Will Tories get more elected BME MP’s than Labour, again!

That the Conservative party selected and elected more new BME MP’s than Labour at the 2010 General Election can only be described as lamentable for the Labour party that has 70% of the BME vote.

Last time round the Tories, admittedly from a low base-2- elected a further nine BME MP’s, whilst the Labour party which seeks to pride itself as the party for BME communities, only selected and elected three new BME MP’s.

Four years later, and 8 months before a General Election, both parties are in a poor place. But once again the Tories are ahead selecting three BME candidates in safe Tory seats including Ranil Jayawardena (Hampshire North East), Nusrat Ghani (Wealden) and Seema Kennedy (South Ribble), whilst Labour have only selected two new candidates, not in safe seats, but winnable seats, including OBV alumni Clive Lewis in Norwich.

In clear sign of some concern, Labour party grandees, including Sadiq Khan, David Lammy, Diane Abbott and Parmjit Dhanda are once again calling on the party to introduce all BME shortlists.

The latter, former MP Parmjit Dhanda has just released research that states the Westminster should now have 117 BME MP’s. At present we have only 27.

There are two fundamental problems stopping talented BME individuals, particularly African, Caribbean, and Chinese: lack of political leadership, and institutional racism within party memberships.

However, what may shock many in regards to prejudice attitudes to BME candidates is the fact that white Conservative party members who are more likely to select a BME candidate than white Labour members.

The vast majority of Tory BME MP’s have their seats in predominantly white areas, whilst BME Labour candidates desperately struggle to get selected outside of inner city areas. To make matters worse in many urban areas where BME Labour candidates fair better, the party often impose all women short-list which rarely deliver for BME women.

But even more than the structural problem within political parties is the lack of leadership to impose their will that diversity really matters.

Dhanda’s latest findings, along with the fact that the Conservatives are once again delivering greater BME representation than Labour should be a massive wake up call.

As we edge closer to the General Election the Conservative party know if they can secure a reasonable percentage of the BME vote, thet can win another term. Unlike the Conservatives, the Labour, have yet to seriously see that the BME vote could decide their fate particularly in those all important 168 marginal seats.

Simon Woolley

http://www.theguardian.com/politics/datablog/2014/jul/31/parliament-fail...