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From Red to Blue? Why some British Indians are turning away from Labour.
The Labour Party have been the natural party of choice for Britain’s ethnic minority groups because of positive racial policies. However, following the 2010 General Election, researched showed this was no longer the case for British Indian voters. I’m a third generation British Indian and 10 years ago, I was revising for my A Level exam in Government and Politics; the textbook said, “All ethnic minorities vote for the Labour Party.” I disagreed.
My research is on British Indian voting and why there is an increase in votes for the Conservatives. I have conducted 48 semi-structured interviews with MPs, Councillors, Peers and Labour, Conservative, Green, Liberal Democrat and Reform UK 2024 Parliamentary candidates. My thesis uses case studies, firstly analysing reports in The Eastern Eye on the two main parties. Secondly, on Rishi Sunak, as the first British Indian Prime Minister, he is a role model and is spoken of highly. Following the 2024 election, my thesis considers changing political attitudes towards the Liberal Democrats and smaller political parties.
Through my data, I have explored the reasons behind British Indians voting for the Conservative Party. Reasons include, but is not limited to, policies and visible representation at the top.