Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Barnie Choudhury: Hostile attitudes are historic

by BARNIE CHOUDHURY

Former BBC journalist


THERE’S an old joke. How do you know when a politician is lying? When their lips move. I was reminded of that when I watched the BBC’s The Secret Windrush Files.

My old friend David Olusoga forensically destroyed any idea that the UK’s “hostile environment” immigration policy was created by Theresa May when she was home secretary.

Using government papers in The National Archives, David’s compelling thesis was that right at the beginning of the end of Empire, no matter which party was in power, Britain wanted to keep out British subjects of colour. Immigration policy after immigration policy found ways to discriminate against Commonwealth citizens who had served King and country. Not only that, in the 1950s prime minister Winston Churchill clearly aligned himself to the racist ‘Keep England White’ brigade.

The sacrifice of British subjects around the Commonwealth was conveniently forgotten. Lest we forget, more than 87,000 Indians, pre-partition, died during the Second World War. And how shabbily they were treated. After that war, like thousands from the Caribbean, south Asians answered the call to rebuild their “motherland”, blitzed by the enemy. Instead of welcoming those who had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with allied troops, the UK government shamefully encouraged white people from Europe, including Germany’s Schutzstaffel (SS) troops to settle and assimilate in Britain.

The fear of successive governments appeared to be that ‘coloured people’ would ‘breed’ with indigenous whites causing untold ‘social problems’, and that they would simply come to the UK to scrounge off the state. With the benefit of 70 years hindsight, how wrong the fearmongers were. In 2011 under one in 10 was in a mixed-race relationship, and Indians,

Pakistanis and Bangladeshis were least likely to marry or cohabit outside their ethnic group. The 2021 Census will add to our knowledge, but I would suspect from anecdotal evidence and observation that south Asians will continue to be those least likely to favour ‘interethnic breeding’. Sadly, honour-based violence is alive and well in the UK.

When it comes to ‘scrounging off the state’, the government’s own figures show that 56 per cent of families in England and Wales receive some sort of assistance. White British families receive most benefits, at 58 per cent. While it could be argued that proportionately more ethnic minorities claim benefit, we shouldn’t forget the contribution they make to the UK’s

economy. We know that last year 800 Indian companies operated in the UK and were worth almost £47 billion, paying £360 million into our treasury coffers.

So, don’t ever say we come to the UK to live off benefits. Having said that, unfortunately, like all ethnic groups, we do have benefit cheats. It is a price we pay for a system which is meant to make sure the poorest in our country are not left unsupported, and, boy, do we need it. How can we in 2019, as the seventh richest nation in the world, justify the need for 2,000 foodbanks handing out 1.6 million food parcels a year?

Yet immigration remains a hot topic. Conservative MP Boris Johnson’s made it a centrepiece in his bid for Number 10. He wants to introduce an Australian-style visa-points system if he becomes the prime minister. Over the past 20 years, Australia has tied immigration to skilled labour. That is why Tory MPs are telling south Asian businesses that a vote for Boris

would ensure parity with EU immigrants post-Brexit.

Based on past form, I remain sceptical because there will be loopholes in favour of white migrants. Take for example the Scottish restaurateur, Ajmal Mushtaq, who wants authentic, fully trained chefs from India. He’s been told that because he also runs a takeaway service he cannot hire from there.

Why is fairness so important? Because loyalty to subjects, no matter their skin colour, means a better chance of reciprocated faithfulness. If successive UK governments want people of colour to put their chosen country above all else, then fairness needs to be transparent in all our policies. It’s not pandering to the politically correct. It’s sound business sense. If the Tories want the south Asian vote, then they should point to one fact. In the past two decades, India and China, this century’s two emerging economic superpowers, have been the largest countries of origin for permanent migrants to Australia.

What successive UK governments have singularly failed to recognise is that immigration enhances a country’s talent pool. Our regressive policies which discriminate against people of colour are the main reasons why wealthy middle-class south Asian students are choosing to study in America, Canada and... Australia.

In 30 years, we will know the truth behind how this government framed its immigration policy post-Brexit. Until then, based on history, I can’t help but seeing a politician’s lips moving and thinking about that old joke.

More For You

Chelsea Flower Show highlights Royal-inspired roses and eco-friendly innovation

King Charles III, patron of the Royal Horticultural Society, walks through the RHS and BBC Radio 2 Dog Garden during a visit to the RHS Chelsea Flower Show at Royal Hospital Chelsea on May 20, 2025 in London, England.

Getty Images

Chelsea Flower Show highlights Royal-inspired roses and eco-friendly innovation

Rashmita Solanki

This particular year at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Chelsea Flower Show, there have been two members of the Royal Family who have had roses named after them.

‘The King’s Rose’, named after King Charles III, and ‘Catherine’s Rose’, named after Catherine, Princess of Wales. Both roses have been grown by two of the most well-known rose growers in the United Kingdom.

Keep ReadingShow less
‘Going Dutch may be a solution to get the UK’s jobless into work’

The growing number of working-age adults not in jobs places a huge financial burden on Britain, according to recent reports

‘Going Dutch may be a solution to get the UK’s jobless into work’

Dr Nik Kotecha

ECONOMIC inactivity is a major obstacle to the UK’s productivity and competitiveness.

As a business owner and employer with over 30 years of experience, I have seen firsthand how this challenge has intensified as the economically inactive population approaches 10 million nationally - almost one million more than pre-pandemic.

Keep ReadingShow less
Understanding the Hindu Psyche: Averse to Confrontation?

Artistic depiction of Arjuna and Krishna with the chariot

Is Hindu psyche averse to confrontation?

Nitin Mehta

Over 5,000 years ago, on the battlefield of Kurukshetra, two armies comprising tens of thousands of men were ready to begin a war. The Pandavs were led by Arjuna, a warrior whose archery skills were unbeatable. At the last minute, before the war was to commence, Arjuna put down his weapons and declared to Krishna his decision not to fight. He reasoned that the war would kill tens of thousands of people all for a kingdom. It took the whole of the Bhagavad Gita to convince Arjuna to fight.

Even after Krishna destroyed all his doubts, Arjuna asked to see Krishna in his form as a supreme God. In short, Arjuna wanted to avoid confrontation at any cost.

Keep ReadingShow less
How Indian news channels used fake stories and AI to grab attention

The mainstream print media in India, both in English and regional languages, has remained largely responsible and sober

How Indian news channels used fake stories and AI to grab attention

MISINFORMATION and disinformation are not new in the age of social media, but India’s mainstream news channels peddling them during a time of war was a new low.

Hours after India launched Operation Sindoor, most channels went into overdrive with ‘breaking news’ meant to shock, or worse, excite.

Keep ReadingShow less
war and peace

A vivid depiction of the Kurukshetra battlefield, where Arjuna and Krishna stand amidst the chaos, embodying the eternal conflict between duty and morality

Artvee

War and Peace are two sides of the same coin

Nitin Mehta

War and peace have exercised the minds of human beings for as far back as history goes. It is no wonder then that the Mahabharata war, which took place over 5,000 years ago, became a moment of intense discussion between Lord Krishna and Arjuna.

Hundreds of thousands of people on either side were ready to begin battle on the site of Kurukshetra. Seeing the armies and his near and dear combatants, Arjuna lost the will to fight. How could he fight his grandfather Bhisma and his guru Dronacharya? He asked Krishna what all the bloodshed would achieve.

Keep ReadingShow less