CHAMPIONING DIVERSITY, EQUALITY & INCLUSION ACROSS ALL COMMUNITIES
NOVEMBER 2022
Connecting Communities - Inspiring A New Generation
THE KING AND I A
by Steve Williams
s a second generation African-Caribbean who is proud to say he was born in Walsall, Birmingham, where growing up was very different than it is now in terms of integration, equal opportunity and the understanding of diversity. Like America when Obama became the first black President of the United States, it was a first and a groundbreaking experience for people of all cultures. Never would I have thought that here in the UK, we would be celebrating a Prime Minister from a South Asian background. This leads me on to how Britain as a whole has developed over the
years, and whether we like it or not, there is a greater understanding of diversity amongst the majority of British people. This saw Rishi Sunak officially becoming the new UK prime minister, after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, following HRH’s meeting with the outgoing prime minister, Liz Truss. Mr Sunak met the King in the 1844 room - often dubbed the most important room in the Palace - after which, he became the UK's 57th prime minister during a ceremonial rubber-stamping act, known as “kissing hands.” He entered Downing Street as the youngest PM in two centuries and the second Prime Minister of The King’s reign.
After King Charles welcomed the Prime Minister during an audience at Buckingham Palace – and official photographs - the meeting was then private, setting a pattern for the confidential weekly audiences that will be held between the monarch and prime minister. Mr Sunak then returned to Downing Street and walked past No 10's cat, Larry. Stepping up to the lectern, Mr Sunak addressed the nation. He paid tribute to Ms Truss, saying she was not wrong to want to improve growth in this country. “It's a noble aim," he said.
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