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It is a “groundbreaking milestone” that Rishi Sunak will become the UK’s next prime minister, US president Joe Biden has said as he marked Diwali.
Mr Biden said on Monday evening “it matters” that for the first time a person of colour, who is also the child of Indian immigrants, could rise to the highest political office in the country.
“And whether it’s the United Kingdom, where just today, we’ve got news that Rishi Sunak is now the prime minister. As my brother would say, ‘Go figure’,” Mr Biden said at an event in Washington.
The president said: “And the Conservative Party, expected to become the prime minister, I think, tomorrow when he goes to see the King.
“Pretty astounding. A groundbreaking milestone. And it matters, it matters,” he added.
Diwali is a five-day “Festival of Lights” and a celebration by Hindus, Sikhs and Jains of the triumph of good over evil.
Mr Sunak’s grandparents were from Punjab state before the Indian subcontinent was divided into two countries, India and Pakistan, in 1947 after British colonial rule ended. His family settled in the UK in the 1960s and he was born in Southampton in 1980.
His rise to power has prompted a sense of pride among Indians, with that country’s leader Narendra Modi earlier offering him “special” Diwali wishes as the “living bridge” of UK Indians.
Prime minister Modi tweeted: “As you become UK PM, I look forward to working closely together on global issues, and implementing Roadmap 2030. Special Diwali wishes to the ‘living bridge’ of UK Indians, as we transform our historic ties into a modern partnership.”
Mr Sunak’s his father-in-law, billionaire N.R. Narayana Murthy, also offered his congratulations. “We are proud of him and we wish him success. We are confident he will do his best for the people of the United Kingdom,” said the founder of software giant Infosys.
Indian media were impressed by his victory, with New Delhi Television announcing “Indian son rises over the empire” and India Today news channel taking a jibe at the UK’s economic and political turbulence, using the Hindi term for someone of Indian background: “Battered Britain gets ‘desi’ big boss.”
Mr Sunak won the Tory leadership contest without a vote being cast after rivals Penny Mordaunt and Boris Johnson dropped out, and will replace Liz Truss in No 10 on Tuesday.
Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte said Liz Truss’ successor would be his “number five” British leader, while Luxembourg’s PM Xavier Bettel quipped: “I hope I can recall how many British PMs I’ve survived.”
European Council president Charles Michel offered his congratulations, tweeting: “Working together is the only way to face common challenges … and bringing stability is key to overcoming them.”
“The first thing is a profound disbelief and puzzlement about how bad things are going in the UK,” one EU official told Reuters – saying Mr Sunak was at least seen as a more reliable partner than Boris Johnson.
“He seems to be more sensible than many other types in Britain nowadays. He did warn against Truss’ reckless economic policies. EU leaders want a rational counterpart in the EU, the question for us is if we have a reasonable partner there.”
Former Tory PMs David Cameron and Theresa May were quick to congratulate the incoming prime minister.
But Boris Johnson has not yet publicly congratulated Mr Sunak, a sign of remaining animosity after complaining on Sunday that his ex-chancellor would not “come together in the national interest” with him.
