London:

The UK general election is expected to deliver the most diverse Parliament in the country’s history, including in the number of parliamentarians of Indian heritage likely to be elected from across the nation.

According to an analysis by the British Future think tank, the Labour Party is set to have by far the largest number of ethnic minority MPs if the party wins an overall majority and even more in a landslide scenario.

With around 14 per cent of MPs coming from an ethnic minority background this time, the analysis finds that the new Parliament will be closer than ever to reflecting the diversity of the British electorate.

“This election will see the biggest rise in ethnic minority representation and the most diverse Parliament ever,” said Sunder Katwala, Director of British Future.

“In the space of 40 years, we’ll have gone from zero to one in seven MPs being from an ethnic minority background. Britain is closing the gap between the diversity of Parliament and the electorate much faster than anyone thought possible,” he said.

The last general election in 2019 resulted in 15 MPs of Indian heritage crossing over the line, many of whom are contesting again alongside several first-timers.

Conservative Party MP Alok Sharma and Labour veteran Virendra Sharma are among the most high-profile British Indians not seeking re-election this time, from Reading West and Ealing Southall, respectively.

The latter constituency, with a large Punjabi electorate, has two British Sikh candidates contesting as Independents – Sangeet Kaur Bhail and Jaginder Singh.

Some of the key British Indian candidates to watch in Thursday’s polls include Praful Nargund, who is contesting for the Labour Party in Islington North – the seat of the party’s now-suspended former leader Jeremy Corbyn, who is contesting as an Independent candidate.

Jas Athwal is contesting in another Labour stronghold of Iford South, while Baggy Shanker in Derby South, Satvir Kaur in Southampton Test, and Harpreet Uppal in Huddersfield are contesting more marginal seats for the party.

Rajesh Agrawal, the Indore-born former Deputy Mayor of London for Business, is fighting to become a first-time MP from Leicester East and is up against a fellow British Indian Conservative candidate, Shivani Raja.

This constituency, representing a large Indian heritage electorate, will be keenly watched as its former long-term Goan-origin MP, Keith Vaz, is also in the race as an Independent candidate.

British-Indian Sikhs, including solicitor Warinder Juss from Wolverhampton West in central England and Gurinder Singh Josan from Smethwick, will be hoping to make gains for Labour, as will Bihar-born Kanishka Narayan contesting in Vale of Glamorgan – hoping to be elected as the first Indian-origin MP from Wales, and Sonia Kumar hoping to overturn a Tory majority in Dudley.

For the Conservative Party, Chandra Kanneganti in Stoke-on-Trent Central and Ameet Jogia in Hendon are facing a tough fight in a race consistently forecast in favour of the Opposition Labour Party.

“A diverse parliament brings different perspectives to its work, which can lead to more effective policy-making. MPs who come from different backgrounds can be role models for their communities, inspiring young people to vote and get involved in politics,” says Jill Rutter, British Future Associate Fellow who led the think tank’s analysis.

Of the sitting MPs, the British Indians most vulnerable to a Labour swing in the election include Tory MPs Shailesh Vara from North West Cambridgeshire, Gagan Mohindra from South West Hertfordshire and Claire Coutinho from East Surrey.

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is expected to hold on to his seat of Richmond and Northallerton in northern England, as are former Cabinet colleagues Priti Patel in Witham in Essex and Suella Braverman in Fareham and Waterlooville.

With a series of retirements and exits, largely from the incumbent Tories, the new Parliament elected on Friday will see around 158 new MPs in the House of Commons.
 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

A Palestinian flag flaps in the air by a message reading “Stop bombs” projected on The Elizabeth Tower, commonly known by the name of the clock’s bell “Big Ben”, at the Palace of Westminster, home to the Houses of Parliament, during a Pro-Palestinian demonstration in Parliament Square in London on February 21, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

It was 10 minutes of shouted accusations of being a “genocide enabler” and having “blood on your hands” that made a British lawmaker fear for his safety over his decision to voice support for Israel in its war with Hamas.

Almost touching noses with his accuser before walking away and warning he would call the police, the opposition Labour Party member said the incident in a town in his constituency was just the latest of several that made him change his behaviour.

He now makes sure he sits near the door on public transport and limits meetings with the public.

“It feels like it could just need one spark to flip from someone giving you tuppence (criticism) in the street to escalating to actual violence,” the lawmaker said.

After the October 7 Hamas attack that sparked the war in Gaza, more than 10 British politicians spoken to by Reuters said the abuse directed at them had become more intense. At least one cited this as a factor in deciding not to seek a new term in parliament in an election later this year.

All spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they were fearful that giving their names would increase the threats and abuse.

The conflict in the Palestinian enclave has inflamed tensions across the globe, bringing protesters onto the streets in support of both sides and dividing opinion among leaders over how to end the bloodshed.

In Britain, even politicians who are no strangers to receiving abuse from the public say the tone has become ugly and dangerous, with some fearing it could easily slip into violence.

Many are considering taking steps to protect themselves, such as wearing stab vests in meetings or building safe rooms.

Last week, parliamentary speaker Lindsay Hoyle sent parliament into chaos when he broke with precedent to allow the three main parties to set out their positions on a call for a ceasefire in Gaza. That was designed to prevent lawmakers from having to choose between backing a ceasefire, abstaining or voting against one to follow their party orders.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has called on all sides to “take the heat” out of the issue but some of his Conservative lawmakers have been accused of Islamophobia in their responses. They deny the charge.

The government is expected to announce details this week of plans to increase security for members of parliament, according to one official.

But despite getting the highly charged ceasefire vote out of the way last week and the level of abuse easing a little, some lawmakers have decided to quit, saying the threats had become intolerable. The memory of two lawmakers – one killed by a right-wing extremist in 2016 and the other in 2021 by a man inspired by Islamic State – weighs heavily.

After seeing his office in his North London constituency targeted in a suspected arson attack in December, Conservative lawmaker Mike Freer said he was standing down at the election after a “constant string of incidents”. He had defended Israel.

Dozens of protesters demonstrated outside the home of Tobias Ellwood, another Conservative lawmaker, earlier this month, with signs accusing him of being “complicit in genocide” in Gaza.

The Labour lawmaker who now watches where he sits in public transport said he had been advised by police to install a partition at his constituency or voting district office so that people waiting to see him could not get near to him quickly.

He described a huge coordinated email campaign against him and others. The emails, sent from different addresses in the run up to the Feb. 21 ceasefire vote, which had no binding effect on the government, demanded lawmakers vote for an immediate ceasefire and call on ministers to suspend arms sales to Israel.

Another lawmaker said he had discussed with his wife getting a safe room installed at home.

“No one should have to think about having a safe room just because they want to serve their communities,” he said.

A veteran politician said there had been other times when public anger meant lawmakers were in the firing line, such as over Britain’s departure from the European Union, but that the threat of violence over Gaza marked a change for the worse.

“I have had conversations with two colleagues about wearing stab vests to meetings,” he said. “This is a very recent development.”