No 10 issues apology after meat and alcohol served at Downing Street event to celebrate Diwali
15 November 2024, 16:08
No 10 has apologised after meat and alcohol were served at a Downing Street event to celebrate the festival of Diwali, held last month.
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Following backlash over the decision, No10 admitted a “mistake” had been made in organising the event, and pledged “it will not happen again'”
Hinduism does not have a clear prohibition on alcohol or meat consumption, but many Hindus choose not to drink and some are also vegetarian.
Conservative MP for Leicester East Shivani Raja was among those to express disappointment.
In a letter to Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, she said the decision was "not in keeping with the customs of many Hindus" and displayed a "disappointing lack of knowledge of the customs and traditions that many British citizens hold dear".
In a statement, first reported by Politico, a Downing Street spokesman said "a mistake was made in the organisation of the event".
"We understand the strength of feeling on this issue and so would apologise to the community and assure them it will not happen again."
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They added: "The prime minister was pleased to welcome a range of communities celebrating Diwali to a reception in Downing Street.
"He paid tribute to the huge contribution the British Hindu, Sikh and Jain communities make to our country and how the government is driven by the shared values of hard work, ambition and aspiration."
Downing Street first began hosting events to celebrate Diwali in 2009 under then-Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
The tradition has continued under successive prime ministers, including Rishi Sunak, who in 2022 became the UK's first Hindu prime minister.
The five-day festival, celebrated by Sikhs and Jains as well as Hindus, symbolises new beginnings, the triumph of light over darkness, good over evil and knowledge over ignorance.
