From Dadabhai to Downing Street, the evolution of Indians in British politics | Research News,The Indian Express
As Rishi Sunak contends for leadership in the UK, heres a look at how Indians came to the country and how they've integrated politically since arriving there
For nearly three centuries, the politics of India has been entwined with those of the United Kingdom, with the balance of power firmly in the hands of the latter. However, incrementally, the all-encompassing British Empire now is a shadow of its former self, with the political landscape of the country evolving.
The most recent example of this is former British finance minister Rishi Sunak, a grandchild of British Indian immigrants, who is in the running to replace Boris Johnson as the next UK Prime Minister.
According to the 2011 census of England and Wales, there were 1.4 million people of Indian origin residing in the UK, accounting for 2.5 per cent of the overall population. Indians have been migrating to Britain for centuries, but the two most significant waves occurred after Independence.
The first wave was in the late 1940s and 50s when migrants were recruited from India to fill the labour shortage resulting from World War II. The second wave took place in the 1960s and 70s, when the so-called ‘twice migrants’ arrived from East Africa after being forced or encouraged to leave countries like Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. The families of the Home Secretary, Chancellor and Attorney General are all part of this latter group.
Despite having lived in the UK since the 1700s, British Indians emerged as a political force only recently. Back when they first arrived, they had neither the status nor the resources to launch political campaigns.
Rating: 5