US comedian Trevor Noah said there was ‘racist backlash’ over Rishi Sunak’s appointment (Picture: Getty/Backgrid)
Rishi Sunak ‘does not think Britain is a racist country’ after a US comedian claimed there was racial hatred following his appointment as prime minister.
Trevor Noah, host of the satirical news programme The Daily Show, alleged there were people saying ‘now the Indians are going to take over Great Britain’.
However, Downing Street has confirmed that Mr Sunak ‘does not think the UK is racist’.
When asked whether Mr Sunak believes Britain is a racist country, Downing Street simply said: ‘No, he doesn’t.’
Politicians are now accusing the comedian of fabricating the backlash, with former chancellor and health secretary Sajid Javid calling it ‘detached from reality’.
He commented beneath a clip of the monologue: ‘Simply wrong. A narrative catered to his audience, at a cost of being completely detached from reality.
‘Britain is the most successful multiracial democracy on earth and proud of this historic achievement.’
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Members across the House of Commons also congratulated Mr Sunak on becoming the first Prime Minister of Asian heritage.
Rishi Sunak is the first Prime Minister of Asian heritage to be appointed, and also the youngest in 200 years (Picture: Steve Taylor/SOPA Images/Shutterstock)
Labour leader Keir Starmer described the appointment as a ‘significant moment in our national story’ during the first Prime Minister’s Questions with Mr Sunak leading the frontbench.
SNP Westminister leader Ian Blackford said: ‘I congratulate the new Prime Minister on becoming the first British Asian to hold the office. The significance and the symbolism of this achievement is to be warmly welcomed by everyone.’
On the show, Noah, a South African native, said all the backlash over Mr Sunak becoming Prime Minister, ‘was one of the more telling things about how people view the role that they or their people have played in history.’
In his monologue, Noah said: ‘You hear a lot of people saying, “Oh they’re taking over, Indians are going to take over Great Britain and what’s next?” and I’ve always found myself going, “So what?… What are you afraid of?
Noah has been criticised following his claims that British people were upset ‘the Indians were taking over’ (Picture: Jae C. Hong/Invision/AP)
‘You see people in the UK all the time saying: ”You know what they’re trying to do… they won’t stop until black people and women are in positions of power”… So what?’
Mr Sunak was born in Hampshire, south-east England, to Indian migrant parents – a pharmacist mother and a GP father – and is married to Akshata Murty, the daughter of billionaire Indian IT giant Infosys founder NR Narayana Murthy, with whom he has two young daughters Krishna and Anoushka.
When he was appointed as Prime Minister on Tuesday, the 42-year-old became the UK’s first Hindu PM, the first of Asian heritage and the youngest for more than 200 years.
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A US comedian claimed British people were upset ‘the Indians were taking over’.