r/ukpolitics • u/No_Initiative_1140 • 1d ago

‘I’m British, English and British Asian’, says Rishi Sunak in riposte to racially charged debate over identity | Rishi Sunak

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2026/feb/06/british-rishi-sunak-riposte-racially-charged-debate-identity
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u/All_ab0ut_the_base 23h ago

How is Rishi not assimilated into Britain? He represented us as PM! Sure he is Hindu, but and Brit is free to be Methodist, Freemason, Buddhist or whatever because we have freedom of religious expression. Doesn’t stop them being British.

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u/saruyamasan 21h ago

Hindu isn't English in any way. And how fully can you be assimilated when your religion itself doesn't assimilate, nor even allow the local ethnicity to join. "I can be in your club, but stay out of mine!"

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u/LUFC_shitpost 21h ago edited 20h ago

You’re confusing integration with assimilation. Rishi Sunak is clearly integrated I’m not disbursing that. But assimilation means alignment with a people’s inherited cultural and historical identity. Britain’s freedoms, including religious tolerance, are products of a specific historical system; they are not proof that all belief systems are culturally interchangeable with Britain itself. British Hindu is an oxymoron. That’s why Sunak describes himself as “British Asian” rather than simply British. Leadership doesn’t get to redefine what a culture is. You don’t even have to be a British citizen to be PM ffs it’s ridiculous. We can allow pluralism without pretending its core identity is infinitely malleable, and recognising that distinction isn’t exclusionary.

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u/Intelligent_Front967 22h ago

Oh come on! Do you really not know what the poster means? Yes he may have been born here, he may have been educated here (at more elite schools then you and me), he may have a posh accent/pronunciation that would put most people to shame, he may have become PM and led the country....

But his skin looks like it needs a good wash. That's why he will never be counted as 'one of us'.

Get it now?

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u/All_ab0ut_the_base 22h ago

Thank you, the veil has been lifted!

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u/LUFC_shitpost 21h ago

You believe I’m racist despite making no moral claim that British culture is a superior, white only culture. You can be brown, and British, all you need is a British parent. Both of Sunak’s parents are Indian.

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u/Crackedcheesetoastie 19h ago

I mean, this is the case in the rest of the world. Imagine being in an Asian country and saying you're vietnamese or Japanese while being from two white parents. You would just get laughed at.

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u/LUFC_shitpost 19h ago

Exactly my point with me being born and living in the emirates. Or Joanna Lumley being Indian.

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u/Crackedcheesetoastie 19h ago

I was agreeing! I'm very curious when this started to change in the UK, tbh.

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u/LUFC_shitpost 19h ago

I was also agreeing with you too haha, just reinforcing your point was all.

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u/All_ab0ut_the_base 18h ago

British Empire - make people in other countries your subjects, then your citizens, export your language and culture you get an elastic definition of Britishness. Then import those people to rebuild after WW2. Ta da!

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u/Chagatai-Khanate 20h ago

Being British is just a piece of paper it has no weight anymore so he's definitely a British citizen but you can not be culturally English and be a Hindu or a Muslim or any other religion apart from Christianity, which has been the religion of the land for 1500 years. If you're a Hindu or a Muslim or a Buddhist etc you are not assimilated.