Former UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has reflected on the evolving debate surrounding British identity, drawing on his own experiences growing up as a brown Hindu in Southampton. He challenges the notion that an individual's Englishness or Britishness should ever be questioned based on their skin colour, stating, "If you're born and brought up in England and view it as home, what are you other than English?"
Sunak's Personal Reflection on Englishness
Sunak expressed concern that denying people their identity due to race could foster "alienation" and a "two-tier society." His reflections were prompted by delivering the Marylebone Cricket Club's Cowdrey Lecture, which led him to consider cricket's role in national life and the broader discussions on identity and integration within Britain.
Childhood Roots in Southampton and Cricket
Sunak fondly recalled his childhood in Southampton, where his father's GP surgery was conveniently located between The Dell, Southampton's former football ground, and Hampshire's County Ground. Weekends and school holidays were often spent attending games, igniting a lifelong passion for sport and a belief in its deep importance to British culture.
Revisiting the "Tebbit Test"
He referenced the historical "Tebbit test," a controversial debate from his youth, where former Conservative Party chairman Norman Tebbit questioned which cricket team Commonwealth immigrants supported. Sunak asserted that anyone who supported England because they considered it home could pass this test. "Ten-year-old me passed the test without even knowing about it," he wrote, referring to his early connection to the sport and the country.
Challenging the "Reverse Tebbit Test"
Sunak highlighted Britain's progress in creating a multi-faith, multi-ethnic democracy, citing his own tenure as Prime Minister where he read a lesson at the King's Coronation and lit Diwali diyas at Downing Street without controversy. However, he noted a troubling shift post-premiership, with a debate emerging over whether he was truly English because he is a "brown Hindu."
"But something else is going on - a risk that we start equating skin colour with nationality... Call it the reverse Tebbit test. If you're not white, it no longer matters who you support at the cricket, because you can never be English."
He recounted being shocked by racial slurs directed at him during an election campaign, an experience he described as uncommon in his political career, but found the "Englishness argument" even more perplexing.
Distinguishing Immigration Policy from Racial Identity
Sunak also addressed the topic of immigration, reiterating his opposition to illegal immigration and his efforts to deport individuals to Rwanda while in office. He emphasized that advocating for lower immigration and stronger integration does not necessitate defining British identity by race. "It is entirely possible to want a radical reduction in immigration and a far more robust approach to integration, and still totally reject the attempt to turn Britishness into a DNA test," he stated.
Cricket as a Unifying Force
Returning to the theme of sport, Sunak championed cricket as a powerful vehicle for bringing diverse communities together across Britain. He observed that nearly every major ethnic group in the country plays the sport, noting the shared bond it creates between his largely white rural constituents and British-Asian children in Bradford.
"If cricket can produce England teams in which every kid can see themselves, the impact will reach far beyond the boundary," Sunak concluded, advocating for a united national identity where "we must all be on the same side, cheering for the same team." He urged against reintroducing race into politics and setting Briton against Briton.