I found Hashi Mohamed’s response to Rishi Sunak’s elevation to prime minister curmudgeonly (Rishi Sunak is Britain’s first Asian prime minister – but it’s no progressive victory, 25 October). It is true that Sunak has had a privileged upbringing, but he worked hard at school and university, and deserves his success. You don’t have to agree with his politics – I don’t – to recognise that, similar to the election of President Obama, something has changed. The dial has shifted – dramatically, publicly and visibly.
There must be thousands of young people who can now, with more than just a dream in their soul, think: “If he can make it, so can I.” I think that is marvellous, even if I am not so naive as to think that nativist xenophobia and racism don’t exist, or that structural issues around multigenerational poverty and social deprivation won’t also hinder many.
