Rishi Sunak enters No 10 Downing Street today as the UK’s third prime minister in 2022, and its fifth in six years.

Sunak’s investiture of Britain’s highest office may be part of the country’s revolving door political environment, but it is significant as the first time someone of Asian-heritage has made it to the top.

The son of African-born Hindu parents of Indian Punjabi descent, Sunak is the first Indian-origin prime minister. That he enters the role the day after Diwali begins is just the cherry on top of the cake.

It’s a significant step for a country that once ruled over India as a colony of the British Empire.

Calling it a straight-up victory for meritocracy might be stepping a bit far, given that the privately-educated Sunak becomes prime minister without a single vote cast in his favour, and after replacing another unelected prime minister (Liz Truss) who beat him in the previous internal-party leadership vote. But it’s a form of a victory, sure.

He’s also not the first European Indian-origin leader. There have been three European prime ministers of Indian descent.

Indian heritage in European leaders

The first was Alfredo Nobre da Costa.