A PIO at No. 10 soon, Cameron had told Modi barely seven years ago

Rishi Sunak being congratulated by MPs at the Conservative Party HQ after his win on Monday

- Naomi Canton

Rishi Sunak, 42, becomes the UK’syoungest PM since 1812 when Robert Jenkinson, the 2nd Earl of Liverpool, became prime minister. Ironically, his mother’s grandmother was born in Kolkata and descended from Portuguese settlers in India.

He now has a lot on his plate in his new role—he needs to unite a divided party, deal with a serious economic crisis and cost of living crisis, and tackle the highest inflation in years whilst there is war raging in Europe.

WhatsApp groups exploded in joy with British Indians saying it was the best Diwali gift ever. Insight UK put out a tweet saying Britain had got its first Indian-origin PM 75 years after India gained independence from Britain. Others compared his historic achievement to the victory of Lord Rama over Ravana.

Sunak is a practising Hindu. He lit diyas outside No 11 on Diwali in 2020 when chancellor and this August, he visited Iskcon’s Bhaktivedanta Manor in Hertfordshire, where he performed gau puja. He wears a sacred thread on his wrist.