Boris Johnson apologizes to Sikh woman over whisky comment in Gurudwara
Boris Johnson has said sorry to a woman unhappy with a remark made during an election campaign visit to a Sikh temple in Bristol.
The Foreign Secretary caused shock when he started speaking about ending tariffs on whisky between the UK and India. He said that a future Conservative government would increase free trade and end tariffs on India’s imports of British whisky.
A Sikh voter who was there said: “How dare you talk about alcohol in a Sikh temple?” She said it was “absolutely outrageous” for Mr Johnson – whose mother-in-law is Sikh – to try to promote alcohol inside a place of worship. she further added “You have just said that the main objective is to get the trade between India and England and the basis of that is alcohol which is in Sikhism against our religion so 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. “I am a practicing Sikh and to me that is absolutely outrageous.”
Mr Johnson said “I’m very sorry if you think alcohol is a bad thing, I understand your point of view.”
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Leaders must understand what they are talking, and where they are talking.Some issues are very sensitive to some people particularly in religious places.