Sikh woman confronts UK minister on liquor promotion

London, May 17

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson had a tough time today on the election campaign trail when a British Sikh woman admonished him for talking about whisky during a stop at a gurdwara in the city of Bristol.

Johnson, whose wife is of Sikh origin, was forced to apologise for raising the issue of high tariffs on Scotch whisky imports into India, which could be brought down if a free trade deal is struck between India and the UK post-Brexit.

Johnson had stopped over at the Shri Guru Nanak Prakash Singh Sabha to show his support for Bristol East Conservative candidate Theo Clarke.

He was presented with a ceremonial turban and given a tour of the gurdwara before his remarks created a stir.

“I wouldn’t be wanting to put somebody in power who wants to put more alcohol in India, which is causing lots of problems at the moment,” said a British Sikh woman, named locally as Balbir Kaur. — PTI