Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD

Go Unlimited with Magzter GOLD

Get unlimited access to 10,000+ magazines, newspapers and Premium stories for just

$149.99
 
$74.99/Year

Try GOLD - Free

Festival of slight: No 10 sorry for Diwali 'mistake'

The Independent

|

November 16, 2024

Meat and alcohol served at No 10’s Hindu celebration

- KATE DEVLIN

Festival of slight: No 10 sorry for Diwali 'mistake'

Downing Street has been forced to apologised to British Hindus after meat and alcohol were served at an annual Diwali celebration. No 10 said that a “mistake” had been made 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. The October event sparked a series of complaints, including from Shivani Raja, the Conservative MP for Leicester East, who said she was “greatly concerned” and “deeply saddened”.

MORE STORIES FROM The Independent

The Independent

The Independent

'British FBI' to fight serious crime, says home secretary

A new national police force dubbed the “British FBI” will take over counterterror, fraud and criminal gang investigations as part of a major shakeup of policing to be announced by the home secretary.

time to read

2 mins

January 25, 2026

The Independent

The Independent

Burnham traps Starmer with bid to return as MP

Andy Burnham has confirmed he is seeking to stand for Labour in the Gorton and Denton by-election, paving the way for a return to parliament and a potential leadership challenge to Sir Keir Starmer.

time to read

5 mins

January 25, 2026

The Independent

The Independent

Canada threatened with 100% tariffs over China deal

Donald Trump has threatened to “immediately” hit Canada with a 100 per cent tariff on all goods and products, should the country make a deal with China.

time to read

2 mins

January 25, 2026

The Independent

The Independent

Trump climbs down over UK soldiers in Afghanistan

Donald Trump has climbed down over his slurs against British soldiers in Afghanistan after sparking widespread outrage for his false claims made about Nato allies.

time to read

3 mins

January 25, 2026

The Independent

The Independent

Dairy farmer dodged HS2, but now faces gas pipeline

A dairy farmer whose farm escaped being cut in half by the scrapped HS2 railway line now faces having a huge underground gas pipeline running through his land.

time to read

3 mins

January 25, 2026

The Independent

The Independent

'I'm 73 and terrified I'll die without knowing what became of my missing son'

In 1996, 16-year-old Damien Nettles disappeared on the Isle of Wight without a trace. As part of The Independent's SafeCall campaign, his mother speaks to Harriette Boucher

time to read

3 mins

January 25, 2026

The Independent

The Independent

Liverpool stunned by last-gasp Bournemouth winner

Amine Adli scrambled home a winner in the fifth minute of added time as Liverpool's dismal title defence suffered another setback with a dramatic 3-2 defeat at Bournemouth.

time to read

2 mins

January 25, 2026

The Independent

The Independent

Hacked-off Harry fighting for all of us to ‘read all about it’

Oceans of ink have been drained in trying to explain what Prince Harry hopes to achieve in the quietly spectacular drama currently being played out in Court 76 of the Royal Courts of Justice.

time to read

4 mins

January 25, 2026

The Independent

The Independent

ON THIS DAY

AD76: The Roman emperor Hadrian was born. It was on his orders that Hadrian's Wall was built in Britain “to separate the Romans from the Barbarians”.

time to read

1 min

January 24, 2026

The Independent

The Independent

Peace board puts Blair on a collision course with the PM

There was a time when prime ministers would quietly retreat into writing memoirs and lecturing on the after-dinner circuit.

time to read

4 mins

January 24, 2026

Listen

Translate

Share

-
+

Change font size