Should we be celebrating Rishi’s Rise?

Since Rishi Sunak became our second unelected-by-the-people Prime Minister on Monday, every platform I turn to has been giving real aunty energy this week. The first thing BBC News reported on TV was that we have our first Prime Minister who is a ‘person of colour’, while online they were quick to get specific and say he’s ‘British Asian’. Twitter has been yelling takes from every angle, TikTok has been transitioning bitesized education about his past, and WhatsApp quite simply exploded. Never underestimate the power of a forwarded meme of a load of shoes outside No 10. Downing Street (see below - the in-joke being that Asians are renowned for asking guests to take their shoes off before entering the home).?

It’s not easy to take a breather and process this as every hot minute provides another hot take, and potentially creates more hot air. We continue to live through a time of confusion when it comes to diversity, inclusion and representation. I keep hearing - and feeling myself - that we don’t know whether this is a good thing or not. If I’m feeling that as a British Asian at the helm of a consultancy focussed on DEI, then my hunch is you might be feeling the same.?

As a business The Unmistakables creates space for debate and discussion, so the motion today is: should we be celebrating Rishi’s rise to power??

Rise up, Rishi

Like it or not, there are some things that Rishi has in common with people with brown skin living in a Western world. While many heralded this as the UK’s ‘Obama moment’, Barack’s successor Joe Biden did what every Asian person contends with daily - pronounced his name incorrectly. As Gen-Z folks might say, I can ‘hard relate’, and I wonder whether Rishi started his first call with the President to say ‘actually, Mr President, it’s Rishi like dishy, and Sunak like sumac but with an n and a k’. We know that living with a non-Anglo name has an impact on prospects, but his appointment might suggest our new leader is breaking through this barrier.?

Beyond a name, there’s the oft cited phrase from Marianne Elliott ‘if you can’t see it, you can’t be it’. There is a strong sense and suggestion that young people across the country will fire up TikTok, see the front cover of the papers their parents are reading, or catch a bit of news to see someone who looks like them waving, smiling and speaking to them. At a surface level this should be a positive thing, and I’ve caught myself double taking, seeing a brown face surrounded in arguably one of the whitest environments and contexts (see the headline image). Many are placing Rishi Sunak and Sadiq Khan in the same breath - the leader of the UK and the major of London sharing the same skin tone is surely a sign of progress.?

The other commonality I see between Rishi and other brown folks of his generation is the focus on accumulating wealth. Based on parents who moved to the UK due to colonial history, he followed the pathway that many others have - to seek better economic prospects in the country that formerly ruled his ancestors' own. Those economic prospects have been underpinned by a relentless focus on education - something I know myself and hear amongst my friends and family. The divergence in those prospects and dreams has, however, become incredibly clear based on the sheer level of wealth he has accumulated, both personally and through marriage. While his starting point might be relatable in some way, the end point isn’t.?

Sit back down, Sunak

This divergence is where the crack in the argument for celebrating Rishi starts to appear. His rise to power in many ways represents a system that is not designed or optimised for the majority of brown people (even less so for Black people). While many are quick to say it’s great we have our first Prime Minister who is a ‘person of colour’, few take the time to explain that, on average, Indian employees earn more than White British employees, and in turn much more than Black and Bangladeshi employees. Few take time to dismantle how the corridors of power work, and what levels of assimilation might be required to rise and thrive as someone from a minority background.?

His rise also points towards is the glass cliff. This is the phenomenon where women and members of minority groups are overrepresented in leadership positions that are risky and precarious. Despite reaching the top, these leaders are teetering on the edge - and their identity forms the basis for success or failure. Over time we will come to understand whether Rishi’s rise and success is possible because he’s Asian or if it’s in spite of being Asian.?

The oversimplification of Rishi’s views and beliefs based on his skin colour alone is the challenge that Black and brown people are now worried about. The first view of his cabinet suggests that UK politics will become even more right wing, divisive and problematic for those from minority groups. His voting record also gives us a hint at the direction of travel, and all the signals suggest that it’s the system we should be focussed on, not skin colour. This is directly linked to where we are with DEI right now - rather than viewing easy to measure diversity metrics (often based on protected characteristics), we need to be focussed on shifting inclusion metrics (based on behaviours and systems) and ultimately building up equity (based on levelling the playing field for all).

Your vote matters?

At this point in the debate we’d be opening up to the floor, discussing both sides, and summarising for the motion to be put to a vote. In lieu of that opportunity, I encourage you to take to the comments with your point of view. I make no secret that I love reading the comments - on every platform - because that’s where the barometer of opinion lives.

That’s the barometer we’re missing right now. We don’t actually know what the general public would do with their vote, and whether they would place the coveted ‘X’ next to Rishi’s name, no matter how they pronounce it. It's something to have this very discussion today based on how people with Indian heritage were treated just decades ago, but only time will tell us if he can clear up the political, economic and social clouds we are in, and help millions whose chances are hampers, not those who seek the chance to have more millions themselves.

Until then we need to get comfortable with being uncomfortable with what role his heritage will play in the ongoing conundrum of party politics in the UK. A TikTok video I watched this morning explained that his wife benefited from the very tax rules that helped to keep colonisers wealthy and at the same time a Whatsapp message suggested we should look at Rishi’s in-law’s story as aspirational given what they have built up, and enabled for their daughter, who challenges stereotypes by being wealthier than her husband.

Whether this is mind expanding or mind blowing, it’s safe to say we’re living through confusing times.?There's no debate about that.