The Conservative Party must change to appeal to the changing face of Britain
4 min read
The Conservative Party prides itself on being an institution of firsts. The first to have a leader and prime minister from a minority ethnic background (Benjamin Disraeli). The first to have a female prime minister, and of course now the first with a leader of Asian heritage.
Black History Month is important for many African-Caribbean people in the United Kingdom but there is an uncomfortable tension with the current Conservative Party.
In 1948, Britain’s Commonwealth subjects answered the call to emigrate and rebuild post-war Britain – symbolised by the arrival of HMT Empire Windrush. The year 2048 will be the centenary of that historic moment and it is forecast that, by the mid-21st century, some 40 per cent of Britons could be from an ethnic minority background. If Conservative members are wondering what this could mean for the party in electoral terms, just look at London today.
The party that prides itself on firsts may be the first major party in the United Kingdom to lose its relevance
Nearly half the capital’s citizens are from a Black or Asian background, but of the 73 London MPs in Parliament, just 20 are Conservative despite securing a historic majority in 2019. Some of those 20 seats have wafer thin majorities, like in Chipping Barnet – where I started out in politics, knocking on doors as a youngster. In those days, Theresa Villiers boasted a majority of over 10,000. Now it is roughly a tenth of that. Why? Some of it is to do with Brexit (two-thirds of Londoners voted to remain) but dig deeper and you will find there is also a demographic shift that has had a major impact on outer London.
If there is one thing that both the left and right of the political spectrum can agree on, it is that tokenism is never enough. Our hugely diverse Cabinet is something to be proud of. They have reached this position, rightfully, because of their political merits. However, the presence of diverse ministers alone has not and will not directly result in improving the Conservatives’ electoral prospects in seats with ethnically diverse populations.
We must ask what the Conservative Party will need to do to ensure that it can appeal to the changing face of Britain today and in the future. This year I put myself forward to be the Conservative candidate for the London mayoral election. I wanted to run on a platform that showed what a patriotic and inclusive offer could look like. Some people were uncomfortable with this brand of politics … so much so that my wings were clipped. But sooner rather than later the party will need to find a way to reach people that, right now, are hostile to the Conservative brand.
How can the Conservative Party once again become a dominant force in urban centres like London? First, we must capitalise on the conservative principles of immigrant communities who value aspiration, faith and family. In an age of cultural wars, we must find a response to closing racial disparities that does not isolate the party’s base.
And finally, we must learn from what has worked in places like Slough, Harrow, and Leicester. Our campaigns must engage with different communities in different ways, while also having a central message that is aspirational and unifying. It’s not rocket science, but unfortunately it feels like it is for too many of my colleagues.
Some will argue that, with a general election looming, 2048 shouldn’t matter to MPs today. This perspective is partly why we are in such challenging times. Too many political leaders have been so obsessed with the now that they have not looked ahead to what’s on the political horizon.
The country is crying out for inspiring, unifying, leadership that reflects modern Britain – not just in how it looks but also how it feels. If Conservative Party leaders continue to ignore this, the party that prides itself on firsts may be the first major party in the UK to lose its relevance.
Samuel Kasumu, former No 10 race adviser
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