by AMIT ROY
GG2’s Power List of the 101 most influential
Asians is a snapshot of the United Kingdom
at a certain moment in time. It would be en-
tirely possible to produce at least half a doz-
en alternative power lists that would be
equally credible. This is because the pool of
talent is getting bigger year on year, a tribute
to a vibrant multicultural Britain. For all its
faults, it shines a beacon to the world.
A question we are frequently asked is:
“How do you decide who is ‘powerful’? Or
indeed ‘influential’?”
Sometimes, the choices are obvious.
Rishi Sunak, who launched the list last
year, was number one because he was the
prime minister.
People are picked because they are recog-
nised in their own fields. Quite often, their
achievements are admired nationally or
even internationally.
A more elusive element is discerning
whether they are a “force for good”.
In deciding who should be on the list we
inevitably end up comparing mangoes with
lychees. But in the end, the mix of politi-
cians, business folk, academics, scientists,
writers, prominent TV presenters and artists
are a fair reflection of a multicultural society.
Britain would be a greyer, less dynamic
country if Nigel Farage were to make them
all disappear with a wave of his cigar.
Out of 101 entries, 33 are women. This
year there are 24 new entries, which means
some very important people have been
dropped from last year’s list to make way for
the fresh intake.
There has been a real political churn
because of Labour’s general
election victory. Compared
with the governments of Bo-
ris Johnson or Sunak, Sir Keir
Starmer’s cabinet is much
less diverse which is a step
backwards for the British
Asian community. To be sure,
Shabana Mahmood, ranked
second, is making history as justice secre-
tary and Lord chancellor.
Mahmood, who was born in Birmingham
in 1980 to parents from Pakistan, said in one
interview: “The first time I was called a P***
was in the playground at junior school. I was
seven years old and I did not know what the
word meant.”
On taking office, she admitted: “I’ve car-
ried the weight of many identities in this ca-
reer. It is a privilege, but also a burden. So, at
the very least, I hope my appointment
shows the next little girl in Small Heath, or
wherever she may be that, in this country,
even the oldest offices in the land are within
reach of us all.”
Lisa Nandy, who was once on the power
list, fell out of it and has re-entered in 11th
place. She might have ranked first if Starmer
had made her foreign secretary. After all, she
was once shadow foreign secretary. But sec-
retary of state for culture, media and sport,
can be a stepping stone to higher office if
the prime minister so wishes.
This is where the power of patronage is so
crucial in deciding where people are posi-
tioned on the greasy pole. What the prime
minister giveth, he could to-
morrow taketh away. In the
next cabinet reshuffle, he
could move Nandy – or any-
one else in the government –
up, down or sideways. Or he
could give them the sack.
There is a shocking account
of what happened when Su-
nak sacked Suella Braverman as home sec-
retary in Ungovernable, the published dia-
ries of his chief whip Simon Hart.
Sunak was subjected to a “ghastly 10-min-
ute diatribe of vindictive and personal bile”.
Braverman has been left off the Power
List.
After promoting a
woman cabinet min-
ister, Sunak said:
“Let’s all agree about
one thing. She is xxxx-
ing useless but we
can’t get rid of her.”
This is thought by
political wags to
be a reference to
his business
secretary and
now Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch. She has
boasted about how she stopped the UK-In-
dia Free Trade Agreement from being signed
because the Indians had apparently asked
for a more liberal visa regime.
Starmer, if he so chooses, can sack
Mahmood at any moment but he cannot do
that with Sir Sadiq Khan, the mayor of
London, who has his own mandate. Al-
though he is not Donald Trump’s favourite
politician, he has won three elections in a
row. That was the deciding factor in putting
him above Mahmood.
The Power List judging panel considered:
“What next for Rishi Sunak?”
Never before have we had to deal with an
ex-prime minister. Compared with the other
surviving British ex-prime ministers – Sir
John Major (82), Sir Tony Blair (71), Gordon
Brown (73), Lord David Cameron (58), Lady
Theresa May (68), Boris
Johnson (60) and Liz Truss
(49) – he has youth on his
side. He will turn 45 on
May 12 this year.
From the backbench-
es, Sunak has spoken
about Ukraine and
other subjects
but been very
careful not to
wade into the
toxic internal
politics of the
Conservative
party. The In-
Vibrant snapshot of UK
Labour’s election victory has caused real political churn
GG2 Power List
GG2 Power List | 2025
I’ve carried the
weight of many
identities
INFLUENTIAL: Rishi Sunak
at the launch of GG2
Power List 2024; (bottom);
a scene from AA Dhand’s
BBC crime drama Virdee