Sat, Nov 09, 2024 | Jumada al-Awwal 7, 1446 | DXB ktweather icon0°C

UK: King Charles offers Diwali sweets to Rishi Sunak

Sunak made history in 2020 when he lit Diwali candles outside 11 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK chancellor

Published: Wed 26 Oct 2022, 12:48 AM

  • By
  • ANI

Top Stories

King Charles receives Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace. — Courtesy: Twitter

King Charles receives Rishi Sunak at Buckingham Palace. — Courtesy: Twitter

King Charles, in a goodwill gesture, offered UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Diwali sweets as he performed his duty as head of state and formally appointed the new Conservative leader.

“The nation's first Hindu Prime Minister was welcomed to Buckingham Palace by the King, who thoughtfully offered Diwali sweets as a gesture of goodwill. 🍬

"The two met in the palace's lavish 1844 Room, and on a table were a selection of sweets that are eaten to celebrate Diwali,” wrote The Royal Family Channel on its Twitter account.

After Sunak rose to power, the event prompted a sense of pride among Indians. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered him “special” Diwali wishes as the “living bridge” of UK Indians.

Sunak, whose parents came to the UK from East Africa in the 1960s, is of Indian descent. His father was a local doctor while his mother ran a pharmacy in southern England, something Sunak says gave him his desire to serve the public.

Sunak made history in 2020 when he lit Diwali candles outside 11 Downing Street, the official residence of the UK chancellor.

He has faced challenges over his elite background, having studied at the exclusive Winchester College, Oxford and Stanford universities. He is known for his expensive taste in fashion and has worked for banks and hedge funds, including Goldman Sachs.

Sunak’s election on Monday marks the pinnacle of what has been a speedy rise to power. He was first elected as an MP in 2015 and spent two years on the back benches before becoming a junior minister in Theresa May’s government. Johnson gave Sunak his first major government role, appointing him as chief secretary to the Treasury in 2019 and promoting him to chancellor in 2020.

ALSO READ:

He was the first person who ‘predicted’ financial problems under Truss. He clashed with the former PM during the previous leadership race, claiming her plan to borrow money during an inflation crisis was a “fairytale” that would plunge the economy into chaos.

His wife is Akshata Murthy, the daughter of Indian billionaire Narayana Murthy. He faced controversy over his wife’s tax arrangements.

Over the summer, it emerged Akshata Murthy paid no UK tax on big earnings abroad — which is legal. Sunak defended his wife saying, “to smear my wife to get at me is awful” — but eventually she agreed to start paying extra taxes. It was also found he temporarily had a US green card, allowing him to live permanently in America while he was the UK’s chancellor.

The Conservative party, already unpopular after 12 years in power, has plunged itself into a state of utter chaos over the past four months and is now well behind the opposition Labour party in opinion polls. The only comfort for Sunak is that he doesn’t have to call an election until January 2025.



Next Story