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Issue 1771 Friday July 12, 2024

THE VOICE OF BRITISH ASIANS

easterneye.biz

80p

NEWS • BUSINESS • ENTERTAINMENT • FEATURES • SPORT AND MUCH MORE...

RAJESH KHANNA:

LIFE AND TIMES OF

BOLLYWOOD ICON

TALKING PEACE:

MODI AND PUTIN

DISCUSS UKRAINE

BRIGHT FUTURE:

ASIAN CHAMP WILL

PLAY FOR ENGLAND

P30-31

‘REBUILD BRITAIN

BRICK BY BRICK’

Prime minister Starmer pays tribute to Sunak and vows to...

SIR KEIR STARMER said he wants to

restore the trust that has been lost

between the public and serving politi-

cians as he pledged to “rebuild Brit-

ain” in his first address as British

prime minister last week.

The Labour leader oversaw a land-

slide victory in last Thursday’s (4) gen-

eral election, ending 14 years of rule by

the Conservatives, led by Rishi Sunak.

Labour won 412 seats – giving them a

majority of 174 in the Commons. The

Tories were reduced to 121 MPs, a re-

cord low for them and a net fall of 251.

“The work of change begins immedi-

ately,” Sir Keir said outside Downing

Street after accepting King Charles’s re-

quest for him to form a government.

“But have no doubt, we will rebuild

Britain,” he added.

Sir Keir, a 61-year-old former human

rights lawyer and chief state prosecutor,

paid tribute to Sunak, who was ap-

pointed Tory leader and prime minister

in October 2022 after Liz Truss’s disas-

trous tenure.

“His achievement as the first British-

Asian prime minister of our country,

the extra effort that will have required,

should not be underestimated by any-

one,” Sir Keir said.

“We pay tribute to that today. We also

recognise the dedication and hard work

he brought to his leadership.”

Flag-waving Labour supporters lined

the approach to Downing Street as Sir

Keir and his wife Lady Victoria arrived

from Buckingham Palace.

Sir Keir faces a daunting to-do list,

noting that Britons had grown tired of

crumbling public services, higher pric-

es and empty promises from politicians.

His Labour government, he said,

would put “country first, party second”,

promising to restore “respect for poli-

tics”, after a succession of scandals un-

der the Tories that eroded public trust.

“When the gap between the sacrific-

es made by people and the service they

receive from politicians grows this big,

it leads to a weariness in the heart of a

nation,” he said.

“A draining away of the hope, the

spirit, the belief in a better future that

we need to move forward, together.

“Now, this wound, this lack of trust,

can only be healed by actions not

words. I know that.

“But we can make a start today with

the simple acknowledgment that public

service is a privilege.”

Continued on page 4

P40

P21

MOVING FORWARD:

Sir Keir Starmer

News

July 12, 2024 • Twitter.com/easterneye

Facebook.com/easterneye

THE former counter-terrorism

head, Neil Basu (right), is the

leading candidate to oversee La-

bour’s new border security com-

mand, aimed at reducing mi-

grant crossings in the Channel.

Basu’s extensive counterter-

rorism experience, including his

leadership during the peak

threat from Daesh (Islamic

State), with six terror attacks –

including the Manchester Arena

bombing – makes him a top con-

tender for this role, the Times re-

ported on Tuesday (9).

In Sir Keir Starmer’s upcoming

King’s speech, new counterter-

rorism-style laws will be intro-

duced to impose travel bans on

suspected people smugglers, re-

ports said.

The legislation aims

to empower the police,

Border Force, and intel-

ligence officers within

the new Border Security

Command to handle

people smugglers with

the same severity as ter-

rorists.

The proposed border security

bill will authorise officers and in-

vestigators to apply serious

crime prevention orders to sus-

pected people smugglers. They

will allow law enforcement to en-

force stringent conditions on the

suspects’ travel within the UK

and abroad, as well as restrict

their access to the internet and

banking services.

Basu previously advocated for

addressing the small boats issue

with a comprehensive strategy

similar to that used in counter-

terrorism. He has criticised the

Rwanda scheme as an ineffective

and costly solution, suggesting

instead a new border security

command with extensive minis-

terial oversight, additional inves-

tigators, and coordinated efforts

from all relevant agencies.

“I led counter-terrorism polic-

ing for over six years. It’s a model

of close partnership with intelli-

gence agencies, government and

multiple partners, all of whom

have clear lines of responsibility

and accountability for their sin-

gle mission – to protect lives. It

needed to be studied as a model

response to this crisis,” he wrote

in the Daily Telegraph.

Basu was overlooked by the

previous government for leader-

ship roles at both the National

Crime Agency (NCA) and the

Metropolitan Police.

Another possible candidate is

David Neal, a former soldier who

served as the chief inspector of

borders and immigration.

In one of his first acts as prime

minister, Sir Keir declared the

plan to send migrants to Rwanda

as “dead and buried.” Labour an-

nounced that thousands of peo-

ple previously in limbo could

now make asylum claims.

The prime minister’s spokes-

man on Monday (8) confirmed

that migrants arriving by small

boats would have the right to

claim asylum, stressing the need

for efficient processing to avoid

costly, long-term housing.

Reports said home secretary

Yvette Cooper has already initiat-

ed the recruitment process for

the new border security com-

mander. She is establishing the

new Border Security Command

and a returns and enforcement

unit with 1,000 additional staff.

BRITAIN’S nursing regu-

lator on Tuesday (9)

apologised after an inde-

pendent review raised

alarm over safeguarding

issues within the organ-

isation and uncovered

racism, discrimination,

and bullying experi-

enced by its employees.

The review, led by for-

mer chief prosecutor Na-

zir Afzal, raised serious

concerns about a toxic

culture in the Nursing

and Midwifery Council

(NMC), which oversees

nurses and midwives.

According to the re-

view, good nurses often

face lengthy investigations

for minor issues, while

some under-performing

ones escape consequen-

ces. Dysfunction was

found at nearly every

level of the regulator.

The review was com-

missioned after concerns

were raised about the or-

ganisation’s culture, in-

cluding racism.

As part of the review,

over 1,000 current and

former colleagues of the

NMC, along with more

than 200 panel members

involved in fitness to

practise hearings, shared

their experiences.

“There was anger,

frustration, and exhaus-

tion among many,” the

report said. “Staff broke

down in tears recounting

frustrations over safe-

guarding decisions that

endangered the public.”

The regulator accept-

ed all the recommenda-

tions and said it has al-

ready started to address

some of the issues raised

in the report.

n The University of

Wolverhampton hand-

ed out honorary doc-

torates and fellowships

at a special award cere-

mony at London Zoo.

An honorary fellow-

ship went posthumous-

ly to Tom Modrowski of

Bull Moose Industries,

US. It was accepted by

his wife Kimberly Mod-

rowski and daughters

Kristin, Kellee and Katya.

An honorary doctor-

ate was awarded to Ste-

ven Smith of Lawrence

Industries, St Louis, US,

while another honorary

doctorate went to

Akash Paul, director of

the Caparo Group and

Caparo Industries

The event was presi-

ded over by Lord Swraj

Paul, chancellor at the

university for 26 years.

Nurses’ body sorry for ‘toxic culture’

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Commons diversity praised

PRIME MINISTER Sir Keir Starmer

spoke of his pride at leading a diverse

parliament in his first address in the

House of Commons on Tuesday (9).

According to the Commons Library, a

record 263 or 40 per cent of the 650 MPs

are women, up from 220 in 2019.

Some 90 MPs are from minority ethnic

backgrounds, an increase from 66 five

years ago.

“Mr Speaker-elect (Lindsay Hoyle) you

preside over a new parliament, the most

diverse parliament by race and gender

this country has ever seen,” Sir Keir said.

“And I’m proud of the part that my

party has played, proud of the part that

every party has played in that.

“Including, in this intake, the largest

cohort of LGBT+ MPs of any parliament

in the world.”

Sir Keir also paid tribute to Diane Ab-

bott, Britain’s first black female MP, who

entered parliament in 1987 when there

were just 41 women in the Commons.

Abbott, who was re-elected to the seat

in northeast London which she has held

for 37 years, will become ‘mother of the

House’ – an honorary title given to the

longest-serving female minister.

“Diane Abbott has done so much in

her career over so many years to fight for

a parliament that truly represents mod-

ern Britain. We welcome her back to her

place,” said Sir Keir.

Britain’s new MPs squeezed into par-

liament on Tuesday with Labour sitting

on the government’s side of the chamber

for the first time in 14 years, following last

week’s landslide election win.

More than 400 Labour MPs jostled for

space on the ruling side of the green-

bench Commons, with many having to

stand, as parliament returned after being

dissolved before last Thursday’s (4) vote.

Sir Keir vowed to “put an end to a poli-

tics that has too often seemed self-serv-

ing and self-obsessed. We all have a duty

to show politics can be a force for good.”

Former prime minister Rishi Sunak

made his first speech as leader of the op-

position, and congratulated Sir Keir on

his victory.

He described being an MP as the

“greatest honour, privilege and responsi-

bility”, in a congenial session that con-

trasted sharply with the usual arguing

and shouting seen in the chamber.

“Can I start by congratulating the pri-

me minister on his election victory and as

he takes on his formidable task, he and

his family deserve the good wishes of all

of us in this House,” said Sunak.

“In our politics, we can argue vigorou-

sly, as the prime minister and I did over

the past six weeks, but still respect each

other. And whatever disputes we have in

this parliament, I know that everyone in

this House will not lose sight of the fact

that we are all motivated by our desire to

serve our constituents, our country and

advance the principles that we honoura-

bly believe in.”

After the addresses by Sir Keir and Su-

nak, other party leaders had their turn,

including Nigel Farage, who declared the

five MPs from his Reform UK party the

“new kids on the block”.

“We have no experience in this parlia-

ment whatsoever, even though some of

us have tried many times over the years

previously,” he said, a reference to his

seven failed attempts to be elected.

Parliament then began the lengthy

process of swearing in all 650 MPs. Some

335 of them are new to parliament.

They are required by law to make an

oath or affirmation of allegiance to the

British monarchy and are not allowed to

speak in debates, vote or receive their sal-

ary until they do so.

Sunak is due to stay in charge of the

party until the party works out the timeta-

ble for his successor to be chosen.

The new parliamentary session will

officially begin after Sir Keir’s government

puts forward its priorities for the term in

the King’s speech next Wednesday (17).

NEW MPs TAKE OATH AS SUNAK SAYS STARMER FACES ‘FORMIDABLE TASK’

Will Basu head taskforce to stop people smugglers using boats?

Getty Images

FRESH START: Dawn Butler takes a selfie with Sir Keir Starmer (centre) as they are surrounded by

Labour MPs before being sworn in on Tuesday (9) in London

CEREMONY: The Modrowski family and

Lord Paul (seated right) at the event

News

Instagram.com/easterneyenews/ • www.easterneye.biz • July 12, 2024

by PRAMOD THOMAS

YOUNG Asian artists have urged estab-

lished figures from the industry to help

support aspiring creatives from minor-

ity backgrounds to nurture their talent

and have a “network of people from a

similar background”.

International drama graduates Saadiya

Ali and Noel Prasad will feature their

double show, Hot Goss, based on the Bi-

ble and King Lear, each with their own

contemporary twist, at the Camden

Fringe next month.

In an interview with Eastern Eye, Ali

said, “To be very realistic and blunt, it is a

very difficult industry. It doesn’t matter if

you’re in the UK or in India. However, I do

think there needs to be more representa-

tion, and those who have already done it

should help their fellow people. But real-

istically speaking, it involves a lot of not

just physical work, but also emotional

and mental work.

“It would be amazing if there were

more people from our background and

other minority backgrounds in the indus-

try. It would make things easier. For ex-

ample, with this show, we wanted to have

an ensemble of people from ethnic mi-

nority backgrounds or south Asians. It

was quite difficult to find people willing

to do it. If there were more people, it

would be amazing to work with them.”

She added, “I would encourage people

to pursue careers in arts, because it would

be great to have a network of people from

our background to work with. I’m saying

(to aspiring creatives) definitely explore it

as a form of creative expression or as a

hobby at first. There is a lot of joy in this,

and you will learn a lot about yourself on

your journey as an actor.”

Produced by their company, Where’s

The Punchline Productions, Hot Goss has

two separate plays – The Assistant and

Honest Housewives of the Bible.

The Assistant, created by Prasad, ex-

plores office politics and power struggles.

It is described as a dark comedy inspired

by Shakespeare’s King Lear.

On the other hand, Ali’s Honest House-

wives of the Bible presents sacred stories

from a feminist perspective with humour.

Prasad said, “We are rehearsing, and

we’re also still fine-tuning our pieces.”

Ali, originally from Chennai in south

India, added, “These plays are self-writ-

ten works, with Noel crafting his piece

and me creating mine from scratch. Both

are based on classic literature. Noel’s play

is inspired by a famous Shakespearean

villain, specifically from King Lear, while

my source material is the Bible, which is

the origin of many foundational stories.

“In the Bible, there are numerous sto-

ries people often take at face value, with-

out delving deeper to explore their un-

derlying meanings. Our approach of ex-

amining and pushing these ideas offers a

fresh perspective that differs from main-

stream interpretations.

“Furthermore, presenting two fully

formed plays together as a double feature

is quite unique and rarely done. Our plays

stand out because, while many create new

versions of classic texts, we aim to blend

dark comedy with these classic themes.

“Additionally, as south Asian play-

wrights, we bring a different perspective

to European classical texts. This south

Asian viewpoint adds a distinctive angle

to our interpretations.”

According to Prasad, who is Indo-Fijian

and was raised in New Zealand, the big-

gest tool they use in the play is humour.

“I believe that making the audience

laugh is the best way to connect with

them. Our goal isn’t to highlight what’s

wrong or to dwell on negative aspects, but

to entertain and provoke thought. If the

audience leaves having had a good time,

feeling entertained, having laughed, and

perhaps thinking, ‘That’s an interesting

perspective, why didn’t I think of that?’

then we’ve achieved our goal.

“We want to create a space where peo-

ple can question things while enjoying

themselves, fostering curiosity without

feeling overwhelmed or uncomfortable.”

Prasad and Ali both studied at East 15

Acting School (University of Essex) in

Loughton, Essex.

He said, “Our plays tackle heavy con-

cepts such as inequity and office politics,

but by presenting them in a comedic way,

they become more accessible and enjoy-

able. We’ve tested our material exten-

sively in London, and audiences have re-

sponded positively. They connect with

the serious topics we address because

they are interspersed with punchlines.”

“Honest Housewives of the Bible specifi-

cally focuses on women from the Bible,

presenting important topics with hu-

mour. This approach has resonated well

with audiences, who appreciate the com-

bination of significant themes and come-

dic elements. By weaving these serious

topics with humour, we ensure that our

plays are thought-provoking and enter-

taining, creating a unique and engaging

experience for the audience,” Ali said.

Prasad and Ali revealed that despite

being from minority backgrounds they

both “actually had a really positive expe-

rience” in the industry.

Ali said, “People were very helpful and

resourceful. It’s been a great audience.

Also, they’ve been responsive to what

we’ve been putting out. A few years ago, it

was a lot more difficult. I feel quite good

about where things are heading in the

industry now. Creative industry for mi-

norities is a difficult path, but it has pro-

gressed a lot in recent times. It is a very

difficult path. There’s a lot of rejection,

heartbreak, confusion, uncertainty, and

pain. If you can handle it, go ahead. If you

break easily, don’t pursue it. There are a

lot of rejections in this field. If you have

resilience and perseverance, go for it. But

there is a stark reality that it takes a lot of

work, often as a labour of love, with little

financial reward for most.”

On her acting journey, she said, “I was

13 years old. I was a shy kid, but one day,

a house captain asked if I wanted to act

because they couldn’t find anyone to play

Robin Hood. That was my first role. I was

a chunky kid in green tights and a cape,

and I fell in love with being on stage. It’s

been a relentless pursuit ever since.”

Prasad performed in drama as a child,

but didn’t consider it professionally until

he was in his mid-20s.

“A friend started doing it, and I thought

I could try it again. I remembered how

much I loved it and carried on from

there,” Prasad added.

Asked about their expectation of the

show, they said, “We hope it’s received

well and people like it. We want to do

more runs of the show when we come

back to London. The expectation is that it

receives good feedback, allowing us more

opportunities to present it. This is our

first full-length show that we wrote, di-

rected, and produced on our own.

“It’s for anyone and everyone who likes

to challenge old stories and the way

things are presented. It’s not specifically

for one community; it’s for people who

enjoy theatre and our humour. Because

it’s a lot of fun.

“Some might find lessons in it, others

might find it trashy, but it’s an enjoyable

show with dancing, music, and twists. It’s

like a proper masala (entertaining) pro-

duction in theatre. It’s fun and energetic.

“We have different storytelling styles,

but people will resonate with different

parts of the show. There’s something for

everyone in there.”

They added, “We believe our material

is good and want to continue making

projects, even beyond comedy. We have

ideas for our next projects already.”

n Double feature show Hot Goss will run

in King’s Head’s subterranean Camden

Fringe @ 4Below on August 2-3.

‘Career in arts is tough for Asian

creatives, but it also brings joy’

PLAYWRIGHTS USE HUMOUR FOR FRESH TAKE ON SHAKESPEARE PLAY AND BIBLE TALES

THEATRICAL TWIST: Noel

Prasad; (right) Saadiya Ali;

and a still from Hot Goss

News

July 12, 2024 • Twitter.com/easterneye

Facebook.com/easterneye

PRIME MINISTER Sir Keir

Starmer will oversee a parlia-

ment more ethnically diverse

and more female than ever af-

ter securing a landslide victory

in the general election last

Thursday (4).

Black, Asian and ethnic mi-

nority MPs represent around

13 per cent of the Commons,

up from 10 per cent after the

2019 elections. It is the largest-

ever share of ethnic minority

members of the lower house,

according to an analysis by the

thinktank British Future.

In the 44 years since outgo-

ing prime minister Rishi Sunak

was born, minority representa-

tion in Britain’s parliament in-

creased from zero to nearly

one in seven MPs, British Fu-

ture said.

But the share still does not

fully reflect the diversity of the

population and electorate.

Around 18 per cent of people in

England and Wales come from

a black, Asian, mixed or ethnic

minority background, accord-

ing to official data.

“The 2024 election is a land-

mark for representation, with

record diversity in our parlia-

ment, closer than ever to that

of the electorate,” Sunder Kat-

wala, director of British Future,

said. “The irony that it coin-

cides with the end of Rishi Su-

nak’s premiership as the UK’s

first British Asian prime minis-

ter, and only underlines how

ethnic diversity has become a

new norm across the main po-

litical parties.”

The new parliament includes

a record 242 female MPs, 22

more than after the 2019 polls.

When Labour’s Diane Ab-

bott, Britain’s first black female

MP, entered parliament in 1987

there were just 41 women in

the Commons.

Abbott, who was re-elected

to the seat in northeast London

which she has held for 37 years,

will become ‘mother of the Ho-

use’ – an honorary title for the

longest-serving female minister.

Labour won 412 seats, get-

ting a majority of 174, and it

will have by far the largest

number of ethnic minority MPs

– 66 out of the 87 elected. But

that diversity hasn’t been re-

flected in its top cabinet.

Foreign secretary David

Lammy, justice minister Sha-

bana Mahmood and Lisa Nan-

dy, secretary of state for cul-

ture, media and sport are

among ethnic minority minis-

ters named in Sir Keir’s top

team. Thangam Debonnaire,

who had been expected to join

the top team, lost her seat.

The Conservative party had a

stronger record for diversity

when it came to ministerial-

level representation.

Addressing the nation out-

side 10 Downing Street last Fri-

day (5) in his final speech as

prime ministers, Sunak said:

“One of the most remarkable

things about Britain is just how

unremarkable it is that two

generations after my grandpar-

ents came here with little, I

could become prime minister.”

Sunak was the country’s first

British Asian leader and all

three female prime ministers

were Conservatives. However,

Labour’s Rachel Reeves is Brit-

ain’s first female chancellor.

Parliament breaks diversity record

‘Changing Britain will take a while’

Continued from page 1

Sir Keir said his government would “cre-

ate wealth in every community”.

Listing other long-term targets, the La-

bour leader added that he would get, “our

NHS back on its feet, facing the future.

Secure borders. Safer streets. Everyone

treated with dignity and respect at work.

The opportunity of clean British power.

Cutting your energy bills for good.

“And, brick by brick, we will rebuild the

infrastructure of opportunity. The world

class schools and colleges, the affordable

homes that I know are the ingredients of

hope for working people, the security that

working-class families like mine could

build their lives around.

“Because if I asked you now whether

you believe Britain will be better for your

children, I know too many of you would

say no. And so my government will fight,

every day, until you believe again.”

But he sought to temper high expec-

tations of an immediate transformation.

“Changing a country is not like flicking a

switch. The world is now a more volatile

place. This will take a while.

“But have no doubt that the work of

change begins immediately.”

Last Saturday (6), Sir Keir began his

first full day in charge, declaring the To-

ries’ plan to deport migrants to Rwanda

“dead and buried” and pledging growth as

his government’s “number one mission”.

He said he was “restless for change”

and his party had received a “mandate to

do politics differently”.

“The Rwanda scheme was dead and

buried before it started. I’m not prepared

to continue with gimmicks that don’t act

as a deterrent,” he said.

Sir Keir wasted little time in naming his

cabinet, with Rachel Reeves becoming the

UK’s first female chancellor, appointed

David Lammy as foreign secretary and

Yvette Cooper as home secretary.

Among the other notable appointments

are John Healey, secretary of state for de-

fence; Shabana Mahmood, lord chancel-

lor and secretary of state for justice; Wes

Streeting, secretary of state for health and

social care; Bridget Phillipson, secretary

of state for education; Ed Miliband, secre-

tary of state for energy security and net

zero; Liz Kendall, secretary of state for

work and pensions; Jonathan Reynolds,

secretary of state for business and trade;

and Lisa Nandy, secretary of state for cul-

ture, media and sport.

Reeves on Monday (8) said her team

had begun the task of unblocking infra-

structure projects and private investment

as part of a new “national mission” to

drive economic growth.

“We know we can’t turn things around

overnight. We face a dire inheritance. But

this is our down-payment,” said Reeves.

She pledged to tackle a long-standing

shortage of new homes and speed up

planning approval for infrastructure

projects, including more wind farms,

adding: “There is no time to waste.”

Reeves revealed that Labour will create

a new taskforce “to accelerate stalled

housing sites in our country”.

She promised her government would

build 1.5 million homes over the next five

years, as part of Labour’s election manifesto.

The government has already started

work on its housing pledges by giving the

go-ahead to build 14,000 new homes in

Liverpool Central Docks, Worcester,

Northstowe and Langley Sutton Coldfield.

Angela Rayner, the deputy prime min-

ister and secretary of state for levelling up,

housing and communities, is reconsider-

ing planning appeals for data centres in

Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire.

Unresolved infrastructure projects will

also be prioritised, Reeves added.

She also made a pitch to investors who

cooled on the UK after the 2016 Brexit

vote triggered years of political turmoil.

“After 14 years, Britain has a stable gov-

ernment – a government that respects

business, wants to partner with business

and is open for business,” the former Bank

of England economist said at her Treas-

ury department. “In an uncertain world,

Britain is a place to do business.”

Reeves said she had ordered a report

on the state of the country’s “spending

inheritance” and would present the results

before parliament’s summer break, be-

fore holding a full tax-and-spend budget

later in the year.

Reeves and Starmer face one of the

toughest to-do lists of any incoming gov-

ernment. They need to drive growth to

help finance spending on public services

without breaking a pledge not to raise the

main taxes paid by working people.

They have little room for manoeuvre –

living standards have stagnated since

2010, public debt is at almost 100 per cent

of national economic output and tax as a

share of GDP is on track to rise to the

highest level since just after the Second

World War.

Britain’s economy has been the second

weakest in the G7 since the Covid pan-

demic after Germany’s, although France

and Japan have fared only slightly better.

British economic growth this year is set to

be below one per cent.

Starmer said he would work on an im-

proved agreement with the European Un-

ion on post-Brexit trading rules and re-

vamp the “botched deal” signed by for-

mer premier Boris Johnson.

Speaking in Belfast on Monday after

talks with the leaders of Northern Ireland

– where post-Brexit trade rules have dom-

inated politics for years – Sir Keir said his

new government would first need to im-

plement changes under the current ag-

reement to build trust with the EU.

“We think we can get a better deal than

the botched deal Boris Johnson brought

home and we will work on that,” he said.

“We’re not going to be able to get a

better relationship unless we’ve demon-

strated commitment to the relationship

and the agreements that have already

been put in place,” he added.

Labour has ruled out re-joining the EU

single market or customs union, but has

said it is possible to remove some trade

barriers with the 27-nation bloc, which

Britain left in 2020.

Despite a landslide victory, Labour suf-

fered election setbacks in areas with large

Muslim populations amid discontent

over its position on the war in Gaza.

The party, which has long counted on

the backing of Muslim and other minority

groups, saw its vote fall on average by 10

points in seats where more than 10 per

cent of the population identify as Muslim.

Jonathan Ashworth, who had been ex-

pected to serve in government, lost his

seat to independent Shockat Adam, one

of at least four pro-Gaza candidates to

win. Several other Labour candidates

came close to losing.

Pro-Gaza independents also won in

Blackburn, and Dewsbury & Batley, bea-

ting Labour into second in both. In addi-

tion, Labour lost Islington North, where

its former leader, veteran left-winger and

pro-Palestinian activist Jeremy Corbyn,

won as an independent.

While Labour has said it wants the

fighting in Gaza to stop, it has also backed

Israel’s right to defend itself, angering

some among the 3.9 million Muslims who

are 6.5 per cent of Britain’s population.

Lammy commented on the issue in his

first official visit as foreign secretary, to

Berlin last Saturday, saying: “I want to get

back to a balanced position on Israel and

Gaza. We’ve been very clear that we want

to see a ceasefire. We want to see those

hostages out.

“The fighting has to stop, the aid has

got to get in, and I will use all diplomatic

efforts to ensure we get to that ceasefire.”

Lammy also said Britain would seek to

reset its position globally on issues in-

cluding the climate crisis as well as key

relationships, such as with European and

emerging powers.

“Let us put the Brexit years behind us

... there’s much that we can do together,”

he said, pointing to a previously floated

idea of a UK-EU security pact.

SIR KEIR APPOINTS TOP TEAM AND ENDS RWANDA PLAN AS NEW MINISTERS REVEAL POLICIES

Shabana

Mahmood

Rachel

Reeves

Lisa

Nandy

Shockat

Adam

David

Lammy

REBUILDING BELIEF: Sir Keir Starmer (centre) with Labour MPs after

the party won a landslide majority in last week’s general election

Getty Images

Pool/Getty Images

and we’ll tell you when

we have new savings

accounts or better rates.

In your

best

interest.

You need to be 16 or over with an email address and have a current account, savings account or mortgage with us. To register, visit nationwide.co.uk/savings/savingswatch. T&Cs apply.

Information correct as at 17th June 2024. Nationwide Building Society. Head Office: Nationwide House, Pipers Way, Swindon, Wiltshire SN38 1NW.

www.easterneye.eu

News

July 12, 2024 • Twitter.com/easterneye

Facebook.com/easterneye

by BARNIE CHOUDHURY

PEOPLE voted along religious lines in Leicester

East, which saw the country’s only Conservative

gain, sources from several political parties have

told Eastern Eye.

They also warned the city is “sitting on a religious

powder keg just waiting to explode” following

tensions in August and September 2022.

Leicester East had been a Labour stronghold

since 1987, when Keith Vaz became the first south

Asian MP in the UK after the Second World War.

“It became clear on the doorstep that we were

facing tactical voting,” said one Liberal Democrat

source. “When we went to Rushey Mede and Troon,

we were told that they were told to vote for the Con-

servative candidate.

“They were also angry that the Labour candidate

wasn’t from Leicester, so they were told to vote for

someone local and someone Hindu.”

Hindus are the major religious groups in both

Rushey Mede (60 per cent) and Troon (27 per cent)

and in the Leicester East constituency.

The result was a surprising win for the Conser-

vative Shivani Raja, who topped the poll with 14,526

votes, 4,426 more than her nearest rival, Labour’s

Rajesh Agrawal.

Eastern Eye has approached Raja for comment.

Vaz ended fifth with 3,681 votes, and party sourc-

es had expected him to perform better than he did.

“There’s no doubt in our minds that religion had

a lot to do with his defeat,” said one party source

who wanted to remain anonymous.

“Ever since the problems in 2022, we’ve noticed a

change in Leicester.

“The consensus and coalition that Keith built up

over more than 30 years are gone. This was a direct

appeal to religion.”

Vaz was not doing interviews, but in a message to

his supporters, seen by Eastern Eye, he said, “It has

been my privilege to have won eight consecutive

elections spanning 32 years in Leicester East. It has

been my passion to bring communities together.

“I have congratulated the new MP for Leicester

East most warmly, and I wish her well representing

this marvellous constituency.

“I hope we meet again soon.”

Several sources told Eastern Eye they were fearful

of speaking up and commenting on what happened

during the elections. They are veterans of Leicester

politics and of the city’s south Asian communities.

“I don’t want to do the city down or add fuel to

the fire,” said one. “But we’re sitting on a religious

powder keg just waiting to explode.

“It’s hidden and no one wants to talk about the

tensions which exist.

“Go into the Hindu temples, go into the masjids,

and there’s a definite difference which wasn’t there

a decade ago. Something’s shifted, we’re no longer

united, and that’s frightening.

“Some community leaders will deny we have a

problem, and they’re the ones who’ll let us sleep

walk into trouble.”

Labour members criticised the party for “foisting

an outsider” on them. Agrawal, they said, did not

know Leicester politics and made too much of his

record as a deputy mayor of London.

In a statement, he said, “I am proud to have run a

very positive campaign and though we didn’t get

the result we hoped for in Leicester East, due to

votes splitting, we now have the Labour government

to deliver the change that our country so desperately

needs after 14 years of Tory chaos.

“I have had thousands of conversations on the

doorsteps in the past months in Leicester East and it

is very clear that the people are fed up of the 14

years of Tory chaos and want change.

“The main issues that came up were [the] cost-of-

living crisis, unemployment, lack of GP appoint-

ments, NHS waiting lists, lack of places in school for

children and lack of quality and affordable homes.

“I am now looking to take a break and spend

some time with my family who haven’t seen much

of me during the campaign.”

But Labour sources are not happy and said their

party took the south Asian vote for granted.

“We’re fed up with Labour doing everything from

the centre and imposing what they think is best for

us,” said one source who described themselves as

100 per cent party loyalist. “No matter what you

think about Keith [Vaz], he was a bloody good MP

who knew the city and was a national figure who

had influence. He got things done.

“We’ve been rudderless for the past five years,

and instead of choosing someone the city knows,

they impose an outsider.”

Another unnamed source said, “It wasn’t Raj’s

fault, he was the wrong man in the wrong place at

the wrong time.

“And who pays the price? We do.

“We now have a Tory MP who knows nothing

about politics, who won’t be effective because the

Tories don’t have a base here and no clout in parlia-

ment, and that’s Labour’s fault.

“My party was absent. They didn’t send any big

names to Leicester East, instead they concentrated

on places where Muslims threatened them, and

look what happened. You just need to look at what

happened in Birmingham [Perry Barr]. Khalid

[Mahmood] got his arse handed to him by someone

who supported Palestine.”

The new justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood,

MP for Birmingham Ladywood, also survived a

scare from Akhmed Yakoob. He caused political

tremors in the West Midlands, coming third in the

mayoral election after scoring almost 70,000 votes.

Labour just scraped in, ousting Tory Andy Street.

Yakoob campaigned on Gaza and Kashmir, and

voiced support for pro-Khalistan figures.

Back in Leicester East, and the businessman

Jaffer Kapasi said he had noticed a shift towards

LOOK closely at last Thursday’s

(4) general election results, and

you will have noticed a political

tremor when it came to Asian

voters, writes Barnie Choudhury.

A tremor which could become

an earthquake at the next general

election, and the mainstream

parties should think the unthink-

able. These polls have shown that

even when you’re predicted to get

a landslide, and even when you

win by a landslide, be prepared for

south Asians to spoil your party.

For months, I’ve been telling

anyone who’ll listen that we ig-

nore the Muslim vote at our peril.

Gaza was going to make a sub-

stantial difference to these polls.

Few listened. They told me the

same thing happened in 2005,

when the feared backlash against

Tony Blair’s New Labour govern-

ment came to nought.

But this was different, and all

the signs were there.

First, the Conservatives failed

to call for an immediate ceasefire

and condemn Israel for what

many Muslim countries called a

genocide. Remember, South Afri-

ca took Israel to the International

Court of Justice (ICJ) – the top

court in the United Nations – over

that very issue.

Second, the Labour party pre-

varicated and eventually called

for an immediate “humanitarian”

ceasefire on the condition that Is-

rael feels secure. Dozens of La-

bour councillors resigned, and 10

Labour frontbenchers quit so

they could vote for a ceasefire.

This left many Muslim voters re-

alising they had no option but to

fight against both parties.

A quick history lesson. In the

1960s, south Asians, Africans and

people from the Caribbean who

were part of the British empire

were welcomed with open arms

to fill those jobs none of the in-

digenous population would do.

We forget that our parents and

grandparents were British citizens

by virtue of our colonial past.

Labour and the trades union

movement recruited us with vows

of fraternity and equality. We de-

livered bloc votes and, they, in all

honesty, promised jam tomor-

row. Speak to anyone who lived

through the first waves of mass

immigration, and you’ll hear sto-

ries of racism and little protection.

It wasn’t until the 1990s that

we started seeing a shift, where

south Asians started to leave La-

bour and vote for the Tories. In

the 2000s, more and more, par-

ticularly British Indians, crossed

the political aisle. Today, thanks

to the Conservative party, we’ve

had our first south Asian prime

minister, chancellor, home secre-

tary, business secretary, health

secretary and culture secretary.

But in every general election,

there’s always an unexpected sto-

ry. For me, 2024 is the untold sto-

ry of the independents rather

than the rise of Reform UK.

Undoubtedly, the biggest La-

bour beast to fall was Jonathan

Ashworth in Leicester South.

Sources have told me they urged

Ashworth to resign his front-

bench position to win over the

Muslim vote. His refusal may

have cost him, because the even-

tual winner, Shockat Adam, won

by a mere 979 votes, and declared

“this is for Gaza” in his victory

speech. Ashworth, sources told

me, became complacent, taking

the south Asian vote for granted.

Another casualty was the veter-

an Muslim Labour MP for Birming-

ham Perry Barr, Khalid Mahmood,

who lost to the independent,

Ayoub Khan, by 507 votes. Once

again, the reason was Gaza.

It was a similar story in Black-

burn, where the independent

candidate, Adnan Hussain,

tapped into local anger over the

war in the Middle East to win in a

previously safe Labour seat.

In Dewsbury and Batley (a new

seat), Iqbal Mohamed won by

6,934 votes. He had left Labour

because of his former party’s

stance on Gaza. We must remem-

ber Batley and Spen was a Labour

seat, and the Muslim vote was

crucial there. And two months

ago, Labour lost control of Kir-

klees Council, which is in the new

constituency, and elected five in-

dependent councillors.

Up and down the country we

have seen Labour shedding votes

and coming close to losing.

In Ilford North, Muslim voters

punished Labour’s health secre-

tary, Wes Streeting, for his stance

on Gaza. In October 2023, he told

LBC that “sometimes you need

quiet diplomacy, not megaphone

diplomacy”. By the time Labour

changed its position, it was prob-

ably too late to win back a core, and

once loyal, constituency. Voters

slashed his 9,000 majority to 528.

You must wonder whether Street-

ing forgot that almost 44 per cent

of Ilford are south Asian, and 30

per cent of the area are Muslim.

Look closely, and the warning

signs were there, but you must

wonder too whether Labour was

either tone deaf or felt it could ig-

nore its core minority vote.

To make matters worse, Sir

Keir Starmer made an enormous

gaffe when he wrongly demon-

ised Bangladeshis as illegal immi-

grants. It must have been a party

line because other MPs, including

Ashworth, parroted the same

myth. For the record, Home Offi-

ce figures show that Iran, Albania,

Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria head

the nations who arrive on small

boats1 (source: Home Office).

I covered election night for the

BBC, and I was in Luton, where

one in three in the town is Mus-

lim. Both Labour incumbents re-

signed their shadow cabinet posi-

tions in November 2023, so they

could vote for a ceasefire, defying

the party line. Even so, supporters

of independent Muslim candidates

inside the hall barracked them

during their acceptance speeches.

Afterwards, both returning MPs

told me they had to rebuild trust

among all communities.

But before we focus fully on the

Muslim vote, consider Harrow

East. Sources have told Eastern

Eye this was a target Labour seat,

and it put in resources trying to

unseat the incumbent, Bob Black-

man. But here’s the thing – 46 per

cent of this constituency are

south Asian, mainly Indian and

predominantly Hindus. Blackman

knows this, and more important-

ly, he makes sure his constituents

know he knows and values the

largest minority group. They val-

ue that he is one of the few politi-

cians who actively demonstrates

they don’t take their south Asian

communities for granted.

The final twist in this election

is the number of south Asians

who ran for Reform UK. It will

seem bizarre that those with im-

migrant heritage are themselves

anti-immigrant. We can’t be sur-

prised. In my view, they show the

changing face of Britain. South

Asian communities are incredibly

aspirational, often holding down

three jobs to make sure their chil-

dren can go to private school and

top universities. We’re now at a

stage in our island’s history where

they – like previous immigrant

communities – consider themsel-

ves more British than the British.

Think back to the Goodness

Gracious Me parody of the Coop-

ers and Robinsons. They have

forgotten the value of immigrants

who work back-breaking hours in

back-breaking jobs that indigenous

‘Election results reflect perils of taking south Asian vote for granted’

LABOUR MEMBERS BLAME PARTY LEADERS AS YOUNG TORY DEFEATS VETERAN POLITICIANS

Alarm over role of religion in Leic

EXCLUSIVE

‘HIDDEN TENSIONS’? Tactical voting was

the reason for the Conservative candidate’s

victory in Leicester East, sources say; and

(clockwise from top left, facing page) Rajesh

Agrawal, Keith Vaz and Claudia Webbe

News

Instagram.com/easterneyenews/ • www.easterneye.biz • July 12, 2024

people voting for candidates who shared the same

religious beliefs.

“Leicester has always maintained a harmonious

relationship over so many years,” he said.

“Faith was at a different level, and politics at a

different level.

“It’s completely wrong to vote on religious lines.

You [should] vote for a person’s skills and what they

can provide to the wider community, and how they

can deal with issues which we have – unemploy-

ment, health, and there’s so many inequalities in

this country – rather than faith as a main basis.”

However, the former MP, Claudia Webbe, dis-

missed the idea that the election result in her for-

mer constituency was based on religion.

Yet she said that despite concerns over the cost-

of-living crisis, zero-hour contracts, the clothing

firm Boohoo leaving the city and housing problems,

the biggest talking point was the war between Israel

and Palestine.

“They didn’t think that I jumped on the band-

wagon,” Webbe told Eastern Eye. “What they saw

was I’ve consistently raised issues that mattered to

people living here, humanitarian issues abroad

which matter to people living here.

“So, people remember that I was outspoken on

the issue of Indian farmers and what happened in

with regards to Indian farms. I was outspoken on

that when others weren’t.

“People were also aware that I’ve been outspoken

on the issue of Yemen for some time, so there was a

consistent pattern people saw in what I was doing.

“So, they didn’t just talk about my work in rela-

tion to Gaza, but also all the other causes that I had

stood up for and that was very important.”

In addition, all the sources Eastern Eye spoke to

were shocked that a south Asian would stand for

Reform UK on a ticket of anti-immigration.

In the event, Raj Solanki polled 2,611 or 5.6 per

cent of the total ballot, and this means he keeps his

£500 deposit.

“The Tory voters voted Tory because the only al-

ternative for the Tory voters was Reform,” said

Webbe. “If Reform had a different candidate, the

Tories would have had fewer votes.

“They didn’t want to vote for the Reform candi-

date because he had a south Asian name, and that’s

what I was hearing in those particular pockets.”

Additional reporting by Sarwar Alam

ion in Leicester East

PROMOTIONAL FEATURE

‘The invisible threat

on our doorstep’

KASHIF AHMED IS ENCOURAGING PEOPLE TO SHARE THEIR

EXPERIENCES OF HOW AIR POLLUTION AFFECTS THEIR HEALTH

I’VE lived in Bradford all my life. I am so fond

of the city, but there’s an invisible threat on

our doorstep that’s a constant concern for my

family and on a bad day, it can leave us cough-

ing, wheezing and fighting for breath.

As someone who has asthma, exposure to toxic

air can make my symptoms much worse and

even trigger an asthma attack. It’s not just me

who’s affected in the family – my two young sons,

brother and niece all have the condition.

Every day, millions of families in the UK, inclu-

ding mine, are exposed to toxic air pollution

without even realising it.

Wherever you are, there is a very high chance

you are breathing in air that breaches the World

Health Organization’s recommended limits, pos-

ing a significant public health risk.

The number of cars that I see here now, com-

pared to when I was younger, has shot up, and

that’s just on our street. Cars are a problem beca-

use much of this pollution is coming from vehicle

emissions, especially from older diesel engines.

The next generation

are particularly

vulnerable to

the impacts

of dirty air.

Air pollu-

tion can

stunt the

growth of

child-

ren’s

lungs,

cause

people

to devel-

op lung

conditi-

ons and

leave people like me who have asthma struggling

to breathe.

Every child deserves to breathe clean air. As a

parent of children with asthma, the fear for my

sons’ futures is a constant knot in my stomach. I

dread to think what the polluted air is doing to

their developing lungs.

Statistics show that south Asians with asthma

in the UK tend to have a tougher time than oth-

ers. We get diagnosed later, end up in the hospital

more often, and even have a higher chance of dy-

ing from our lung condition. It’s scary, and it

shouldn’t be this way.

I’ve been working with Asthma + Lung UK to

raise awareness about air pollution in my com-

munity by sharing my story and speaking at com-

munity events about the impact air pollution has

on my lungs and on those of my little ones.

There are things we can all do, especially those

of us struggling with a lung condition.

Asthma + Lung UK has some tips that have

helped on high air pollution days:

l Limit outdoor activities and exercise so you

avoid breathing in too much polluted air.

l Go out earlier in the day when air quality tends

to be better.

l Stay on quieter, back streets if possible, avoid-

ing areas where there’s a lot of traffic.

l Walk on the inside of the pavement because

pollution levels are lower the further you are from

the traffic.

l Keep your car windows closed if you’re driving,

especially if you’re driving in slow-moving traffic.

l Be prepared by checking pollution levels in

your area. The Department for Environment,

Food and Rural Affairs produces a UK-wide pol-

lution forecast every day, and for the next five

days, so you can check to see if your local area is

likely to be affected.

These are small things, but they can make a

difference. Clean air is a basic right, and it’s

shocking that people, especially children, are be-

ing exposed to high levels of toxic air that can

make them sick.

Together, we can raise awareness and

fight for the clean air we all deserve.

If you have a lung condition that

you think is being triggered by air

pollution, let your voice be

heard. Talk to your friends

and family, share your ex-

periences, and let’s push

for change.

Together, we can

make a difference.

This is why I’m

sharing my story.

Share yours

using the QR

code provided.

You can also

share your

story at:

campaigns@

asthmaand

lung.org.uk

MAKING A

DIFFERENCE:

(Above left) Kashif

Ahmed; and (inset

left) with his sons

folk won’t do. They have bought

into the myth that they belong to

that exclusive club called Britons.

I’ll be accused of being unpat-

riotic, but for clarity, I’m fiercely

proud to be British, and had

things turned out differently, I

would have joined the armed

forces as an officer. No, the dif-

ference is I refuse to betray or

forget my immigrant roots. Like

millions of others, we have add-

ed and contributed to our island’s

glorious contemporary history.

So, what does this all mean?

As I said in my BBC Radio 4 doc-

umentaries, south Asians no

longer have a natural political

home because they feel they are

being taken for granted by par-

ties they were once loyal to. We

are seeing an atomisation of a

once politically homogenous

block, who are now voting along

religious and communal lines.

But more than that, what this

election shows is they are no

longer afraid to go it alone and

take on the parties which they

feel have taken their loyalty for

granted. They have shown that

not only can they voice their con-

cerns, but they can also get their

voices heard in the mother of all

parliaments. To coin a cliché, the

genie is out of the bottle.

Labour has five years to put

things right. But again, the new

prime minister has made an error

of judgement. An ITV reporter

asked Sir Keir Starmer on Mon-

day (8), on a visit to Wales, about

the Muslim vote and what he was

going to do to repair relations. He

refused to answer2. Once again, I

suspect, other non-Muslim Labour

MPs will follow his example, and

this will harm chances of healing

a serious rift. Already one Muslim

MP has criticised her leader3.

The Conservatives, well, they

may have produced the first

brown prime minister, but it was

thanks only to their MPs. Their

grassroot members didn’t want

an ethnic leader at the helm, nev-

er mind leading the country, and

I suspect we’ll see that played out

in their vote for their new leader.

Only if they accept the success of

our multicultural island story –

the positivity of immigrants who

make institutions like the NHS a

triumph – will Britain, like France,

truly defeat the rampant right-

wing rhetoric that is Reform UK.

1. www.gov.uk/government/statis-

tics/irregular-migration-to-the-

uk-year-ending-june-2023/irregu-

lar-migration-to-the-uk-year-end-

ing-june-2023

2. x.com/ShehabKhan/status/

1810391823585784068

3. x.com/ShehabKhan/status/

1810599649838862770

Comment

July 12, 2024 • Twitter.com/easterneye

Facebook.com/easterneye

EARLIER this week, Novak Djokovic

warned that club tennis is “endan-

gered” by a rise in the popularity of

padel – a hybrid between squash

and tennis.

The seven-time Wimbledon cham-

pion said he feared for grassroots

tennis because the game’s organisers

had done a “very poor job” in mak-

ing the sport affordable and accessi-

ble for aspiring players.

Last year, former British number

one Dan Evans criticised the game

for being elitist and said it did not do

enough to attract working-class kids.

For far too long, tennis in the UK

has not felt like a sport for ethnic mi-

norities. Arvind Parmar, the only Brit-

ish Asian player to make an impact

at Wimbledon, retired 18 years ago.

Sally Bolton, the All England Club

CEO, admitted back in 2020 that

“there is a lot more we can do. And

we will. We are very committed to

that” when she spoke of increasing

BAME representation in the sport.

But so far there have been no con-

crete plans on how this will be done.

In 2021, the Lawn Tennis Associa-

tion (LTA) outlined a three-year In-

clusion Strategy to break down barri-

ers and increase participation in ten-

nis across Britain. However, there

has been no data published since as

to how this strategy is progressing.

Annabel Croft, the former British

No 1, has championed padel saying

it is a “very inclusive sport, there’s no

barriers to anybody trying to pick up

a bat and trying to have a go”.

At the moment the same can’t said

for tennis, and unless more is done

to improve inclusivity, the sport

could have a major issue on its

hands in the coming years.

Threat to tennis

Tell us what you think

Want to say something about the stories in Eastern

Eye or simply got a viewpoint you think should be

heard? We want to hear from you so write to us and

we will consider publishing your response, if it is topi-

cal. We reserve the right to edit letters.

Email [email protected]

’

by SUNDER KATWALA

Director, British Future

“CHANGE”. That was what this elec-

tion was about.

Change, above all, from Rishi Su-

nak’s Conservative party. Fourteen

million voted Conservative last time.

Fewer than seven million did this

time. The Tories lost a quarter of the

vote to Reform on the right and an-

other quarter to their left. The losses

on either flank were enough for Su-

nak to lose power on their own. The

combination was devastating. When

it came to seats, the Conservatives

lost a handful to the Greens and Re-

form – while many were swept away

by the Liberal Democrats and Labour.

Labour won a crushing, yet curious

victory. This 1997-style landslide of

412 seats was won on the lowest turn-

out since 2001 and a lower vote share

than in 2005, or for any previous win-

ning government.

The new electoral map suggests

Labour has a “coalition of every-

where” – making sweeping gains

across Scotland, winning back every

‘Red Wall’ seat lost in 2019, having

the most seats in every region and

making once-in-a-century gains in

Cheshire, Somerset and Norfolk.

Labour’s game plan for a Com-

mons majority, to win people and

places that were not already onside,

was executed to perfection when

reaching out. But the message – that

the party was prioritising people and

places who do not habitually vote

Labour – was also heard by those who

normally do.

Bristol Central ousted Labour to

strengthen the Green voice – offering

a cosmopolitan counterblast to Nigel

Farage’s insurgency in Clacton on the

Essex coast. Islington North chose to

keep Jeremy Corbyn in parliament.

Labour’s support was down

among the under-40s group gen-

erally, but it fell most of all, by an

average of 20 per cent, in con-

stituencies where most voters are

not white.

Most black voters still voted La-

bour, on a reduced turnout. But

2024 was the first modern general

election when most British Asian

voters did not vote Labour. Focalda-

ta’s How Britain voted analysis

estimates the party averaged

43 per cent across Asian vot-

ers as a whole, with the Conservatives

on 20 per cent, and around one in 10

for each of the Lib Dems (nine per

cent), Greens (11 per cent) and inde-

pendents (10 per cent). Voting pat-

terns and the reasons for voters’

choices will clearly differ across dif-

ferent groups and generations.

Sir Keir Starmer’s party lost around

half a million Muslim voters – usually

to its left – as the ‘Gaza effect’ out-

stripped that after Iraq in 2005.

Alongside Corbyn in Islington, La-

bour lost four more seats to inde-

pendents in Birmingham, Blackburn,

Dewsbury and Leicester South, all

constituencies with large Muslim

electorates. Yet the party still holds 46

of the 50 constituencies

with the largest Mus-

lim populations, as

it held all of its east

London seats, on

reduced majorities,

and gained three

more,

removing

George Galloway

in Rochdale and

taking Peterbor-

ough

and

Wy combe from the Conservatives.

Pro-Gaza candidates won less sup-

port in the south than in the Mid-

lands and Yorkshire.

Meanwhile, Tory progress with In-

dian voters helped to make Harrow

East the sole constituency in Britain

where the Conservatives reached 50

per cent. The Church of England was

once called ‘the Tory party at prayer’,

but the Hindu temples of Harrow

might now contest that title.

There was even one Tory gain in

Leicester East, on a night of 250 loss-

es, as Shivani Raja, not yet 30, defeat-

ed both her Labour opponent and the

constituency’s previous two Labour

MPs. Keith Vaz came fifth with under

4,000 votes. Most Leicester East voters

found their veteran MP of three dec-

ades an unlikely champion of change.

Beyond Harrow and Leicester, La-

bour still holds 26 of the 28 Westmin-

ster constituencies where most voters

are Asian. Its strong parliamentary

presence offers Labour MPs opportu-

nities to reconnect – but a governing

party will struggle unless it roots

those efforts with voters from specific

groups in a more coherent approach

to engage fairly and effectively in a

diverse democracy with citizens from

all minority and majority groups at

the same time.

There is more change in the Com-

mons than ever before – 335 first-time

MPs and 15 retreads outnumber the

300 re-elected incumbents. With 90

ethnic minority MPs, it is the first time

the Commons reflects the diversity of

the electorate.

But there is less ethnic diversity in

the Starmer government than in re-

cent Tory administrations, with three

ethnic minority ministers around the

cabinet table – David Lammy, Shaba-

na Mahmood and Lisa Nandy – but

nobody among the ministers of state,

demonstrating a weak Labour pipeline

from its strong parliamentary repre-

sentation to bigger leadership roles.

The test of this new government

will be delivering change. The Rwan-

da scheme was scrapped on day one.

The party has a mandate to build –

favouring YIMBYS over NIMBYS –

and promises to focus on growth, the

NHS, energy as well as breaking down

barriers to opportunity.

Labour should govern for its new

“coalition of everywhere” – but the

election tactics of the opposition

made some people and places more

equal than others. It will be important

to rebalance that in government – a

decade of national renewal depends

on ensuring that everywhere really

does mean everywhere.

Starmer wins electoral

‘coalition of everywhere’

FORMER Conservative MP Alok

Sharma, who did not seek re-

election in last week’s general

election, will now take his seat in

the Lords after being conferred a

peerage by King Charles.

The 56-year-old Agra-born

MP was knighted as Sir Alok in

the King’s new year’s honours

list last year for his contribution

to tackling climate change

through his leadership as

president of the COP26 climate

summit two years ago. He now

becomes Lord Sharma.

Sharma was among seven

nominations made by outgoing

prime minister Rishi Sunak for

the customary ‘dissolution peer-

ages’, which also saw former

prime minister Theresa May be-

come a peer.

“Humbled to have been

appointed to the House of Lords

but so sorry to see many fine

Conservative candidates lose,

including in Reading West & Mid

Berkshire,” said Sharma in a post

on X last Friday (5), as his party’s

disastrous general election re-

sults became evident.

His former constituency was

won by Labour’s Olivia Bailey,

whom Sharma described as a

“decent person who I feel will

serve the area diligently.”

Sharma’s Reading West

constituency, like several others

across the UK, had undergone a

boundary change to become

Reading West and Mid Berkshire.

When he announced his

decision in September last year

to not contest the next general

election, Sharma said, “This has

not been an easy decision for

me. It has been the honour of my

life to serve as the MP for a

constituency in the town where I

grew up and a privilege to serve

in government and represent the

UK on the international stage.

“I will continue to support my

Conservative colleagues and ser-

ve my constituents diligently for

the remainder of my time as an

MP, as well as champion in par-

liament the causes I care deeply

about, especially climate action.”

Sharma was selected as a par-

liamentary candidate in 2006,

and has served as a Tory MP

since 2010. In his role as cabinet

minister since then, he was

appointed secretary of state for

business, energy and industrial

strategy and international

development, until he was con-

ferred a cabinet-level role as

COP26 president by former

prime minister Boris Johnson in

January 2021.

In Sunak’s administration,

Sharma was on the Commons

back benches, and often spoke

out to express his concerns

about the government’s delay in

certain targets towards meeting

the country’s climate action net

zero pledge by 2050.

“Chopping and changing poli-

cies creates uncertainty for busi-

nesses and the public. Ultimately

this makes it more difficult to at-

tract investment and pushes up

costs for consumers,” he said.

Sharma receives peerage in Sunak’s outgoing list

BUT COMMONS DIVERSITY NOT REFLECTED IN LABOUR CABINET, SAYS EXPERT

VICTORY MESSAGE: Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour

party has a mandate for national renewal,

according to Sunder Katwala (inset below)

HONOUR: Sir Alok

is now Lord Sharma

Column

Instagram.com/easterneyenews/ • www.easterneye.biz • July 12, 2024

Amit Roy

THE behaviour of the elec-

torate in some constituen-

cies, such as North-West

Cambridgeshire where

Shailesh Vara (right) was

ousted by a 22-year-old

barely out of shorts, can only

be described as nihilistic.

Shailesh has been a dili-

gent Tory MP since he was

first elected in 2005 with a

majority of 9,933. It was

16,677 in 2010; 19,795 in

2015; 18,008 in 2017; and

25,983 in 2019.

Last week he lost by 39

votes to Labour’s Sam

Carling, who will be “the ba-

by of the House”. Shailesh

and Carling got 14,746 and

14,785 votes respectively, to

Reform’s 8,741.

Shailesh admitted he was

“disappointed”, adding, “I

feel blessed to have served

the area for about 20 years.”

His constituents are

completely mad to have got

rid of Shailesh. He was born

in Uganda, came to Britain

when he was nearly five, and

went into politics after qual-

ifying as a solicitor. At the

Tory party conference in

2000, he was awarded the

accolade of official “rising

star”, with the barrister Lord

Alexander of Weedon de-

scribing him as a “future

Conservative party leader”.

I have found the story I

did for the Daily Telegraph

when Shailesh, then 44, was

campaigning in 2005. I re-

member I took a picture of

him standing in a field of

yellow rapeseed plants.

Then and through his ca-

reer, he never played the

ethnic card. “It’s of a previ-

ous generation when the

ethnic element was at the

forefront,” he told me.

“I actually see myself as a

British citizen of Indian ori-

gin who is a Conservative

and who wishes to enter

parliament with a view to

serving my constituents in

North-West Cambridgeshire

and my country,”

Shailesh should be

elevated to the Lords, along

with Virendra Sharma, who

stepped down as the Labour

MP for Ealing Southall.

NIGEL FARAGE will, no

doubt, be delighted another

of his chaps has won.

I refer, of course, to the

presidential election in Iran,

where the Reform candi-

date, Masoud Pezeshkian

(right), with 16,384,403

votes, triumphed over the

ultra-conservative Saeed Jal-

ili, who received 13,538,179

votes, on a turnout of 50 per

cent last Saturday (6).

I don’t think, however,

that the new president will

be allowed to adopt a policy

of rapprochement with the

west. His life would be in

danger if he did.

BOB BLACKMAN, the To-

ry MP for Harrow East,

was tipped to lose his seat.

He is possibly the only

Conservative in the coun-

try who actually increased

his majority – to 11,680

from 8,170 in 2019.

It looks as though it’s

the Hindu vote wot won it

for him. Rishi Sunak’s

visit to the Sri Kutchh

Satsang Swaminarayan

Temple in Kenton,

northwest London, along

with Blackman, can’t have

done any harm.

The Hindu vote wasn’t

deployed this time in the

way it was against Jeremy

Corbyn. But the “Muslim

vote” was – over Sir Keir

Starmer’s alleged pro-Is-

raeli stance over Gaza.

In Birmingham Perry

Barr, the sitting Labour

MP, Khalid Mahmood, was

knocked out by an

independent, Ayoub Khan,

by a margin of 507 votes.

The Muslim vs Muslim

contest reflected anger

over Gaza. But some

callers on radio phone-ins

expressed concern that

there appeared to be a

single-issue religious vote

in secular Britain.

COMPARED to the 60 per cent turnout in

the British general election last week, it

was 66.6 per cent in India, where 642 mil-

lion people out of the eligible electorate of

968 million cast their ballots.

In Britain, polling took place last Thurs-

day (4), whereas in India, voting was held in

seven phases from April 19 to June 1, be-

cause of the size of the country as well as

security issues.

Had India encountered the problems that

were faced by a constituency such as Hen-

don in north London, where postal voting

forms were not delivered on time, the coun-

try’s Election Commission would probably

have ordered a repoll.

Ameet Jogia, co-chair of Conservative

Friends of India, who lost by 15 votes – the

smallest in the country – understandably

feels cheated. Jogia, who worked as an aide

to Lord Dolar Popat before moving to

Downing Street to be an adviser to prime

minister Rishi Sunak, got 15,840 votes to

Labour’s 15,855 and Reform’s 3,038.

Jogia is now considering taking legal

action against Barnet council. He told the

Daily Telegraph that he personally knew of

around a dozen constituents who had told

him they would have voted for him, but

their postal ballot papers never arrived.

“There were so many others, too,” he said.

“In my case, this would have made a differ-

ence. We were robbed. Barnet council has

had a repeated issue with postal votes going

missing or not arriving. We had it in the

mayoral election (in May) when whole

streets did not receive them.”

Jogia had even written to the council on

May 9, demanding the issue be “rectified

before the upcoming general election”.

There does seem to be a case for a repoll.

Incidentally, it is worth noting that

among the 10 cabinet ministers who

lost their seats was the justice

secretary, Alex Chalk, who

represented Rishi at

India’s Republic Day

celebrations at Lon-

don’s Guildhall ear-

lier this year.

Views in this column do not necessarily reflect those of the newspaper

Madness of ousting Vara

Iran’s reform president

Case for repolling

in Hendon?

JOGIA CITES POSTAL VOTES DELAY FOR LOSS

THE Tories should consider whether

among the 121 MPs who were elect-

ed there really is a better candidate

to replace Rishi Sunak.

Of the hopefuls, the most unsuita-

ble is Suella Braverman, who con-

tributed to the Tory defeat by spend-

ing her time attacking the prime

minister and her own party in Daily

Telegraph articles.

To move to the right and make

common cause now with Reform’s

Nigel Farage would make the Con-

servative party unelectable. Having

been removed as home secretary,

she is seeking vengeance. But hers is

an “idiotic strategy”. Whatever else,

“the voters aren’t mugs”.

The one thing that 172,437 Tory

party members (according to 2022

figures) do not want is another non-

white leader. They were furious they

did not get a chance in ensuring

Rishi didn’t win against a white

candidate. It would be ironic if it

now came down to Suella versus

Kemi Badenoch. The latter believes

colonialism and slavery contributed

little to the British economy.

As prime minister with a 174-seat

majority, Sir Keir Starmer won’t be

too bothered by another round of

bloodletting in the Tory party. But if

he wants to establish better relations

with the Indian community, in

particular, he should reconsider the

plan to impose VAT on private school

fees – or, at least, stagger it over a

number of years. Pupils pulled out

from private schools will struggle to

find places in the state sector.

Also, squeezing the non-doms on

their global earnings sounds good in

theory, but in practice they will

move their money out of the UK. On

this, he should be pragmatic.

MANY people have com-

mented on the grace and

dignity with which Rishi Su-

nak bowed out as prime

minister last week.

“One of the most remarka-

ble things about Britain is

just how unremarkable it is

that two generations after my

grandparents came here with

little, I could become prime

minister. And that I could

watch my two young daugh-

ters light Diwali candles on

the steps in Downing Street,”

Sunak said.

He called Britain “the best

country in the world” and

described Sir Keir Starmer,

“whatever our disagree-

ments”, as “a decent, public-

spirited man who I respect”.

And in return, Starmer

said Rishi’s achievement as

the first British Asian prime

minister– “the extra effort

that will have required” –

should not be “underesti-

mated by anyone”. He also

recognised the “dedication

and hard work” Rishi had

brought to his leadership.

And speaking last Sunday

(7) on the BBC’s Sunday with

Laura Kuenssberg, the histori-

an Sir Simon Schama contra-

sted Donald Trump’s Ameri-

ca with the peaceful transfer

of power that had taken

place in the UK, “so gener-

ously stated in Rishi Sunak’s

rather wonderful speech”. It

was “a majestic thing that we

can’t take for granted”.

Sunak’s concession speech

Questions of faith

Braverman:

Unsuitable

strategy

NARROW MARGIN:

Ameet Jogia

PARTY

POLITICS:

Suella

Braverman

Pool/Getty Images

Iranian President via Getty Images

SAYING

FAREWELL:

Rishi Sunak

RARE VICTORY: Bob Blackman

(right) with Rishi Sunak (centre)

by SARWAR ALAM

RISHI SUNAK should be remembered

for bringing back “moral decency” to

the position of prime minister despite

the Conservative party’s heavy defeat at

last week’s general election, a long-

serving Asian parliamentarian has said.

Sunak left Downing Street last Thurs-

day (4), 20 months after he was sworn in

amid political turmoil in the party after

the departures of former prime ministers

Liz Truss and Boris Johnson.

“He (Sunak) had a lot of baggage to

carry from his predecessors and therefore

he was really trying to make the best of a

pretty difficult situation. [He had] a very

unruly and divided party, it almost felt

like he was a hostage in Downing Street,”

said the parliamentarian.

“You can see it in the period that he

was in office, he obviously was very hard-

working, decent man, trying to do the

right thing, particularly to stabilise the

economy and address some of the weak-

nesses in the Brexit deal,” they added.

Johnson was booted out by the Con-

servatives after the ‘partygate’ scandal of

lockdown law-breaking parties in Down-

ing Street. He was succeeded by Truss,

voted in by the Tory membership, who

proved to be a disastrous choice with her

catastrophic mini-budget.

In the aftermath of those departures,

the Tories turned to Sunak. Johnson chose

not to seek re-election and Truss suffered

a humiliating defeat last week. In contrast,

Sunak kept his Richmond, north York-

shirel, seat with a majority in a sign that

the electorate blamed his predecessors

more than the most recent Tory leader.

“That period of Liz Truss was the closest

to a crisis this country has got to in re cent

times, and he definitely did a very good

job of stabilising the ship and addressing

some of the fundamental things that nee-

ded to be done,” said the parliamentarian.

During his time at Downing Street, Su-

nak had to deal with factions in his party

and vocal critics such as former home

secretary Suella Braverman who publicly

attacked his policies.

“From day one, there were various fac-

tions who clearly had it in for Rishi. There

were various people with their own agen-

das that didn’t make life easy for him,”

said the parliamentarian.

“I just wish he had more courage

around managing his own party when he

immediately took office and said, ‘this is

the way it’s going to be and you’re either

with the programme or you’re not’ – re-

ally put his foot down even more.

“That’s one lesson I hope his succes-

sors will learn – that if you are always

solving the issues within your party,

you’re not putting the country first.”

The parliamentarian reflected on Su-

nak’s final speech as prime minister when

he said of the Labour leader, Sir Keir

Starmer, that “his successes will be all our

successes, and I wish him and his family

well. Whatever our disagreements in this

campaign, he is a decent public-spirited

man who I respect”.

“He restored an element of moral de-

cency to the office of prime minister,

which is what everybody expects,” the

parliamentarian said. “The very gracious

way in which he conceded showed a level

of maturity that I think was lacking in

politicians – people became sick and

tired of ‘yah-boo politics’,” they added.

Sunder Katwala, director of the think-

tank British Future, said in the long term,

people will remember the political tur-

moil Sunak inherited.

“I think history will be relatively kind

to Rishi Sunak. Despite the scale of this

defeat, I think the analysis will be that he

was dealt with an almost impos-

sible hand 12 years in,” he said.

“Sunak, I think, will be seen as a

man who tried hard to steady the

ship in very difficult economic,

geopolitical conditions. And what

he didn’t really have was a politi-

cal recipe that might have re-

quired a magic wand, but he did

put the country back on an even keel after

a very chaotic period of government, los-

ing two prime ministers within weeks,”

Katwala added.

Sunak’s popularity rose during the pan-

demic when, as chancellor, he played a

key part in navigating the country through

an unprecedented period of difficulty.

Jaffer Kapasi, a businessman and com-

munity leader in Leicester who is also the

honorary consul general of Uganda, said

Sunak should be remembered for being a

successful chancellor.

“As chancellor he introduced the job

retention scheme that helped employ-

ment and also allowed a lot of businesses

to survive,” Kapasi told Eastern Eye.

“When Liz Truss ruined the economy,

Sunak had to take charge and rectify it,

which he did because inflation came

down. Obviously, there was debate about

more taxation, but from a business and

economic point of view, he came from a

business background, he did a good job.”

Kapasi also credited Sunak for speak-

ing out after being racially abused by Re-

form party activist Andrew Parker who

called him a “f****** P***”.

“I really respect him for taking a stand

against it,” he said Kapasi.

“The country needs to see that we if

someone (Sunak) at the top of the hierar-

chy can get abused like that, imagine

what ordinary people go through. I face

this P*** thing regularly.”

The sense of pride in a British Indian

having made it to the highest office was

visible till the end, with elderly Asians

showering their blessings and handing

prayer beads to Sunak during his cam-

paign visit to the BAPS Shri Swaminaray-

an Mandir in Neasden, north London.

“His legacy will be as the first British

Indian prime minister of the United King-

dom. I think that’s a hugely symbolic mo-

ment,” said Kevin McCole, managing di-

rector of the UK Indian Business Council.

“Being part of a Diwali celebration

hosted by him at Downing Street was a

remarkably touching moment. So, I think

that would be Sunak’s legacy, rather than

this election. He’s been a great ambassa-

dor for the British Indian community,

and it really shows Britain at its multicul-

tural best, that Sunak could achieve so

much in this country.”

Lord Karan Bilimoria told Eastern Eye

that he wished Sunak had rethought

some of his policies on immigration such

as the Rwanda policy, describing it as

“impractical and inhumane” and that as

the first British-Indian prime minister, he

should have led a delegation to India.

However, he said, Sunak, who he has

known for more than a decade, has a

bright future ahead of him – although it

might not be in politics.

“I count Rishi as a friend. I have the

highest respect for him as a thoroughly

decent person and well-intentioned per-

son,” Bilimoria said.

“He’s only 44 years old. He’s been

prime minister of a G7 country. He’ll be

absolutely fine. He’s got a whole career

ahead of him. He can do anything. He’s

got his business background. He’s got a

very bright future ahead of him.

“However, I don’t see it in politics. He

may stay on as MP for a while, but I don’t

see him staying on in terms of trying to

get back in (highest level of politics).”

News

July 12, 2024 • Twitter.com/easterneye

Facebook.com/easterneye

Sunak hailed for integrity

in office amid Tory chaos

‘HIS TENURE IS MARKED BY GRACIOUSNESS AND MATURITY, CONTRASTING WITH DIVISIVE POLITICS’

FORMER prime minister Rishi

Sunak spent last weekend ring-

ing to apologise to his Conserva-

tive party candidates who lost

their seats in the general election

last week, a report said.

In their worst performance,

the Conservatives won just 121

seats in the Commons.

Several former MPs told the

Daily Telegraph about the “very

sympathetic call” they received

from Sunak, who won his own

seat of Richmond and North-

allerton in Yorkshire and remains

the leader of the opposition until

the party elects his successor.

He apologised to his colleagues

and the nation in his farewell

speech at Downing Street last Fri-

day (5), when he announced his

resignation as Tory leader.

“He took the time to ring me

on a last Saturday (6) night and I

think he’s taken the time to ring

other MPs. He was ringing to say

that he was incredibly sorry that

I’d lost my seat,” an unseated To-

ry MP was quoted as saying.

“To all the Conservative can-

didates and campaigners who

worked tirelessly but without

success, I am sorry that we could

not deliver what your efforts de-

served,” Sunak said in his speech.

Frontrunners to replace him

are working behind-the-scenes

to shore up their support. Former

home secretary Suella Braver-

man, who has been critical of Su-

nak’s leadership, is among the

contenders, but her campaign

received an early blow as one of

her supporters switched loyalties

to her former Home Office col-

league, Robert Jenrick.

Others lining up for the race

include two more former home

secretaries Priti Patel and James

Cleverly and former business

secretary Kemi Badenoch.

Former Conservative minis-

ters Victoria Atkins and Tom Tu-

gendhat are also likely to throw

their hat in the ring.

Party leader apologises to members for election setback

CRISIS NAVIGATOR: Rishi Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty (right) arrive

in Northallerton to cast their votes last Thursday (4); and (left from top)

Lord Karan Bilimoria; Jaffer Kapasi (right); and Sunder Katwala

FRONTRUNNER:

Priti Patel

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