South Asians take over UK Parliament

The representation of black, Asian and ethnic minorities in the House of Commons has seen a significant rise, now standing at around 13%, a marked improvement from the 10% in 2019. More than half of this 13% are South Asian British politicians, a fact that underscores the evolving political landscape in the UK. 

According to an analysis by British Future, a think tank, this is the highest number of South Asians elected in UK Parliament history, which demonstrates the greater need for representation by the South Asian community. 

The newly elected government boasts a diverse group of 45 MPs with South Asian backgrounds: four Bangladeshis, 15 Pakistanis, and 26 Indians. This diversity is a testament to the increasing representation of South Asians within the UK, a trend that is set to continue. 

The four Bangladeshi MPs are: 

• Tulip Siddiq- Labour Party 
• Apsana Begum – Labour Party 
• Rushanara Ali – Labour Party 
• Rupa Huq – Labour Party 

The 15 Pakistani MPs are: 

• Afzal Khan – Labour Party 
• Imran Hussain – Labour Party 
• Naz Shah – Labour Party 
• Yasmin Qureshi – Labour Party
• Muhammad Yasin – Labour Party 
• Tahir Ali – Labour Party 
• Shabana Mahmood – Labour Party 
• Zarah Sultana – Labour Party 
• Dr Zubir Ahmed – Labour Party 
• Naushabah Khan – Labour Party 
• Dr Rosena Alin-Khan – Labour Party 
• Ayoub Khan – Independent 
• Adnan Hussain – Independent 
• Saqib Bhatti – Conservative Party 
• Nusrat Ghani – Conservative Party 

The 26 Indian MPs are: 

• Rishi Sunak – Conservative Party 
• Suella Braverman – Conservative Party 
• Priti Patel – Conservative Party 
• Claire Coutinho – Conservative Party 
• Gagan Mohindra – Conservative Party 
• Shivani Raja – Conservative Party 
• Seema Malhotra – Labour Party 
• Valerie Vaz – Labour Party 
• Lisa Nandy – Labour Party 
• Preet Kaur Gill – Labour Party 
• Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi – Labour Party 
• Navendu Mishra – Labour Party 
• Nadia Whittome – Labour Party 
• Jas Athwal – Labour Party 
• Baggy Shanker – Labour Party 
• Satvir Kaur – Labour Party 
• Harpreet Uppal – Labour Party 
• Warinder Juss – Labour Party
• Gurinder Josan – Labour Party 
• Kanishka Naraya – Labour Party 
• Sonia Kumar – Labour Party 
• Sureena Brackenbridge – Labour Party 
• Kirith Entwistle – Labour Party 
• Jeevan Sandher – Labour Party 
• Sojan Joseph – Labour Party
• Munira Wilson – Liberal Democrats

The substantial presence of South Asian MPs in Parliament not only provides a more accurate representation of the South Asian community in the UK but also ensures that their voices, which were previously underrepresented, are now being heard.