Rishi Sunak Warns Skin Colour Must Not Define Who Is British

Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has warned against linking skin colour with British identity, arguing that race should not determine who is considered English or British.

Writing in his regular Sunday Times column, Sunak said Britain risked creating different classes of citizens based on race or how recently their families arrived in the country. His remarks came as debates over immigration, integration and national identity remain sharply contested in Britain.

Sunak Challenges ‘Reverse Tebbit Test’

Sunak referred to the so-called Tebbit Test, coined by former Conservative MP Norman Tebbit in 1990. The idea suggested that migrants who supported the cricket teams of their countries of heritage rather than England demonstrated a lack of integration.

Sunak said that test could at least be passed by someone who supported England because they considered the country home.

He argued that a different standard now risks emerging, where non-white people could be regarded as incapable of being English regardless of their allegiance or integration.

‘Born in Southampton’ Experience

Sunak, who was born in Southampton and is of Indian heritage, said he had grown up identifying strongly with England. He recalled supporting England, Hampshire and Southampton Football Club as a child.

The former prime minister said questions about whether he could be English while being a “brown Hindu” reflected what he described as a broader problem in the debate over British identity.

He also pointed to his experience in Downing Street, where he observed Hindu traditions such as lighting Diwali diyas with his daughters while also participating in Christian ceremonies associated with the British state.

Cricket as a Tool for Integration

Sunak argued that sport, particularly cricket, could help bring different communities together.

He noted that cricket is played by people from many of Britain's ethnic communities and said this was one reason he had sought to expand opportunities for children in England to play the sport while he was prime minister.

His comments came in the context of a wider discussion about integration, immigration and race. Sunak also criticised what he described as failures by governments to control immigration and referred to challenges associated with Islamism and reactions following the October 7 attack in Israel.

Warning Over Britain’s Identity Debate

Sunak said people who live in Britain, regard it as home, embrace its culture and seek to contribute to society should not be treated differently because they are newer migrants.

He warned against allowing race to become a defining factor in British political debate and argued that Britons should not be divided by identity.

His intervention comes amid heightened political debate over immigration, including strong rhetoric from Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, who has described illegal migration as an “invasion”.