many people are still clinging to this idea that Black and brown faces shunted into positions of power will somehow transform this country into a post-racial utopia. On mainstream news programmes this week, reporters and commentators have enthused about the monumental symbolism of Sunak becoming PM – a fact that was compounded by the coincidence of the announcement falling on Diwali. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The idea that this moment represents a good thing for British Indians, British Asians, and the wider ethnic minority populations of the country, has been repeatedly presented as fact – lacking any deeper questioning, or nuanced analysis of Sunak's class and wealth privileges. On Twitter, journalist Robert Peston said the advancement of Sunak means that 'some of the racial, ethnic and religious prejudice that has been a bar to individual advancement has gone,' calling his appointment a 'source of comfort.' But the problem w){kind=link}
Rishi Sunak has just become our first British Asian Prime Minister. He is also our first ever Hindu PM.
It’s a historic moment in the sense that it has never happened before, but that doesn’t mean Sunak’s ascension to the highest office of power should be heralded as an automatic win for racial equality – it’s not.
I understand the appeal of the optics; why so many people have rushed to the conclusion that this marks a huge step forward for ethnic minorities in Britain.
It is the same reason why people (initially, at least) celebrated Meghan Markle joining the Royal Family, as though her presence was a significant symbol of progress – proof of our tolerant, progressive national sentiment.
We know now that it wasn’t. Meghan’s position within the Royal Family did nothing to protect her from relentless racism; if anything it made her even more of a target.