The rise of Black leaders

I share with the Prime Minister the beacon held out by the appointments of these two extremely competent and effective Black men. It is a view that can hopefully inspire many of our young to aspire to a life in politics rather than within the narrow confines that the state education system says they can achieve.

Many Black Britons particularly our youth look at an institution like Westminster and see faces that look nothing like them, speak nothing like them, and 'don't come from where they come from'. It is of little wonder that so few bother to vote for a democracy they feel doesn't resemble the racial diversity of the UK.

They think how can these people remotely understand or hope to represent me? It is for this reason that nine out of ten young people said having more Black representation would make them feel some ownership to participate in the democratic process.

With the appointment of Boateng and Lammy there is potential for this change, Black faces in Government and particularly around the cabinet table can show the world that Britain can be modern and inclusive, and that the Government are committed to race equality.

However, the appointment of Black faces to ministerial level is in itself not sustainable. It needs to be backed up by a comprehensive programme that recruits, retains and promotes Black talent within all the political parties.

We need a training programme that can nurture the talent that already exists in abundance within the party but also, bring into the parties those outside that understand and can serve communities better. This is precisely what we at OBV have done with our MP Shadowing scheme.

The MP Shadowing scheme enabled 21 potential high flyers to shadow a front bench MP for a period of six months in Westminster but also in the constituency. The gulf that exists between national and local politics that stops many engaging was revealed to these participants in the hope that they could fill that void. Many have now gone to hopefully do precisely that. Two have become councillors, three magistrates, three school governors. Some have become Chairs, secretaries and treasurers of their local parties, and others are still working with MP's.

These achievements while small in comparison to the high office that both Boateng and Lammy have achieved are significant and will help nurture a culture of civic engagements and political participation that will be long-term and far reaching.

However, lets congratulate Labour for this shift in progress and put pressure other political parties to do likewise, but ensure they don't take their foot off the gas by resting on their laurels. Yes we know that all twelve MP's that are Black are Labour, and they now have a total of four Black ministers, but the simple truth is that without a plan this position could regress one, five or ten years from now.

After all it has taken 15 years for the talent of a Black MP from the 1987 intake to be identified as cabinet material. But also let us not forget 'Blair's babes', the 101 women elected as part of the 1997 Labour intake. This precedent took a back turn because there wasn't a long-term programme. Now there are less Labour women in 2002 than in 1997. Lets keep up the momentum of the Black political struggle and not repeat the same costly mistakes.

The MP Shadowing scheme is open to all who have a good understanding of local and national politics, and who also want to further that understanding.The scheme, which has been running for three years, has the personal support of the main three party leaders, including the Prime Minister himself.The scheme will not only open doors for the right candidates, but it will also enable them to become ambassadors who can go back to their communities and demystify the role of politics for their communities.Applications for the Shadowing Scheme beginning in September will be accepted from mid-August. If you are interested in participating in the Shadowing Scheme, contact OBV at feedback@obv.org.uk, call 020 8880 6060.