So here it is, merry Diwali. Yesterday’s storm clouds have shifted in time for the light to filter through today, bringing with it a flurry of headlines. After a 45-day false start, and lightning quick backdowns from contenders Boris Johnson and Penny Mordaunt, Rishi Sunak is our next Prime Minister.
You could call it some kind of divine intervention: Britain getting its first ever British Indian premier on Diwali is an auspicious beginning. The markets seem to agree, already calming in anticipation of Rishi’s soothing, dependable style after Truss’ chaotic bin fire over the last five or so weeks.
What excellent timing. I’m in no doubt that there will be absolute scenes at the Sunak homestead tonight: the mithai (sweets) will taste all the sweeter, the diyas (tealights) will burn brighter, the fireworks will crackle louder. There will certainly be a glass raised in his honour at the Diwali party I’m headed to tonight; the aunties will be absolutely beside themselves at news that an Indian has made it to the top job.
While it is a major moment in the history of UK politics (there do seem to be a lot of those around at the minute), I really hope too much isn’t made of Rishi’s Indian heritage. Because the question is whether, after the festival of light winds down, he will be the one to lead the country back into the light in these dark times.
My mum has branded him an “underdog” with a thankless mountain to climb ahead of him, and while the latter is true, I’m not sure how many people will agree with the underdog part, given his immense privilege and his immense wealth (he’s twice as rich as the King, partly via his wife). Not the best look in a cost-of-living crisis, it has to be said.
Although you could argue, at least he knows how to make money. And, as a former Chancellor of the Exchequer, he’s undoubtedly a safer pair of hands than the last lot. With any luck, he can help the country claw back some dignity on the world stage. Let’s hope to the Goddess Lakshmi that he can, or we’ll all be lighting candles way beyond Diwali.
