BME MPs:

Yesterday OBV and the EHRC (Equality and Human Rights Commission) held a historic reception and photo shoot of the UK's BME Parliamentarians.

Community campaigners and aspiring MPs from the OBV shadowing scheme all came out to celebrate at the gathering in the House of Commons.

At the last election twenty seven minority MPs were elected into the Commons and over forty joined the House of Lords.  

When OBV launched its campaign in 1996 in Westminster's Jubilee room there were only 5 BME MPs. At the time very few commentators would have believed we would be back in the same room fourteen years later to celebrate a quadrupling of that number of MPs.
 
Conservative and Labour MPs bolstered by Lib Dem Lords have irrevocably changed the face of Parliament and how it conducts its business, first and foremost by being there.  

The next step is to see them work collectively to address race inequality in the UK, and promote a positive image of diversity and multiculturalism.

Joining OBV in celebration were Conservative, Labour and Liberal-Democrat  Peers and MPs: Anas Sarwar, Chuka Umunna, Sadiq Khan, David Lammy, Shabana Mahmood, Baroness Meral Hussain-Ece, Virendra Sharma , Keith Vaz, Yasmin Qureshi, Rushanara Ali, Diane Abbott, Adam Afriyie, Rehman Chishti, Helen Grant, Sam Gyimah, Alok Sharma, Paul Uppal, Shailesh Vara, Valerie Vaz, Haleh Afshar, Patricia Scotland - we pay tribute to your endevour and passion and celebrate your success.

A  number MP collegues and Peers also came along to be part of the special occassion.

(Main picture with Labour and Conservative MPs are Baroness Scotland, Trevor Phillips. Simon Woolley and Baroness Haleh Ashfar).