10 Sikh MPs make it to UK Parliament
With a total of 26 Indian-origin members, apart from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority lawmakers, this is Britain’s most ethnically diverse Parliament so far, according to an analysis by British Future, a think tank.
As the Labour Party registered a thumping victory in UK’s parliamentary elections on Friday, as many as 10 members of the Sikh community – five men and five women -- were elected to the House of Commons. All the 10 newly elected Sikh MPs belong to the Labour Party, which has come to power after more than a decade.
With a total of 26 Indian-origin members, apart from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority lawmakers, this is Britain’s most ethnically diverse Parliament so far, according to an analysis by British Future, a think tank.
Prominent among the Sikhs elected to the House of Commons is Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, 46, who has roots in Jalandhar, Punjab. He has been elected from Slough constituency for the third time in a row.
In the previous government, Dhesi, an immigrant, was the shadow minister for railways. Dhesi, who had migrated to the UK in 1987 at the age of nine, had become the first turbaned Sikh in any European Parliament after he won the 2017 snap polls.
Having bagged nearly 57% of the votes polled in his constituency, Dhesi took to microblogging site X to express his gratitude to the electors. “Huge honour to be re-elected by the good people of #Slough as their MP. They voted for change, unity and progress under a @UKLabour Government – which is what I will work hard to deliver for them. Immensely grateful to all whose efforts and teamwork made it possible (sic).”
Along with Dhesi, Preet Kaur Gill, 52, who has also been very vocal in the UK Parliament on Sikh matters and other issues concerning India, was elected for the third time in a row from Birmingham Edgbaston constituency. She defeated Indian-origin Ashvir Sangha by a margin of 8,368 votes. Gill had served as shadow public health minister in the outgoing government. With Labour Party assuming power, Dhesi and Gill can expect important roles in new Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s cabinet.
“An honour and a privilege to be re-elected as MP for Birmingham Edgbaston. Thank you to everyone who put their trust in me. I will continue to serve the people and place I love (sic),” Gill posted a message on X.
The remaining eight Sikh lawmakers are first-timers.
Kirith Ahluwalia, who is known as Kirith Entwistle in UK, became the first woman MP from Bolton North East, getting over 16,000 votes. This is for the first time in 14 years that a Labour party candidate has won from this seat.
“After 14 years of Conservative failure, you’ve demanded change,” said Entwistle in her victory speech.
Sonia Kumar is also the first woman MP to win from the Dudley parliamentary seat. Similarly, Harpreet Kaur Uppal won Huddersfield to enter parliament for the first time.
While Labour Party’s Satvir Kaur won the Southampton Test seat with 15,945 votes, Warinder Juss won from the Wolverhampton West parliamentary seat with 8,000 votes.
Dr Jeevun Sandher and Jas Athwal won from Loughborough and Ilford South parliament seats, respectively. Gurinder Singh Josan won Smethwick to become a first-time MP.
The Labour Party has come to power after over a decade in the opposition. It won 410 seats in the 650-strong House of Commons as against Conservatives who could manage only 118 seats, marking the end of Rishi Sunak’s premiership as the UK’s first British-Indian Prime Minister. There were 15 Indian-origin MPs in the current House of Commons. A record number of 107 British-Indian candidates contested the 2024 UK polls.