The main Opposition party of the United Kingdom, the Labour Party, has launched a new diaspora outreach organisation. The aim is to connect with British Indians and also to strengthen UK interactions with India in a year when both countries are preparing for general elections.
The Labour Party’s shadow foreign secretary, David Lammy, marked the launch of “Labour Indians” in the Houses of Parliament complex in London on Tuesday evening. He also gave an update on his recent visit to India and shared his ambitions for the India-UK partnership if Labour were to win the next election.
Describing India as a “superpower”, the Labour leader stressed that its strategic importance meant that the relationship transcended party political divides — a reference to the ruling Conservative Party aka Tories.
Lammy said, “Of course, India still has challenges. But I have no doubt that in this geopolitical moment, it’s hugely important that the UK understands that India is this superpower force in the world.
“And, it should be the case that it actually does not matter who is the Prime Minister of India, who is the Prime Minister at Number 10 (Downing Street), because it’s so important strategically that notwithstanding political position, we have a very strong relationship.”
Labour transformed itself under Keir Starmer
Asked about some anti-India rhetoric associated with Labour under Jeremy Corbyn, the former party leader, Lammy said that the Opposition party had been on a journey and transformed itself under the leadership of Keir Starmer.
“It’s a journey where clearly, we look back on the Corbyn years as really very unsuccessful for our fortunes politically. I think some of the perception in the Indian community was formed by that period. My trip to India was about looking forward,” he said.
Lammy also indicated that Labour committed to “finish the job” of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with India, which is in its 14th round of negotiations kicked off by the Conservative government in January 2022 and now facing a general election deadline on both sides.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of discussion about the trade agreement. It’s not my normal job to undermine the government in reaching that agreement; we want that agreement. But if the government is not successful in getting a trade deal, we do intend to finish the job and secure it. And, we also wanted to take the message across that we see the trade agreement as the floor, not the ceiling in the relationship with India, because there’s a lot more we can do across all areas,” he said.
The shadow minister welcomed the role that the new diaspora group could play in the India-UK space, thus bringing the Labour Party closer not only to the British Indian community but also to India itself.
In a post on X, announcing the launch of the new outreach group, Lammy wrote: “My recent visit to India reminded me of the wealth of culture and opportunity across the country — and the huge potential of our relationship moving forward.”
Labour Indians hopes to be “really inclusive”
“We hope to be different in the way we go about doing things. We want to be really, really inclusive,” said Krish Raval, Chair of Labour Indians.
He is supported by fellow British Indian vice-chairs, Councillor Shama Tatler and Labour’s prospective parliamentary candidate from Wales, Kanishka Narayan.
Indian households had moved away from the Labour Party for various different reasons, and it was hard knocking on those doors to understand why families of previously strong Labour voters felt that way. We are moving in the right direction [under Starmer] but we need to be talking more to the communities who have been let down by the Conservatives.
Councillor Shama Tatler, vice-chair of Labour Indians
“What differentiates Labour Indians from other organisations with similar aims is that we’re a project and not an institution. We can be agile and evolve to meet the ever-changing needs of progressive British Indians,” said Dr Nikita Ved, co-founder of the British Indian think tank, The 1928 Institute, who is also involved with Labour Indians.
The new outfit follows the Labour Party recently appointing a dedicated India Engagement Organiser, in a sign that it is keen to connect with the 1.8-million strong Indian diaspora in the UK, with a general election expected in the second half of this year.
