The Indian Panorama

Tag: Suella Braverman

  • Indian-origin Britain’s home secretary Suella Braverman wins first Queen Elizabeth II award

    Indian-origin Britain’s home secretary Suella Braverman wins first Queen Elizabeth II award

    LONDON (TIP): Britain’s Indian-origin Home Secretary Suella Braverman has been named winner of the first-ever Queen Elizabeth II Woman of the Year award at a ceremony in London. The 42-year-old barrister, who was appointed to the Cabinet earlier this month by British Prime Minister Liz Truss, said it was the “honor of her life” to take on the new role at the Asian Achievers Awards (AAA) 2022 ceremony, dedicated to the memory of the late monarch who passed away recently.

    Braverman, the London-born daughter of Tamil mother Uma and Goan-origin father Christie Fernandes, sent a recorded message to the ceremony where her parents collected the award on her behalf.

    “My mum and dad came to this country from Kenya and Mauritius in the 1960s,” said Braverman in her message.

    “They’ve been proud members of our Asian community and I was born in Wembley, the heart of the Asian community, and to be elected to serve in the UK Parliament and now to serve our phenomenal and amazing and welcoming country as Home Secretary is the honor of my life. I hope to do you proud,” she said.

    The awards, now in their 20th year, recognize the achievements of individuals from across Britain’s South Asian community via public nominations.

    Other Indian-origin winners across the different categories included broadcaster Naga Munchetty in the media category, chairman and CEO of celebrated visual effects firm DNEG Namit Malhotra in the Arts and Culture category, and Captain Harpreet Chandi in the Uniformed and Civil Service category for her solo expedition across the Antarctic to the South Pole earlier this year.

    Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian was named Professional of Year for his pioneering DNA sequencing discovery and Karenjeet Kaur Bains won Sports Personality of the Year as the first female Sikh powerlifter to represent Britain on the global stage. Sherry Vaswani, CEO of IT services firm Xalient, won Entrepreneur of the Year and restaurateur brothers Shamil and Kavi Thakrar were named Business Persons of the Year as the founders of the successful Dishoom chain of restaurants. The Lifetime Achievement Award went to Kartar Lalvani, the founder of the UK’s well-known health supplements brand Vitabiotics.

    “The AAA will continue to be the platform to identify, recognize and support the innovators, visionaries and community giants that will build Britain and make the world a better place,” said Pratik Dattani, Managing Director of EPG – the global advisory firm behind the awards founded in 2000 by Asian Business Publications Limited (ABPL).

    The organizers said more than 500 nominations were received across the 10 categories, which were then shortlisted by judges to be evenly divided between male and female candidates. The judging panel was made up of a diverse range of professionals, including Former Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Bas Javid, former president of the Royal College of General Practitioners Mayur Lakhani, Monzo Bank COO Sujata Bhatia, music producer Bally Sagoo, Welsh Assembly Member Natasha Asghar, and Artistic Director of Darbar Festival, Sandeep Virdee. A charity auction conducted by celebrated author Lord Jeffery Archer raised around 100,000 pounds for the educational non-profit organization Pardada Pardadi – which is focused on girls’ education in India.

  • Liz Truss takes over as British Prime Minister; to focus on economy, energy and healthcare

    Liz Truss takes over as British Prime Minister; to focus on economy, energy and healthcare

    • Inducts 2 Indian-origin ministers in her Cabinet

    LONDON (TIP): In her maiden speech as PM, Liz Truss said that she was  honored to take on the responsibility at a vital time for the country. Former U.K. Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who was declared the winner of the Conservative Party leadership contest on Monday, September 5,  defeating  former Chancellor Rishi Sunak, was appointed Prime Minister of the United Kingdom on Tuesday, September  by  Queen Elizabeth II.

    The new Prime Minister said she would focus on three priorities: the economy, the energy crisis facing the country and improving the National Health Service (NSH).

    Ms Truss  faces enormous economic challenges domestically — starting with combatting burgeoning energy prices and a cost of living crisis. She also faces political challenges, such as resolving a messy consequence of Brexit involving Northern Ireland’s customs borders. She will also have to navigate another call for Scottish independence. Ms. Truss had vehemently opposed a call for a second referendum. Speaking outside Downing Street after her arrival from Scotland, where she was appointed by the Queen, the new prime minister said she would transform Britain into an “aspiration nation”, cutting taxes and pushing reforms to grow the economy.

    “I will deal hands-on with the energy crisis caused by Putin’s war,” Ms. Truss said, having promised over the weekend that she would announce a plan within a week of assuming office to tackle short-term energy price challenges and longer-term supply issues. The Financial Times reported that she was working on a GBP 100 billion plan to protect households and businesses from soaring energy bills this winter.  She will also attempt to unite her party while putting together a cabinet to deliver her program. For the first time in history, the ‘four great offices of state’ — the posts of Prime Minister, Chancellor, Home Secretary and Foreign Secretary are likely to be held by people who are not white males, as widely noted by the British press.

    U.S. President Joe Biden called  Liz Truss to  congratulate her on becoming Britain’s new PM. Prime Minister Liz Truss held her first Cabinet meeting at 10 Downing Street in London on Wednesday, September 7,  after announcing one of the UK’s most diverse Cabinets, with key frontline posts going to ethnic minority members of Parliament, including Indian-origin Suella Braverman as the Home Secretary. Another Indian-origin minister in the Cabinet, Agra-born Alok Sharma, retains his climate action job as the COP26 President, as does Defense Secretary Ben Wallace in a new top team that is otherwise a complete shake-up of the old guard.

    London-born junior minister Ranil Jayawardena, of mixed Sri Lankan and Indian heritage, has been promoted as the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

    Many senior Tories, who had backed Truss’ rival, British Indian former finance minister Rishi Sunak, find themselves without a job — including former justice secretary Dominic Raab, transport secretary Grant Shapps and health secretary Steve Barclay.

    (With inputs from PTI and other agencies)

  • Indian-origin Attorney General Suella Braverman is an early contender for UK PM race

    Indian-origin Attorney General Suella Braverman is an early contender for UK PM race

    LONDON (TIP): Even before Boris Johnson stepped out of 10 Downing Street on Thursday, July 7,  to deliver his resignation speech as Conservative Party leader and triggering a leadership race for a new British prime minister, at least one Indian-origin candidate is already lined up to compete for the “best job in the world”. Goan-origin Suella Braverman, currently the Attorney General in the UK Cabinet, is among the early Tory members of Parliament to formally declare her leadership bid, with other Indian-origin colleagues Cabinet minister Rishi Sunak and Home Secretary Priti Patel also seen as possible contenders for the top job. The 42-year-old barrister and the government’s senior-most legal official is likely to command some support within the pro-Brexit wing of her party. “I am putting myself forward because I believe that the 2019 manifesto is fit for purpose, presents a bold and inspiring vision for our country and I want to deliver on the promises contained in that manifesto. I want to embed the opportunities of Brexit and tidy up the outstanding issues… and cut taxes,” said Braverman.

    Her pitch came just hours before Johnson made his resignation speech, in which he said: “I want you to know how sad I am to be giving up the best job in the world. But them’s the breaks.” Another fellow staunch Brexiteer, Steve Baker, declared on air soon after that he intends to throw his hat in the ring. He is an influential Tory backbencher who served as chair of the European Research Group, in favor of a hard Brexit deal. But both Braverman and Baker are largely seen as outliers and now with Johnson’s formal resignation, the other more serious bids are expected to start pouring in thick and fast.

    In a latest YouGov poll of Tory party members in ‘The Daily Telegraph’, UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace has emerged as the frontrunner to become the next prime minister. The party’s 1922 Committee is responsible for setting the timetable for a Tory leadership contest. To take part in the race, a Tory MP has to be nominated by eight colleagues. If more than two MPs put themselves forward and secure enough nominations to run for leader, a series of secret ballots are held to whittle them down.

    The YouGov survey indicates that Wallace may be in pole position if he chooses to contest and then makes it to the final two candidates. He is on 13 per cent, just ahead of junior minister Penny Mordaunt on 12 per cent. Former UK Chancellor Sunak, the British Indian minister who stepped down on Tuesday, is also seen as a contender and is at 10 per cent in the survey.

    Sunak, 42, was long seen as an heir apparent to Johnson at 10 Downing Street due to his hugely popular grants and job-saving schemes over the course of the Covid pandemic lockdowns. But that popularity began taking a hit within a staunchly low-tax Tory party in recent months, as the cost-of-living crisis hit and he was unapologetic about the need to raise certain taxes to cope with the tough economic times. Former foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt, who came second in the 2019 Conservative leadership contest, is on a joint 5 per cent, alongside the new Chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi.

    Zahawi, former Health and Education Secretary and most recently Chancellor in the Boris Johnson Cabinet, is believed to have already been working with Australian political strategist Sir Lynton Crosby – the man behind Johnson’s thumping general electoral win in December 2019. The 55-year-old Iraqi refugee, who arrived in the UK as an 11-year-old boy, is yet to formally declare his intention to vie for the top job but is seen as a serious contender.

    UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss is another key contender, who is also believed to have been lining up her leadership bid over the last few months. She’s currently at 8 per cent in the YouGov poll. Former Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, the Pakistani-origin minister who was the first to resign from Cabinet this week is also seen as someone who might throw his hat in the ring. Some of the other Conservative Party names doing the rounds include House of Commons Foreign Affairs Select Committee chair Tom Tugendhat, Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and recently sacked Cabinet minister Michael Gove. The final shortlist of candidates is expected to go head-to-head in a debate until a vote between the final two decides on the winner, who will be the new Conservative Party leader and formally succeed Johnson as the new British prime minister.

    (Source: PTI)