by AMIT ROY
THE 2024 GG2 Power List of the 101 most in-
fluential Asians in the country is best seen as
a celebration of multicultural Britain.
To be sure, there is much talk these days of
increasing racism and Islamophobia and there
may well be a lot of truth in the allegations be-
ing made. Which society is without its dark as-
pects? But there are always two sides to a story.
Many Asians insist that “say what you like
about Britain but it is still the best country in
the world”. It is certainly the case that those fea-
tured on the GG2 Power List have pulled them-
selves up though sheer hard work. But it is as
well to recognise that the seeds of Asian suc-
cess have been planted on fertile British soil.
The people of Britain have shown enormous
goodwill to Asians who have made this country
their home. In any case, the proportion of
Asians who are UK born and bred is increasing
all the time and will probably top 80-90 per
cent within a decade. To them, India (or Paki-
stan) will be a foreign place. People may not be
aware but home nurtured British Asians actors
now usually require voice coaches if asked to
put on “Goodness Gracious Me” accents.
Rishi Sunak tops the Power List for the fourth
year in succession. He did not materialise over-
night as prime minister though his rise has
been unusually quick. He became MP for Rich-
mond in Yorkshire, succeeding the former Tory
leader and foreign secretary, William Hague, in
2015. When Sunak first put himself forward to
the constituency selection committee, he was
up against other candidates who appeared
stronger on paper. But the committee was ap-
parently “blown away” by Sunak’s passion and
presentation. Nor is his ascent to Number 10
an isolated example of Asian achievement in
politics. It is also worth remembering that Su-
nak was picked to be Tory leader by his parlia-
mentary colleagues.
In the last six years, Asians have occupied
the great offices of state. Sunak replaced Sajid
Javid – Sir Sajid Javid now – as chancellor. Javid
had previously been home secretary. He
topped the GG2 Power List in 2015, 2016, 2019
and 2020. Such is the churn in politics, he is
ranked 36th in 2024. Dame Priti Patel (47th this
time) and Suella Braverman (59) have served
as home secretary as well.
In 2014, the GG2 Power List
was topped by the human
rights campaigner Malala
Yousafzai. It was a big moment
when Sadiq Khan was elected
mayor of London. He was
ranked No 1 in 2017 and 2018
and is second this time. Eth-
nicity as a factor is worth not-
ing but with passing time appears to be becom-
ing less and less relevant. Humza Yousaf (13),
First Minister of Scotland, and Anas Sarwar
(39), leader of the Scottish labour party, who
happen to be
Muslims of Pakistani origin, were both elected
to their jobs.
There are several other politicians who could
not be left out. They include the energy secre-
tary, Clare Coutinho (11); Lord Tariq Ahmad
(16), minister of state at the Foreign, Common-
wealth and Development Office (FCDO) and de
facto “minister for India”; and Nusrat Ghani
(27), who is minister of state both at business
and trade, and also investment security at the
cabinet office. Ameet Jogia (87) has been in-
cluded, not because he is the
prospective Tory parliamenta-
ry candidate for Hendon in
north London but because he
is a special adviser to the
prime minister and co-chair of
Conservative Friends of India.
Also on the list are Sri
Prakash Lohia and his son,
Amit (50), who are chairman and vice-chair-
man, respectively, of the Indorama Corpora-
tion. The latter has made a £2m donation “in a
personal capacity” to the Conservative party –
which is possibly the single biggest from an
Asian.
The barrister Marina Wheeler KC, the
daughter of the legendary BBC foreign corre-
spondent, Sir Charles Wheeler, and a Sikh
mother, Dip Singh, has “no fixed political
allegiances” but is helping the Labour party put
together a Green Paper on how to help women
deal more effectively with workplace harass-
ment. Her mother was affected by the partition
of India.
“I have always, unambiguously, loved my In-
dian family,” Wheeler has written in her book,
The Lost Homestead: My Mother, Partition and
the Punjab.
There is also Labour representation on the
GG2 Power List: Shabana Mahmood (20), the
shadow justice secretary; Lord Waheed Alli
(60), who has been charged with general
election fundraising; Ravinder Athwal (67), the
The best of Britain
Seeds of Asian success have been planted on fertile British soil
GG2 Power List
GG2 Power List | 2024
It is still the
best country in
the world
POSITIVE IMPACT: Rishi Sunak
and Akshata Murty; (right) Indhu
Rubasingham