Axe-wielding reshuffle was stuff from ‘game of thrones’

By Barnie Choudhury

 IT WOULD seem that British politics is more ruthless than the Game of Thrones.

Last September, Sajid Javid was Ned Stark. He rallied the party faithful during the Conservative conference in Manchester. We learnt his mother thought that the first south Asians to move into Coronation Street was a big deal. Now, he quipped, the first south Asians had moved into Downing Street, but they still lived ‘above the shop’. Then, seamlessly, Javid asked his mother in Punjabi, “Mummy did you ever think we’d be here today?” In doing so, the former chancellor did two things. In one thought he told us how far we south Asians have come since our mass immigration in the 1960s. Second, Javid metaphorically destroyed the argument of a fellow Midland Tory MP from the past, Enoch Powell, who saw Britain like the Roman “River Tiber foaming with much blood.”

Last week’s cabinet reshuffle was not just about Javid falling on his sword. Moments earlier Boris and Dominic Cummings had sacked Nusrat Ghani, who served her country for two years as a transport minister. To think, it was only last July I wrote about the ‘Asian takeover’. I was getting used to the idea that, miraculously, we south Asians had something to celebrate in a Conservative Britain. The Saj, Principal Patel, Steady Sharma and Swot Sunak – the political equivalent of The Beatles, in harmony, in the cabinet, beavering away to show majority white Britain that we can, like rich cream, rise to the top.

Praising the Tories was a big thing for me. Remember I am a child of Thatcher, and she did not do any favours for black Asian minority ethnics. We just did not vote for the racist party. So, is the Asian takeover dead?

Well, Rishi Sunak’s promotion should not come as a surprise. Speaking to Westminster insiders, they speculated that Boris and Cummings had already planned a worstcase scenario if Javid refused to sack his entire advisory team and walked. That is why it took literally minutes to replace him. But here is the rub. Can Sunak afford to be a ‘chino’ – chancellor in name only? Probably not. So that means he will have to assert himself in some way. My guess is that Boris and Cummings know they must make Sunak look strong, so they have already planned some small symbolic victories. Look out for stories from their hand-picked journalists.

Like her or loathe her, Priti Patel is a political survivor and her star remains in the ascendency. How come? Boris wants to make sure post-Brexit we ‘take control of our borders’. He turns to his loyal and trusted fellow Brexit-campaigner to deliver what he wants. So, what does Patel do? Well, last Friday’s (14) immigration announcement tells us that we are going to get an Australian-style points system. Spoiler alert. We have had an Australian points-based system for the past decade – for non-EU citizens, such as Indians. This idea being peddled that suddenly we will see an influx of Indian chefs, students and fruit pickers is fantasy. Further, legal experts say that the European Court of Justice has made clear there is no such thing as ‘free movement’ in the EU. Indeed, if a national has no prospect of finding work or study, a country can kick them out. Britain, say the experts, has already booted hundreds of citizens for breaching EU rules. So how can Patel and others say that getting out of Europe will bring back control of our borders when they had the mechanism in the first place?

Like Lord Varys, Alok Sharma has never made a fuss. He performs his duties efficiently, almost silently and diligently, never appearing to bask in the glory of high office. When he appears on radio or television, there is something understated about him. Yet today he holds one of the most senior posts in government. The business brief is incredibly important at this time. Post-Brexit, Sharma must prove all nay-sayers wrong and create business wealth. His experience in international development will have taught him the Commonwealth stands ready to cash in on the common language, common laws and common history of Empire. The problem is that the eyes of every business, never mind south Asian entrepreneurs, will be on him, praying he can do deals and replace our dependence on the EU.

So, these three show other south Asian wannabes that being brown is no longer a disadvantage. This will be true as long as they understand the law of the political jungle. Like the Game of Thrones, there is a leader. There are his courtiers. Bend your knee and keep them happy. But always look for opportunities and new alliances which get you to the Iron Throne. Simple really.