Wake up and smell the coffee

The Suella Braverman ‘controversies’ are not just ready to fade away Last week, she visited the High Commission of India for a wide-ranging discussion on shared security concerns, mobility and migration, and safety of the High Commission of India and other key elements of the UK-India relationship

The Indian community has had a very long and crucial relationship with Britain, as forced subjects and then equals In India During World War II there were 200,000 Indian soldiers in the British army In World War I that number was more than 74,000 These men sacrificed their lives for a country they hadn’t even stepped their foot on The Brighton Chhatri, or the Chhatri at the Memorial Gates or the one at Bristol with the tomb of Raja Rammohun Roy, is a reminder of the relationship that was!

In that Britain, Suella Braverman has become the third Asian Home Secretary, second Indian-origin to hold the post And naturally one thing that any refugee or immigrant would expect of their “ own ” (by roots) is compassion

But with every mistake she makes, her stand on immigration, disallowing foreign nationals to come to Britain with family as students and various other issues definitely makes look like what she possibly isn’t

While her speeding fine issue has been blown out of proportion, the BBC reported that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is still considering whether to order an investigation into Suella Braverman's conduct, the No 10 has said

The PM s official spokesman said he was still looking at all the requisite information"

Opposition parties accused him of "dithering and delay"

The home secretary is reportedly facing claims she asked civil servants to arrange a one-to-one speed awareness course for her, after being caught speeding in 2022

M r S u n a k h a s s p o k e n t o h i s e t h i c s a d v i s e r a n d M r s Braverman about the issue but is still deciding whether to order an investigation into whether she broke the ministerial code,

the BBC reported

At the same time, the Labour party is looking for a chance to win the elections in 2024 They have promised the NHS and junior doctor a better future, while BMA said that the focus on prevention is a big positive, and it is good to see a commitment to reverse the worrying trend of deaths from suicides, heart disease, strokes and cancers in this country

They told us, “Labour’s focus on shifting care from sickness to prevention could help to turn things around, particularly in its plan to increase access to mental health services, and Sir Keir c o r r e c t l y h i g h l i g h t e d t h a t t h i s w o u l d o n l y b e a c h i e v a b l e through interventions that deal with poverty and inequalities to accessing health and social care It was refreshing to hear Sir Keir acknowledge this and set out plans to strengthen regulation on junk food marketing to children – something the present Government has rowed back on

“But Labour needs to go further in at least three key areas if they are to have a lasting impact on the nation’s health: Tightening regulations of the smoking, alcohol and gambling industries, alongside junk food; Restoring funding for public health services, which have been cut by 25% since 2015; and establish a cross-departmental goal to improve health and tackling health inequalities, extending beyond the NHS alone, alongside a strategy for action - the last time Labour did this, it made a difference For suicide prevention for example, this extends far beyond the provision of mental health care services which we know are severely lacking – to addressing the root causes of people’s mental health struggles, including the shameful levels of poverty in this country ”

This country holds NHS – the free healthcare as its asset It also treats its education, diversity, inclusion, race and immigration policies as top notch and above other countries If we lose perspective now, whoever wins the election next year, the very ethos of Britishness cannot be preserved It is time to wake up and smell the coffee

India's balancing act at G7 summit in Japan

India is a regular guest at the annual G7 summit of the world’s wealthiest democracies At this year ’ s gathering in Hiroshima, the focus was on Russia and China, both nations with whom New Delhi shares complex ties Prime Minister Narendra Modi has played a balancing act once again The G7 nations are well aware of the rising might of other newly advanced economies like Australia and South Korea and emerging markets like India

They want to keep them close India has been a regular at the summit and has snagged an invite yet again this year Japan prime minister Fumio Kishida has invited PM Modi because India is among the influential countries in this unofficial group PM Modi said that his presence in the G7 summit was particularly meaningful as India holds the G20 Presidency this year He said that the summit gave him an opportunity to exchange views with the G7 countries and other invited partners on challenges that the world faces and the need to collectively address them

One of the key discussions at the summit was Russia and imposing more sanctions and export controls on the nation over the war in Ukraine But India has maintained neutrality in the conflict because of its longstanding ties with Moscow India expressed its concern that the US and its allies are exacerbating the global economic crisis by imposing more sanctions on Moscow And it is not alone The rising costs because of the Ukraine war have hit emerging and developing economies China’s rising aggression also dominated the agenda at the G7 summit Japan being the only Asian G7 member sees this as a

Thought for the week

Political Sketchbook

Alpesh Patel

Enemy of the State

As Pa kistan se lf-destr uct s the re a re te lling ta les re lev an t for the UK

Imran Khan, the former Prime Minister of Pakistan, has recently accused the country's military, specifically the army chief General Syed Asim Munir, of orchestrating his arrest on corruption charges

Khan believes this act was personal and does not align with the national interest The animosity between Khan and Munir stems back to when Khan was prime minister and Munir was the head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Pakistan's spy agency

Khan reportedly shortened Munir's stint as the ISI head, leading to a perceived bias against Khan's party, PTI The ISI has been subject to international scrutiny, particularly regarding its alleged knowledge or involvement in harbouring Osama Bin Laden, an enemy of multiple states In the aftermath of the U S raid that led to Bin Laden's death in Pakistan in 2011, Pakistani intelligence officials claimed they were unaware of his presence until the operation was underway chance to respond to Beijing’s show of strength around Taiwan India is part of the Quad group of four Indo-Pacific nations, including the US, Japan and Australia With the Quad summit in Sydney cancelled, G7 gave a chance for the Quad leaders to have an informal dialogue in Hiroshima on how to counter China’s growing threats in the region Meanwhile, India has countered Chinese objections in holding the G20 meeting at Srinagar in Kashmir by saying it is free to hold meetings in any part of its territory It said peace and tranquility on its border is essential for normal ties with China The 3rd G20 Tourism Working Group meeting was held in Srinagar amid heightened security in the region This is the first major international event in Jammu and Kashmir since its special status was scrapped in 2019 and it was bifurcated into two union territories Around 60 delegates from G20 countries were invited to attend the meeting, but China and Turkey did not attend the meeting Officials say the G20 event in Srinagar is to showcase Kashmir's tourism potential and also send a message to the world that it is an integral part of the country The participation of member countries of the world's most powerful club is seen as an endorsement of India's stand China's decision to boycott the Srinagar meet is likely to be derived from the objections of Pakistan, its close ally, which claimed that the G20 meetings are aimed at perpetuating India's “illegal occupation" of Jammu and Kashmir India has constantly rejected the statements from Beijing and Islamabad on Jammu & Kashmir