India Can Fill Brexit Gap

A remarkable transformation is taking place in the UK. It chose to exit the EU and regain its sovereignty, but has had a difficult time securing post-Brexit arrangements with erstwhile companions.

- Salman Khurshid

There is much that the EU and the UK need to work together on, including the services sector and education. Meanwhile, the Brexit hero, Prime Minister Boris Johnson, played one card too many to deal himself out of office and the Conservative Party leadership. Interestingly, in the leadership race to succeed him there were several Asian and Arab candidates. Rishi Sunak held his place at the top in the rounds of voting by MPs, ahead of Liz Truss, the foreign secretary.

There is speculation if he will finally triumph among Conservative voters in the electoral college. But the cracks in the glass ceiling are apparent. The 1.6 million diaspora (including the 6.06 lakh born in the UK) is excited, but so are people in India. Curiously, the Labour Party, too, is keeping pace on political leadership, although it has a longer history with India. People might argue about how Indian Sunak remains as he underscores his British identity. Whether a person of Indian origin as head of government in a western democracy would be careful and self-conscious about India remains a moot question, but, to an extent, we would not be wrong to expect some qualitative difference as more overseas Indians occupy important public positions.

Other than the visible ethnic characteristics of the emerging leadership of the UK, the aftermath of Brexit has sent both India and the UK to the drawing board over future economic relationship. Interestingly, there is the historical connectivity of a shared educational system and links to the Commonwealth that can emerge out of the shadows of the EU years of the UK. The top UK universities still attract the top talent from India and can now boast of impressive participation in faculty tenures.