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Labour leaders laud role of Indians in Britain
Senior leaders at Labour Party meet congratulated India and Indian people on their contribution to Brit life and economic activity.
The reception was literally an India evening, hosted by the Labour Friends of India at Hilton in Brighton where the Labour Party Annual Conference was in session. A number of ministers and MPs trooped in to congratulate India and Indian people on their contribution to British life and economic activity. Chief Guests included the Indian High Commissioner and the Rt. Hon. Geoff Hoon MP, British Secretary of State for Defence.
Stephen Pound, Chairman of Labour Friends of India, while welcoming the ministers said: “India and Indian people continue to make strides in every field they are currently engaged in. Whether it’s in the arts, the media, business life and in every aspect of British life they have refreshed and enhanced, it befits us today on our 5th anniversary to celebrate these achievements.”
Pound highlighted the campaigns that Labour Friends of India’s MPs and Peers have championed in the British Parliament to ensure a balance in the ensuing debates concerning India including terrorism in Kashmir, international development and the millennium development goals, and referred extensively to the increasing importance of bilateral trade vis-à-vis business process outsourcing.
In his address, Hoon spoke nostalgically of his personal connection with Indian people residing in Britain as well as his high regard for India: “I regard myself as a great friend of India. It is increasingly important for the UK to establish good relations with the new Indian Government and to work very closely to continue our excellent relations. This is a relationship based on people and not just government-to-government relations and it exists throughout the UK and strengthens the way in which we work together.”
Hoon will be visiting India next week and will meet with his counterpart Pranab Mukherjee.
Responding to Hoon, Indian High Commissioner, Kamalesh Sharma said: “This century will belong to all of us; I pay particular tribute to the leader of this country (Tony Blair) for realising this and encouraging an excellent relationship with India.”
He added “I would like to pay tribute to people of Indian origin in this country; I didn’t realise before I came here recently that it was a whole community of achievers. I am proud to be in UK which lays a premium on respect for all cultures.”
On the Labour Party’s relationship with India, the High Commissioner concluded: “Whenever Labour has led this country they have been good friends of India.”
Peter Hain MP, Leader of The House of Commons and Secretary of State for Wales also commented on the synergy of the Indian community with the growing bilateral trade and investment relationship. He said: “The Indian community in the UK has helped to contribute to transforming Britain into one of the most successful economies in the country.”
Fiona Mactaggart MP, Home Office Minister too iterated: “I am proud to declare myself a friend of India. Ours is a relationship of friendship, collaboration and trade, which importantly provides jobs for the mutual benefit of both our countries.”
Barry Gardiner MP, Minister in the Northern Ireland Office, who is leading a trade delegation to India in October of businesses from Northern Ireland to explore opportunities there said: “I will continue in any guise and any form to be a friend of India – it is vital to the prosperity of our country.”
Focussing on the recent visit by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the British Minister for International Development, Gareth Thomas MP, and a former Chairman of Labour Friends of India spoke of his interest in India. “One of the huge privileges I have is responsibility for the £300 million the Government has committed to tackling poverty in India. It is great that whilst Manmohan Singh was here recently, Tony Blair continued to emphasise the pledge made by the UK to continue to support India for a seat on the UN Security Council.”
Gareth Thomas will be visiting India in the first week of October to review aid projects and meet with senior Indian Ministers and officials.
Just as the recent Air-India – UK negotiations have successfully concluded, Transport Minister Tony McNulty spoke of the many-fold linkages with India that "we share in Britain and in particular pointed to the increased number of British and Indian people visiting each other’s countries as a positive signal of the growth of the relationship with India".
He added: “It is very important to us that there are good, harmonious relations between Britain and India; Labour Friends of India was created to promote this relationship. The Indian community makes a huge contribution to this country and it is hugely important that it goes from strength and strength.” McNulty served as the founding Secretary of Labour Friends of India.
The annual reception marked the 5th anniversary of Labour Friends of India which was launched in 1999 by Deputy Prime Minister Prescott and has since attracted numerous senior politicians over the years including Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, Environment Secretary Margaret Beckett, Lord Chancellor Lord Falconer and many other substantive figures.
In his concluding comments, Pound, Chairman of Labour Friends of India, spoke of the need for the Indian community to engage actively in influencing the Labour agenda for a third term in office.
The annual reception was attended by over 200 guests of whom 40 were MPs and included 10 Government Ministers. Lords, MEPs, local government councillors, union leaders, think tanks, policy institutes and business communities were also represented at the event.
