Baroness Verma: ‘Toxic Brexit dispute is letting Leicester down’

by LAUREN CODLING

SOME communities in Leicester are “anxious and frightened” by the on-going Brexit debate, the city’s Conservative mayoral candidate has said, as data showed the “devastating” impact a no-deal exit could have on the region.

Baroness Sandip Verma, a Tory peer since 2006, is running in Leicester’s mayoral election in May.

She spoke out about increasing concerns she had of how Brexit could negatively affect the city she hopes to represent.

“Cities like mine would be hit even harder. Therefore, it is really important that we look at how we are addressing ourselves in the Brexit debate, first and foremost,” she told Eastern Eye. “The toxic way it has been addressed over the last two and-a-half years or so has meant that people feel anxious and frightened.”

Research by Confederation of British Industry (CBI) released earlier this year predicted

that a no-deal Brexit could potentially cost the East Midlands economy £12 billion a year by 2034.

If a deal was not secured, the region would feel a “devastating long-term economic impact”, the report cautioned.

Verma, 59, said many migrants in Leicester who had approached her were unsure of

their rights post-Brexit. She also met people who worried about paying large sums of money to apply for settled status.

Calling the process “outrageous,” Verma revealed she had written to the home secretary

about the issue.

“I don’t want citizens in Leicester feeling stressed out and anxious that they don’t have hundreds or thousands of pounds to spend on settled status,” she said.

The mayoral election, due on May 2, will pitch Verma against the current Labour mayor Sir Peter Soulsby. The Asian peer said she was inspired to stand when she became aware of the lack of prospect for young people in the city. They had approached her with concerns that although they had obtained a degree, they were unable to stay in Leicester as there were no

aspirational jobs available for them.

Verma also noted the decline in the city over time, with “neighbourhoods being let down and no real investment coming in”.

“We have a lot of retail jobs, and although there is nothing wrong with retail jobs, if we want the economy of a city to grow, we have to have a real mix of good jobs,” she said.

“I just feel that the people of Leicester are being let down.”

She has also raised concerns about the lack of diversity in the public sector; currently, there are no senior director or deputy directors in the council from an ethnic minority background.

In the 2011 census, data showed that Leicester was one of the most diverse cities in the UK. According to figures, 28 per cent of the population described themselves as Indian.

Verma admitted she could not comprehend why more senior positions were not filled by someone from an ethnic background.

“When we look at school results and academic achievements, children from minority backgrounds are among the top performing people and yet they are still failing to reach these top jobs,” she said. “What is stopping them from making that climb into directorships? I find

it unbelievable.”

The politician, who was a parliamentary undersecretary in the Department for International

Development from May 2015 to July 2016, said she hopes Leicester can thrive and become

attractive to outsiders.

The city is known for its diverse selection of food and drink, but Verma wants people to see what else the city has to offer.

“I want people to spend money and time and enjoy the city, and see the potential the city has, so when they go away, they want to visit again,” she said.

Raising further concerns that residents do not feel they have been consulted on local issues, Verma hopes to address the lack of engagement which she said has created an “atmosphere of exclusion” in Leicester.

It is a “sad state of affairs” when those who are supposed to be acting on the people’s behalf are taking decisions without engaging the community, she said, adding it was a reflection on the state of politics in the UK.

“I can understand fully why people are turned off politics and politicians,” she said.

Verma has campaigned against violence toward women and believes more needs to be done to address the issue as it is stopping females from reaching their full potential.

However, she noted that the team of council candidates in Leicester has a “really great presence of women in it”, and hoped that was due to women feeling more comfortable putting themselves forward for such positions of authority.

Born in Amritsar, Punjab, Verma arrived in Leicester in 1960 with her family. Her grandfather had settled in the region previously, in the 1930s. Growing up, Verma said she saw the challenges in the city. Acknowledging that the local council and communities had “worked hard” to ensure diverse groups could “get along with each other” in Leicester, she nonetheless was worried about the recent division sparked by Brexit.

“This nasty atmosphere which has grown out of the Brexit debate (…) people are feeling frightened. That is why I think it is really important to look at the economic growth of Leicester,” she noted. “People shouldn’t be worried about others taking their jobs – the jobs are available for everyone, and it is up to them to take them up.”