AS MINISTER for migration and citizenship in Labour's new government, Seema Malhotra has emerged as a pivotal figure in reshaping Britain's relationship with immigration.
Her appointment in July 2024 placed her at the helm of legal migration policy, tasked with the delicate balance of maintaining Britain’s global competitiveness whilst addressing public concerns about border control.
In December 2024, Malhotra delivered on the government’s manifesto promise to strengthen the independent Migration Advisory Committee, a key component of the new joined-up approach to reduce net migration.
“Net migration quadrupled in the past five years, and we have been clear that we will get the numbers down and restore order to our broken immigration system as part of our Plan for Change,” she said.
Her remit includes Windrush Compensation Scheme and Border Force operations, among others.
Speaking at the Windrush National Organisation's third Annual Windrush International Conference, she sets out measures in the government’s Windrush reset – establishing a Windrush Commissioner and re-establishing a Windrush Unit in the Home Office.
“We are determined to hear from communities first hand and ensure greater transparency by listening to victims, to stakeholders, and communities, and renew our work on reviewing the implementation of the Windrush Lesson Learned Review recommendations,” she said.
In February this year, Home Office invited applications to become the Windrush Commissioner, who will be an independent advocate for all those affected by the scandal and will advise on the Home Office’s delivery of the compensation and status schemes and the implementation of the department’s response to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review.
As Labour settles into government, Malhotra’s additional appointment as minister for equalities in October has expanded her influence into education policy.
Her political career began in earnest with her election as MP for Feltham and Heston in a 2011 by-election. Since then, she has been re-elected four times and held a number of shadow roles whilst in opposition. She has also served as a member of the justice select committee and the committee on the future relationship with the European Union select committee.
Born in Hounslow in 1972 to Sushil Kumar Malhotra, an engineer-turned-financial adviser who migrated to the UK in 1963, she grew up in Osterley, where her family ran a local shop.
She studied Politics and Philosophy at the University of Warwick and took a postgraduate degree in Business and Information Studies at Aston University.
Her route to power followed an unconventional path. Before entering the parliament, Malhotra carved out a career in management consultancy at Accenture and PricewaterhouseCoopers, developing expertise in strategy and IT. This corporate background, combined with her work as a child safety adviser in the video game industry, gave her a distinctive perspective on policy-making that would later prove valuable.
Her roots remain firmly planted in her constituency, where she founded Hounslow's Promise, a charity supporting young people through mentoring. Living locally with her husband Sushil
Kumar Saluja, she maintains strong community ties whilst wielding significant national influence.
