Rishi Sunak “doesn’t think Britain is a racist country,” Downing Street said after Trevor Noah’s controversial claim there was a racist backlash when he became Prime Minister.
In a video posted to Twitter from his US satirical show, The Daily Show, host and comedian Noah claimed there were people saying, “Now the Indians are going to take over Britain.”
A Downing Street spokeswoman said of Noah’s comments: “I have not asked the Prime Minister about it. But you heard the words in the house [of Commons] on Wednesday in relation to the Prime Minister and you have also seen words from other world leaders and reactions to his appointment as Prime Minister.
Asked if Mr Sunak believes Britain is a racist country, the spokeswoman added: “No, he doesn’t.”
Former Chancellor and Health Secretary Javid also responded to Noah’s claims, re-sharing the clip and writing: “Simply wrong. A narrative aimed at its audience at the expense of total detachment from reality.
“Britain is the most successful multiracial democracy in the world and is proud of this historic achievement.”
Mr Sunak is also Britain’s first Hindu Prime Minister. His grandparents emigrated to Britain in the 1960s and are all of Indian origin, with the exception of his maternal grandmother who was born in Africa, making him of British Asian heritage.
Noah, a native of South Africa, said seeing “the backlash” to Mr Sunak’s promotion “was one of the more telling things about how people view the role they or their people played in history”.
Trevor Noah, 38, sparked fury from his British fans on Twitter after uploading a clip from his program The Daily Show entitled “Unpacking the Backlash to Rishi Sunak”.
Addressing the allegations, former Chancellor and Health Secretary Javid re-shared the clip, writing: “Simply wrong. A narrative aimed at its audience at the expense of total detachment from reality
British political commentators, including Piers Morgan, were less than impressed by Trevor Noah’s comments
Asked if Rishi Sunak thinks Britain is a racist country, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “No, he doesn’t.”
In a “Between the Scenes” segment – his interactions with the audience during commercial breaks – he then launched into writing about post-colonial power structures and the oppression of black people and women in positions of power.
It comes after news last month that Noah was leaving The Daily Show after viewership plummeted by up to 75% following his takeover by American presenter Jon Stewart in 2013.
Analysts attributed this in part to the move to online streaming, but also to the program’s perceived “political bias” and penchant for spreading “wake ideology.”
In his monologue about Mr. Sunak, Noah said, “You hear a lot of people say, ‘Oh, they’re taking over, Indians are going to take over Britain, and what’s next?’ and I always found myself thinking, ‘So what?… What are you afraid of?’
“You see people in Britain, you see people like Tucker Carlson [an American Fox News host] saying all the time, “You know what they’re trying to do…they won’t stop until blacks and women are in positions of power.”…So what?
He added: “Why are you so scared? I think that’s because a lot of people don’t know they’re saying, ‘We don’t want these people who were previously oppressed to come into power because then they might do to us what we did to them. ”’
His analysis was blown up by British political commentators, who accused Noah of “projecting” America’s race problem onto Britain.
Piers Morgan raged on Twitter: “There was no such backlash against Sunak you race-baiting twerps. Why does US media continue to misrepresent Britain as a racist country?’
GB News political commentator Tom Harwood added: “What backlash? Where? You invent things.«
Meanwhile, Talk TV’s Mike Graham was more outspoken, writing: “One wonders if Americans are the fattest people on the planet.”
Viewers of the show were also unimpressed, with one tweeting: “There was virtually no backlash to the appointment of an Indian as Prime Minister in Britain (apart from the fact that the process was an undemocratic joke). But his race was not addressed negatively by anyone.
“American television and the American audience are very projective.”
Another fan wrote: “I love @Trevornoah but that’s far from true.
“Across the broad spectrum of British society, people are genuinely proud that a person of South Asian descent is PM.”
Web has reached out to representatives from Noah for comment.
In the video, Noah added that people needn’t be afraid of someone “taking over” and repeating colonial horrors, adding, “Go to all these colonies around the world, go to all the places that the British ruled, go to South Africa or wherever it is…unless people are delusional, people are turning against nobody.
In a three-minute clip, which has more than 950,000 views on Twitter, Noah claimed there were “people saying the Indians are going to take over Britain” in response to Mr Sunak’s rise to the top post of Prime Minister
“It’s not like Barack Obama became president and said, ‘Okay, where are the white people? Time to show them what’s going on!” Didn’t happen.
“People are complaining and they’re like, ‘I can’t believe Rishi Sunak… you got that Indian who…’ yo, King Charles is still the king of Jamaica… think about it second.”
“What do you think will happen? You’re just giving yourself away…it’s amazing when people say the quiet part out loud.
He added, “People need to ask themselves this question…why are you afraid of a power shift to a different gender or race?”
Other Twitter users labeled Noah “unrelated” to the reality of UK politics, while another wrote: “Could it be @Trevornoah projecting the US to a place that isn’t the US again? …
“While some small pockets have made racist comments, this is far from the case in the UK. Can I recommend speaking to some Brits?’
Noah’s segment was likely inspired by a phone call from an LBC radio listener last week who suggested Mr Sunak “don’t love England” and “isn’t even British in the opinion of most people”. But after a Noah fan shared a clip of the call below the comedian’s video, Twitter users insisted it didn’t represent the view of a large number of people
Noah’s segment was inspired by a phone call from an LBC radio listener last week who suggested Mr Sunak “doesn’t love England” and “isn’t even British in the opinion of most people”.
The caller claimed to be a member of the Conservative Party when calling host Sangita Myska’s show.
On Sunday, before Mr. Sunak won the prime ministerial race, the caller said: “Rishi will not win it. Rishi isn’t even British according to most people. He has American followings, his family is American. They are Indian businessmen. He will undoubtedly live in America. He doesn’t love England the way Boris does.”
When Ms Myska insisted Mr Sunak was born in Southampton, which made him British, he added: “A lot of people are British citizens, half from al-Qaeda. I’m just saying that having a British passport doesn’t mean you’re a true English patriot who loves England.”
But after a Noah fan shared a clip of the call in response to the comedian’s video, Twitter users insisted it didn’t reflect the view of a large number of people.
One wrote: “You do realize that a few isolated cases won’t provoke widespread backlash, right? If you look hard enough you will find someone with every view imaginable.’
Another said: “In a population of 68 million, it’s easy to find these examples. The reality is that the overwhelming majority of Britons don’t think so.
It comes after a previous segment of comedian Ronny Chieng’s Noah’s show also drew criticism from British-Indian/Asian viewers this week.
In a 45-second skit about Mr. Sunak, Chieng explained that “Indians are not Asian,” adding, “If this guy is Asian, why didn’t I feel absolutely nothing when he became prime minister?”
He added: “I love how Indians are trying to have it both ways, being like Indians AND Asians choosing a lane, okay?”
Sunder Katwala, director of British immigration organization British Future, replied online: “This is just rude and silly. Of course he identifies as British Asian and British Indian, and that is how he is seen by British Indians, British Asians and other Britons. If America uses terms differently, that’s fine with America.’