Last weekend it was a pleasure to be part of a panel discussion hosted at Progress Annual Conference on the crucial issue of how Labour can win back black and ethnic minority votes from the Conservative party; speaking alongside David Lammy MP, Ruth Smeeth MP, Parmjit Dhanda (a candidate for Labour’s National Executive Committee) and Stephen Bush, special correspondent at the New Statesman.
This is an increasingly important issue because the last general election marked an unprecedented collapse in support for the Labour party among BAME voters of all backgrounds, but notably among BAME voters in the south – where many marginals are located, and among Indian voters, particularly those of Hindu faith and Sikh faith. Against a backdrop that projects an increase in BAME voters from 14 per cent to 30 per cent by 2050, this is an issue that is increasingly going to be difficult to ignore if Labour wishes to be in government again.
There is much evidence from 2015 to suggest that the traditional ‘ethnic minority gap’ has started to close – with the Conservative party actively (and successfully) courting votes from BME voters in key marginal seats. The ‘detoxification’ of the Conservative party among minority group voters seems to have been undermined somewhat, however, by Zac Goldsmith’s divisive and sectarian mayoral campaign – a moment where the mask slipped and served to undermine the party’s recent efforts.
Sadiq Khan’s campaign, by contrast, exemplified best practice in winning over minority communities, reaching out to them and at the same time communicating a message that resonated across the board.
We spoke at Progress conference of the need to call out racism and antisemitism immediately where it exists, of the unique and different needs of ethnic minority communities as well as a solidarity through in the challenges many have faced (including institutional racism), and the opportunities for Labour to embrace the multiculturalism and plurality of 21st century Britain through renewed political structures.
The discussion was rich and nuanced, exploring and recognising the multiplicity of identities BAME individuals share – as well as the importance of recognising and valuing people (whoever they are) as more than simply the ‘sum of their parts’ or their identities. It made for a promising start in answering the question – on how Labour can regain lost BME votes. It is now up to us to make sure we can deliver.
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Reema Patel is a councillor in the London borough of Barnet. She sits on the Fabian Society’s executive committee and is a committee member of the Fabian Women’s Network
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This article is based on Reema’s speech to Progress annual conference 2016. Listen again to the conference here