Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

British Asian votes crucial for Labour’s return to power

In recent times, there has been a fraying of relations between the wider British Indian population and the Labour Party

British Asian votes crucial for Labour’s return to power

With the next UK general election looming over the horizon, upwardly-mobile British Indians will be a critical voter constituency in various parts of the country.

In recent times, there has been a fraying of relations between the wider British Indian population and the Labour Party.


In the 2015 general election, the Conservatives under the leadership of former prime minister David Cameron won a million ethnic-minority voters for the first in its history – with former Labour voters in Gujarati Hindu and Punjabi Sikh communities driving this shift in electoral support. The disastrous Jeremy Corbyn experiment did little to help the relationship between the British political left and aspirational and patriotic Indian-heritage communities defined by the traditional triad of faith, family and flag.

While Labour looks destined to return to government after a lengthy period of Tory-led rule, there is no room for complacency. If Sir Keir Starmer wants a workable parliamentary majority, winning back family-oriented and entrepreneurial ethnic-minority voters1 who have recently flirted with the Tories – with some not only providing their electoral support, but also their financial backing – should be high on the agenda.

This, of course, requires a very different politics to the obsessions with race and victim-framing of minorities which has taken hold on the contemporary British left. The emergence of Black Lives Matter (BLM) on these shores – which saw Starmer ‘take a knee’ alongside his deputy Angela Rayner in solidarity with the movement – was ultimately the brainless importation of American-style racial identity politics. A clear example was British BLM demonstrators chanting “don’t shoot” at their own police officers – who are pre-dominantly unarmed and overwhelmingly support that model of policing.

America has a vastly different national context – a youthful country that is struggling to get to grips with the legacy of slavery and segregation.

A British politics of fairness and equality should not draw inspiration from America’s culture wars. Neither should it look to major EU member-states such as France, Germany, and the Netherlands, who lag some way behind post-Brexit Britain when it comes to the provision of anti-discrimination protections on the grounds of race, ethnicity, and religion. A recent study2 published by Sunder Katwala’s British Future found 80 per cent of ethnic minority Britons believed that the UK is a better place to live, as someone from an ethnic minority, than other countries like the USA, Germany, or France. More than two-thirds agreed that the UK had made significant progress on racial equality in the last 25 years.

For Labour to re-engage with British Indian voters who have distanced themselves from it in recent times, it must not only champion the advances Britain has made in terms of racial equality, but also celebrate the fantastic achievements made by the country’s patriotic and aspirational minorities.

This includes Indian-origin families which span different faiths – whether it is Hindus in Harrow, Sikhs in Coventry, Muslims in Bolton, or Roman Catholics in Swindon. Far too many on the British left view disparities and inequalities through the prism of race – meaning that the importance of family structure is all too often left by the wayside. There is no denying that family stability and intergenerational connection are influential determinants in the shaping of young people’s development. While six per cent3 of Indian-heritage children aged up to 15 years live in a lone-parent household, this increases to nearly one in five for their white-British peers and all the way up to 63 per cent for their counterparts of black-Caribbean origin. A family-centred social policy agenda for modern Britain is urgently needed and traditional-minded ethnic minorities understand this more than most.

None of this is to say that the work is done on racial and ethnic equality in Britain. With ‘culturally distant’ names faring worse than traditional English-sounding names in several CV-based field studies, the expansion of ‘name-blind’ applications is needed in the UK’s labour market. The NHS must become more responsive to the needs of an ever-diversifying population – something that was exposed during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the school system, there should be greater emphasis on the outstanding contributions made by non-white servicemen to the Allied victory in the second world war – especially those who served in the British Indian Army and Royal Indian Navy. There must be a rebuilding of police-community relations, especially in inner-city London following the Casey report’s conclusion4 that the Met has “yet to free itself of institutional racism”.

That is the sweet spot for the British political Left – to rise above both the ‘obsessives’ and ‘denialists’ in the race-relations debate. A practical anti-racist politics in the UK should take pride in the achievements we have made as a country and aspire for it to be the ultimate gold-standard example of an advanced and inclusive multi-racial democracy in the modern world.

That is how the Labour party can move beyond the politics of grievance and deliver for multi-ethnic Britain in the future.

LEAD Comment Rakib Ehsan byline pic Dr Rakib Ehsan

  • Dr Rakib Ehsan’s new book, Beyond Grievance: What the Left Gets Wrong about Ethnic Minorities, is now available to order from Amazon

1  www.britishfuture.org/ethnic-minority votes-up-for-grabs/

2  www.britishfuture.org/report-examinesattitudes-to-race-today-as-britain-marks75th-windrush-anniversary/

3  www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/ families/adhocs/12947proportionofchildr eninloneparentfamiliesbyethnicgroup englandandwales2019

4  www.met.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/met/about-us/baronesscasey-review/update-march-2023/baroness-casey-review-march-2023a.pdf

More For You

Starmer-Getty

Starmer is facing a Labour backbench revolt over plans to reform special needs support in schools without guaranteeing existing legal rights. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images)

Starmer faces Labour pushback over SEND reform plans

KEIR STARMER is facing a backlash from Labour MPs over plans to reform special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) support, after ministers stopped short of guaranteeing legal rights for parents.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the government was committed to reforming the current system, which costs £12 billion a year. However, she did not confirm if legally enforceable rights, such as those provided by education, health and care plans (EHCPs), would remain.

Keep ReadingShow less
Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit London

Londoners faced a wet and stormy start to the week

iStock

Heavy rain and thunderstorms hit London before 30°C heatwave

Key points

  • Heavy rain and thunderstorms drench London at the start of the week
  • Temperatures set to rise with highs of 31°C expected by Thursday
  • Heatwave could be declared by Friday if warm conditions persist
  • Night-time temperatures to remain high, increasing discomfort
  • UV and pollen levels forecast to be very high across the south

Thunderstorms soak London before summer heat returns

Londoners faced a wet and stormy start to the week as heavy rain and overnight thunderstorms swept through the capital. Monday morning saw widespread downpours, leaving commuters reaching for umbrellas and Wimbledon ticket hopefuls queuing in ponchos.

The unsettled conditions followed a burst of thunderstorms on Sunday afternoon and continued into the early hours of Monday, prompting caution across the city. The Met Office has not issued a formal weather warning for thunderstorms, but conditions remain unstable.

Keep ReadingShow less
National Trust sets vision to heal
nature and engage more Asians

Lisa Nandy, Steve Reed, René Olivieri and Hilary McGrady at a National Trust event marking its 130th anniversary

National Trust sets vision to heal nature and engage more Asians

THE National Trust, which is seeking to broaden its appeal to British Asians, is marking its 130th anniversary with a renewed commitment to restoring nature and widening access under a 10-year strategy.

Its director-general, Hilary McGrady, also aims to inspire more people to get involved in caring for the country’s natural resources.

Keep ReadingShow less
 7/7 bombings

The King said the public should draw on the 'extraordinary courage and compassion' shown in response to the attacks. (Photo credit: X/@RoyalFamily)

Starmer and King Charles pay tribute on 20th anniversary of 7/7 bombings

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer and King Charles on Monday paid tribute to the unity shown in the aftermath of the 7 July bombings in London, as the country marked 20 years since the attacks.

On 7 July 2005, four Islamist extremists carried out suicide bombings at Aldgate Station, Edgware Road, King's Cross and Tavistock Square. The attacks killed 52 people and injured hundreds more.

Keep ReadingShow less
Navroop Singh

Navroop Singh was convicted of five charges including rape and was sentenced on July 4 at Isleworth Crown Court. (Photo credit: Metropolitan Police)

Man jailed for life over rape and attempted rape in west London

A 24-year-old man has been sentenced to life in prison for rape, attempted rape and firearm offences following a Metropolitan Police investigation in west London.

Navroop Singh, of Mellow Lane East, Hayes, was convicted of five charges including rape and was sentenced on Friday, July 4 at Isleworth Crown Court. He must serve a minimum of 14 years.

Keep ReadingShow less