Britain has a new prime minister — again. On Tuesday, the former chancellor of the exchequer, Rishi Sunak, was appointed prime minister by King Charles after he won the ruling Conservative Party’s leadership contest. Mr Sunak is Britain’s third prime minister in three months but the first ever who is not white. While he was born in the United Kingdom to parents who grew up in Africa, his family’s Indian ancestry has made Mr Sunak the focus of much media attention in India too. His wife, Akshata Murty, is the millionaire daughter of the Infosys founder, N.R. Narayana Murthy. Broadly, reactions in India to his political rise have involved two key strains. The first involves the seemingly delicious irony in the fact that a person of Indian origin will serve as the leader of the UK at a time India is celebrating 75 years of independence from Britain. The second revolves around the idea that with Mr Sunak at its helm, Britain’s ties with India could blossom. Sadly for India, the irony in his appointment cuts both ways. And any notion that he might be soft on India while in power is deeply flawed.

Mr Sunak’s elevation to the top executive job in Britain caps a stunning surge in ethnic diversity in that country’s political elite. Sadiq Khan, London’s mayor, is Muslim. Mr Sunak himself is a practising Hindu, who publicly visits temples. Most top cabinet posts in the government of the former prime minister, Liz Truss, were held by people of colour, many of them women. By contrast, Indian politics is in some ways getting narrower and narrower at the top. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party does not have a single Muslim member of Parliament, and it is hard to imagine that a Muslim or Christian Indian could become the country’s prime minister in the foreseeable future. And while Mr Sunak carries his Indian heritage proudly, it is the people of Britain that he is answerable to. He is expected to emphasise stability as the leader of the UK, and that, to be sure, will bring relief to India and other friends of Britain. The bilateral trade deal, which suffered blows under the brief premiership of Ms Truss, might be revived. But beyond symbolism, Mr Sunak’s ethnicity is unlikely to impact any of his policies. His rise is no Indian success story. If anything, it is a reminder of what is no longer possible in India.