A historic number of British Indian politicians secured seats in the House of Commons this week as the Labour Party staged a comeback after 14 years. Notably, former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and several new faces from the Conservative Party managed to survive despite a tough electoral outcome. Kerala-born Sojan Joseph made headlines by becoming the first Labour candidate to win the Ashford constituency in its 139-year history.
In total, 28 British Indians were elected to Parliament, with the Labour party leading the charge. Veteran MPs like Seema Malhotra (Feltham and Heston) and Lisa Nandy (Wigan) retained their seats, while Valerie Vaz, of Goan origin, won the newly formed Walsall and Bloxwich constituency.
Sojan Joseph’s victory over veteran politician Damien Green in Ashford sparked celebrations in Kerala, where he is originally from Kaipuzha in Kottayam district. Currently serving as a mental health nurse with the Kent National Health Service, Sojan has been residing in the UK since 2002.
“I am very happy. A Malayalee went there and won. He calls home every day,” Sojan’s father remarked to the media on Friday.
Among the newly elected Labour MPs were also several British Sikh representatives, including Preet Kaur Gill and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi reclaiming their seats. Navendu Mishra (Stockport) and Nadia Whittome (Nottingham East) were among those re-elected with significant margins.
First-time Labour MPs include Baggy Shanker (Derby South), Harpreet Uppal (Huddersfield), Gurinder Josan (Smethwick), Jas Athwal (Ilford South), Jeevun Sandher (Loughborough), Kanishka Narayan (Vale of Glamorgan), Kirith Entwistle (Bolton North East), Satvir Kaur (Southampton Test), Sonia Kumar (Dudley), Sureena Brackenbridge (Wolverhampton North East), Warinder Juss (Wolverhampton West), and Sojan Joseph (Ashford).
