UK Election 2024: From Rishi Sunak to Suella Braverman - Indian-origin MPs who seats in House of Commons
The outgoing House of Commons featured 15 MPs of Indian origin, and this number is anticipated to rise. In the UK General Election 2024, a total of 107 British-Indian candidates are vying for the 680 available seats.
The role of Indian-origin members of parliament will remain in spotlight as the Labour Party, led by Keir Stramer, is expected to win the UK general election in 2024 with a landslide. The previous UK Parliament, with Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, had 15 Indian-origin MPs, eight from Labour and seven from the Conservative Party, among 65 non-while MPs elected, setting a strong diverse milestone in the British political history.
In the UK General Election 2024, a total of 107 British-Indians are vying for the 680 available seats. Some of the winners are:
- Rishi Sunak
UK's incumbent Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has retained his seat northern England but conceded defeat in general elections to Labour Party. "Today, power will change hands in a peaceful and orderly manner with goodwill on all sides," said Sunak, as his Conservative party suffered a historic defeat to Labour.
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- Shivani Raja
She defeated former MPs Claude Webbe and Keith Vaz, who ran as Independents, and won the Leicester East seat thanks to support from the Labour Party. Raja attended Wyggeston, Soar Valley College, Herrick Primary School, and Queen Elizabeth II College in Leicester, where he was born. She obtained her degree in Cosmetic Science with First Class Honours from De Montfort University.
- Kanishka Narayan
After beating former Welsh Sec. Alun Cairns, Labour's Kanishka Narayan becomes the first Welsh MP from a minority origin. Narayan migrated to Cardiff at the age of twelve after being born in India. On a scholarship, he attended Eton, Oxford, and Stanford before starting a career in government service. "The Old Etonian scholarship boy and civil servant in the Vale of Glamorgan," as the Times put it, was his description.
- Suella Braverman
She has secured the seats in Waterlooville and Fareham. In the final cabinet move of the previous Sunak administration, James Cleverly took her position as interior minister. The MP with Indian ancestry was demoted from her position as home secretary for questioning the prime leader. She further claimed that the Metropolitan Police was supporting demonstrators who supported Palestine. Named after Sue-Ellen Ewing, the matriarch of the American TV series Dallas, one of her mother's favourite shows, Braverman was born Sue-Ellen Fernandes in April 1980.
Issues such as immigration and citizenship also remain central to the British-Indian population. MPs are advocating for fair and transparent regulations for acknowledging the contributions of Indian diaspora. There is also a demand to streamline visa processes, work permits, and naturalisation procedures.