Rishi Sunak doesn’t believe the UK is a racist country, Downing Street has said – after a comedian claimed the new PM had experienced a racist “backlash” after becoming the UK’s first leader of South Asian descent.
In a video posted on social media from his US satirical news programme The Daily Show, presenter and comedian Trevor Noah alleged there were people saying “now the Indians are going to take over Great Britain” after Mr Sunak was appointed prime minister.
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In a monologue titled ‘Unpacking the backlash against new UK PM Rishi Sunak’, Noah said: “Watching the story of Rishi Sunak becoming England’s first prime minister of colour, of Indian descent, of all these things and then seeing the backlash is one of the more telling things about how people view the role that they or their people have played in history.
“And what I mean by that is this, you hear a lot of the people saying ‘Oh, they’re taking over, now the Indians are going to take over Great Britain and what’s next?’
“And I always find myself going ‘So what? What are you afraid of?'”
He continued: “Why are you so afraid? And I think it’s because the quiet part a lot of people don’t realise they are saying is ‘We don’t want these people who were previously oppressed to get into power because then they may do to us what we did to them.'”
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Earlier today, former cabinet minister Sajid Javid – who endorsed Mr Sunak in the latest Conservative leadership campaign – called Noah’s comments “simply wrong”.
“A narrative catered to his audience, at a cost of being completely detached from reality,” the former chancellor and health secretary posted on social media, responding to the video clip.
“Britain is the most successful multiracial democracy on earth and proud of this historic achievement.”
Mr Sunak became the UK’s first Hindu PM, the first of Asian heritage and, at 42, the youngest for more than 200 years when he was appointed prime minister on Tuesday.
Read more: Who is Rishi Sunak?
When asked about the comments later on Thursday, Mr Sunak’s official spokesperson said the new PM doesn’t believe the UK is a racist country.
Noah’s video has had more than 850,000 views, and underneath it, many social media users have questioned his comments with some accusing him of “projecting” American views on race on to Britain.
Last month, South African TV presenter Noah announced he will be stepping down as host of The Daily Show after seven years at the helm.
