Well, that was from UK media.
In the UK media, “Asian” is simply a code word for Muslim, because like our current administration, they find it difficult to print or enunciate it.
You are incorrect in that the Brits have long referred to those of Middle Eastern ethnicities as “Asians” and it has nothing to do with recent political correctness. Also many ethic Indians (as in those from the sub-continent and not to be confused with American Indians) consider themselves to be “Asian” rather than Caucasian even though they are in many cases genetically more Caucasian than Asian.
But some in the UK, especially some Sikhs and Hindus, don’t want to be lumped in as Asians anymore if that means being lumped in with Muslims.
It's time to stop using the word 'Asians'
But the terminology goes back to the time of British colonialism and when there was by definition and common language usage; the Far East (China, Japan, Korea, Mongolia and other countries on the eastern rim of Asia) and the “Near” or the Middle East (First used in 1856, the term “Near East” was defined specifically against the Far East and referred to the region in Asia that’s west of India. Today, the region of the Near East is imprecise and overlaps with the Middle East. It typically refers to southwest Asia, particularly Turkey, Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and other nations of the Arabian Peninsula. It is not as commonly used as “Middle East.”). But people living in all three areas (Far, Near and Middle East) were all considered to be Easterners – ergo Asians by the Brits and by most of the rest of Europe as opposed to being Westerners.