Four British-Pakistanis Make Their Parliamentary Debut
The new parliament will feature a record 242 female lawmakers.
Labour secured around 412 seats, holding a majority of 174.
Britain’s new Prime Minister Keir Starmer will lead the most ethnically diverse and female-inclusive parliament in UK history following a landslide victory on Thursday, which ended 14 years of Conservative rule.
The number of British-Pakistanis in the new parliament remains at 15, with four of them marking their first term.
Labour Party members Afzal Khan, Imran Hussain, Naz Shah, Yasmin Qureshi, Muhammad Yasin, Tahir Ali, Shabana Mahmood, Zarah Sultana, Dr. Zubir Ahmed, Naushabah Khan, and Dr. Rosena Allin-Khan were victorious in the election. They are joined by independent candidates Ayoub Khan and Adnan Hussain, and Conservative candidates Saqib Bhatti and Nusrat Ghani.
Black, Asian, and ethnic minority lawmakers will constitute around 13% of the House of Commons, up from 10% in 2019, making it the largest-ever share of ethnic minority members in the lower house, according to British Future, a think tank.
Since the birth of outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak 44 years ago, minority representation in Britain’s parliament has grown from zero to nearly one in seven lawmakers, as noted by British Future. However, this representation still does not fully reflect the diversity of the population and electorate, with around 18% of people in England and Wales coming from Black, Asian, mixed, or ethnic minority backgrounds.
Sunder Katwala, director of British Future, highlighted the significance of the 2024 election: “The 2024 election is a landmark for representation, with record diversity in our parliament, closer than ever to that of the electorate.” He added that the irony of this coinciding with the end of Rishi Sunak’s premiership underscores how ethnic diversity has become the norm across the main political parties.
The incoming parliament will also see a record 242 female lawmakers, 22 more than after the last election in 2019. Labour’s Diane Abbott, Britain’s first Black female lawmaker, re-elected to her seat in northeast London which she has held for 37 years, will become the “mother of the house” — an honorary title given to the longest-serving female minister.
While final results are still pending, Labour’s victory on Thursday was decisive, winning around 412 seats and representing a majority of 174. The new governing party will have the largest number of ethnic minority MPs, 66 out of 87 elected. However, this diversity may not be reflected in Starmer’s top cabinet, with shadow foreign affairs minister David Lammy, Justice Minister Shabana Mahmood, and Energy Minister Ed Miliband among those expected to be named in his front bench. Thangam Debbonaire, who was anticipated to join the top team, lost her seat.
The Conservative Party, despite being ousted, has a stronger record for diversity in ministerial-level representation. In his final speech as prime minister, Sunak remarked: “One of the most remarkable things about Britain is just how unremarkable it is that two generations after my grandparents came here with little, I could become prime minister.” Sunak was the first British-Indian leader, and all three of Britain’s female prime ministers were Conservatives.
However, Labour’s Rachel Reeves will make history as Britain’s first female Chancellor of the Exchequer, or finance minister.
