 The fact that before the mass waves
of immigration in the 1950s the there had been three Indian Mps in the
British Parliament, all representing different political parties.
The first was Dadabhai Noaroji, who was the first Indian ever to run for
Parliament. He was literally catapulted to fame by his loss because it
cause the Prime Minister Lord Salisbury to comment that the British Constituencies
had not yet gotten to the point where they would elect a 'Black man'.
This made him a much-talked about figure, and when he stood again for Parliament
in 1892, for Finsbury Park he was elected and held the seat for three
years. He died in 1916 aged 91.
 John Richard Archer was Britains first Black Mayor. In 1913 he was elected the tenth Mayor of Battersea. He came to prominence as an outstanding public speaker when he supported John Burns in the 1905 General election.Then in 1906 he won the local election and became Britains first British born Black Councillor,Until he was nbominated there was no mention by the oposition of his colour who used his race to supposedly highlight the radical policies of Battersea's working class tradition. At the 1921Pan African Congress he introduced Saklatvala who was an Indian Communist.
Shapurji Saklatvala is said to have been the most radical Indian involved in British politics. He fought hard for the rights of the British Working class and for the national liberation of India from British rule. Born in Bombay, he came to England in 1905 and was an active member of the Communist party until he died in 1936. He won a seat in Parliament for the Labour party in 1922,
lost it in 1923 , and regained it again in 1924 as a communist candidate.
He was very popular with the working class men of the time.
 Was the MP for Bethnal Green North East for ten
years. Born in Bombay in 1885. He was called to the Bar in 1885.
Bhownagree made links with Indian students living in London
and made himself involved in their welfare and eduxcation. In addition
to this he lobbied parliament for the rights of Indian Subjects and also
for the rights of Indians living in South Africa
Internet: http://www.thechronicle.demon.co.uk E-mail: tlb@thechronicle.demon.co.uk
After an important decade of political changes, there are nine Black and Asian members in the House of Commons and ten in the House of Lords. They are symbols of minority access into electoral politics. But to play a valuable lobbying role the legislators must divulge and debate their priorities for minority progress. Black and Asian Parliamentarians have gone through an intensive period of change, from Conservative to Labour-led government. Urban issues, left on the back burner far too long, must be confronted. Political leverage at the highest national levels is necessary to make the needs of cities, where most black and Asian people live, a key issue in all debates. The voices and votes of parliamentarians can make a difference to urban communities where barriers still prevent equal esteem and access to opportunities. The proving ground of democracy is still the local neighbourhoods, streets, schools, workplaces, and enterprises. Innovative ideas and actions are needed. To get the priorities straight, the parliamentarians should convene a national policy institute for Black and Asian Leaders in the Public and Private Realm. The institute members would seek to identify key urban issues facing their communities, and the means for tackling them. Nine Black and Asian member entered the Commons in the General Election of 1997. All Labour M.P.s, their names are Dianne Abbott, Paul Boateng, Bernie Grant, Oona King, Piara Khabra, Ashok Kumar, Mohammed Sarwar, Marsha Singh, and Keith Vaz. For information, the names of the House of Lords members of Black and Asian backgrounds are: Lord Taylor, John; Baroness Amos, Valerie; Baroness Scotland, Patricia; Lord Paul, Suraj ;Lord Desai, Meghnad; Baroness Flather, Shreela; Lord Citnis, Pratap; Lord Sinha, Anindo; Lord Dholakia, Navnit; Lord Bagri,Raj Kumar. Dianne Abbott Representing the London constituency of Hackney North and Stoke Newington, Diane Abbott was Britain's first Black woman MP. Born in London of Jamaican parents, Abbott was educated at Harrow County Girls' Grammar School and Newnham College, M.A.Hons. History, Cambridge University. A journalist by profession, she had worked as an administrative trainee with the Home Office; Race Relations Officer for the National Council for Civil Liberties; a reporter with TV AM and Thames Television; Public Relations Officer with the GLC and Head of Lambeth Council's Press Office. Abbott was active in the Black Sections movement within
the Labour Party and in community politics, including OWAAD
(Organisation of Women of African and Asian Descent); the "Scrap Sus" campaign
to ban police stop-and-search tactics levelled at Black youth, and was
a founder member of the Black Media Workers' Organisation. Active for many
years in the trade union movement, particularly on race equality issues,
Ms Abbott served for a year as Britain's first Black female Equality Officer
in the Association of Cinematograph Television and Allied Technicians.
She also served as an elected local councillor in the London Borough of
Westminster for four years, during which she was a member of the
Environment, Grants and Social Services Committees.
Paul Y. Boateng Born in the Gold Coast (now Ghana), West Africa, Paul Boateng was educated at the Ghana International School and Accra Academy, and later at Apsley Grammar School and the University of Bristol, England. Boateng qualified as a solicitor in 1976, and was called to the Bar in 1989. His political life began with membership in the Labour party in 1966 and he became a prominent member of the Greater London Council 1981-86, serving as chair of the Police Committee. Elected as MP for Brent South in 1987, he severed links with the Black Sections movement in 1988, and became Opposition spokesman on Treasury and economic affairs. He is now Parliamentary under-secretary for Health in the Labour Government. Bernie Grant Born in Guyana, and resident in Britain since 1963, Bernie Grant worked as a British Railways clerk, National Union of Public Employees area officer, and as a partisan of the Black Trade Unionists Solidarity Movement. In the political sphere he joined the Labour Party in 1975 and was elected as Member of Parliament for Tottenham. Grant had served for a decade of service as local councillor in the London Borough of Haringey, of which he was elected Leader in 1985. He was the first ever Black Leader of a local authority in Europe, and in this capacity had responsibility for an annual budget of some 163,500 million, and the well-being of a quarter of a million people, many of them Black and ethnic minorities. Bernie Grant brought to parliament a long and distinguished
record as a leading campaigner against injustice and racism. He was a founder
member of the Standing Conference of Afro-Caribbean and Asian Councillors
and a member of the
Keith Vaz Born in Aden, South Arabia, Keith Vaz's family originated
from India. He was educated in Twickenham and Hammersmith schools
and at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge University, and gained BA
Law Hons. and MA Hons. degrees. Before his election he was solicitor to
the Highfields and Belgrave Law Centre in Leicester. He stood as a parliamentary
Oona King Labour (majority 11,285). Bethnal Green and Bow. Oona
King was born October 22, 1967: educated averstock
King holds a safe Labour seat in the borough of Tower
Hamlets. Boundary changes resulted in an additional 13,000 voters being
moved into the constituency from the old Bow and Poplar seat, a change
which made the seat slightly more marginal. It remained, however, a safe
seat for Labour, though the party selected its winning candidate, Oona
King, at the eleventh hour, A black, Jewish, female candidate, she beat
the Conservative candidate by 11,285 votes. Although much of the
constituency is working class, the seat includes the Tower of London and
newer, 'yuppie' developments near St Katharine's Docks and Wapping,
But, statistics reveal a picture of deprivation. The seat has one of the
highest rates of council rented accommodation (57.2%), an ethnic minority
population approaching 40%, high levels of unemployment and the highest
rate in the country of multiple room occupancy (12% of houses have over
1 person per room). The area has a history as a centre for immigrant settlers
- Jews from Eastern Europe and more recently Bengalis.
Piara S. Khabra, JP MP. Labour (21,423). Ealing Southall Born November
20, 1924; educated Punjab University (SA social Services, BEd Teaching).
Trades Union: Member, MSF Armed Forces, Served Indian Armed Corps 1942-46,
Dr. Ashok Kumar Labour (majority 10,607). Middlesbrough South and Cleveland East; Majority: 10,607. Dr. Ashok Kumar's Education and career include: Rykneld School for Boys, Derby; Aston University: Chemical Engineering (BSc); Process Analysis and Control Theory (MSc);Fluid Mechanics (PhD); Research Fellow, Imperial College, London; Research Scientist, British Steel. He is a Member, Institute of Chemical Engineers and Member, Institute of Energy. Previous Parliamentary Career: MP for Langbaurgh (by-election) 1991-92. His interests include: Cricket; Badminton; Reading History ; Philosophy; Listening to Jazz. Mohammed Sarwar Labour (majority 2,194). Glasgow Govan Born August 18, 1952; educated University of Faisalabad, Pakistan (BA Political Science); Mohammed Sarwar has served as Member, GMB, Director, United Wholesale Ltd. His council memberships include: Councillor: Glasgow District Council and Glasgow City Council and he has been a member of Scottish Labour Executive. His special interests include: Housing, Employment, Economy, Devolution, International Affairs. Countries of Interest. Pakistan, Middle East, Developing World. Languages Spoken- Urdu, fluent, Recreations: Family and friends. He has been accused of bribery and voting irregularities in the aftermath of the election. Although the constituency has the highest proportion of ethnic minorities of all the Glasgow seats, it is a predominantly white electorate. On the south bank of the Clyde in central Glasgow, Govan is famous for its (now largely defunct) docklands. There are major contrasts however. Though much of Govan is a depressed working-class industrial district, it also contains both Queen's Park and Pollok country park and the owner-occupied suburbs of Pollokshields and Shawlands. Govan is contains one of Glasgow's premier tourist attractions. The Burrell Collection is an eclectic gathering of works of art left to the city by shipping magnate William Burrell, is housed in Pollok Park, and includes many famous French Impressionist pieces and Rodin's The Thinker. Also located in the seat is Ibrox, home to Glasgow Rangers FC. Marsha Singh Labour (majority 3,877). Bradford West Born October 11, 1954, Marsha Singh was educated Belle Vue; Loughborough University (BA Hons Languages, Politics and Economics of Modern Europe): Trades Union: Member, UNISON- Profession: Health Service Manager. Her committee interests include: Home Affairs, Education and Employment, and International Development. Her Party Groups include: Chair: Bradford West Labour Party and District Labour Party. Her special interests are: European Union, Health, Education. Languages Spoken: Punjabi, French, German. Recreations: Chess, Bridge, reading.  |
