The Sikh Manifesto For Upcoming UK General Elections

The July 4th election presents a fantastic opportunity for the incoming UK Government to paradigm shift their relationship with Sikhs and restore community confidence

The Sikh Network
June 10, 2024 | 3.5 min. read | Analysis

You can read the 2024 Sikh Manifesto by visiting the Sikh Network website.

Around 150 MPs will not be standing during the UK General Election on July 4, 2024, and a similar number of sitting MPs are predicted to lose their seats and be replaced. Unfortunately, we will, therefore, be losing some MPs, mainly through retirement, who have understood and taken up issues for the Sikh community.

However, it also means that nearly 50% of MPs will be new and younger than those replaced. Many may not fully understand and appreciate the specific issues of concern to Sikhs in the UK. The Sikh Manifesto tries to address this knowledge gap and is a valuable briefing document for all MPs elected on July 4 that have hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of Sikh constituents who increasingly have greater expectations of those they elect.

The introduction to this third edition of the Sikh Manifesto, therefore, explains what the Sikh Manifesto is, its purpose, and its achievements since it was first introduced by the Sikh Network in January 2015. It also highlights that there could be as many as one million Sikh voters on July 4 and why the Sikh vote matters. The tone of the third edition is very much influenced by the fact that the country has experienced unprecedented political turmoil and challenges since December 2019, and that we may have a Labour government for the first time since the Sikh Manifesto was first introduced almost a decade ago.

Sikhs in the UK, in some respects, are no different from the wider public in terms of concerns about the economy, interest rates and the cost of living crisis, the state of the health service, concerns about immigration and defence, the quality of education, climate change, housing, law and order, policing, etc.

The Sikh Manifesto, therefore, deliberately focuses on specific issues of interest and concern to Sikhs in the UK that individual politicians, political parties and the UK Government should address. It is also ironic the Sikh Manifesto is being released when Sikhs across the globe are marking the 40th anniversary of the 1984 Sikh Genocide, which remains the most traumatic point in modern-day Sikh history.

Each of the ten sections set out key priorities, supported by useful background information. There are two to four key priorities in each section to help focus the minds of politicians, the UK Government and the Sikh community. In total there are over 25 key priorities where the Sikh community is looking for actions over the next five years from either MPs, political parties, party leaders, or the UK Government, and other decision makers.

It is now widely noted that the worldwide Sikh Diaspora is facing transnational repression, demonisation, and political interference by the Indian government. Whilst much of the recent publicity has focused on the US, Canada and Australia, the large British Sikh community has increasingly been questioning UK Government policy for at least four decades. Policy that appeases the Indian government and provides opportunities for political interference.

Sikhs in the UK are third or fourth generation and many have lost trust in politicians and the UK Government, who have far too often been pressured or blackmailed by the Indian government and compromised Sikhs for the so-called wider national interests of Britain. This has become stark with the attitude and actions of the right-wing BJP Indian government over the last decade that has been pushing the Hindutva agenda across the globe. Their recent re-election moves India one step closer to a one-party state.

In some areas, the third edition of the Sikh Manifesto differs substantially from its previous editions. This is a result of recent developments and a changing attitude of British Sikhs who rightly demand as British citizens that the UK Government put their needs as a minority and role model community ahead of relations and a trade agreement with the right-wing Indian government.

This General Election presents a fantastic opportunity for the incoming UK Government, advisers, and officials to make a paradigm shift in their relationship with Sikh community organisations and restore Sikh community confidence. Political leaders need to have the vision and understanding to recognise that Sikhs have so much more to offer.

In summary, the Sikh Manifesto:

• is an invaluable briefing document for all British politicians, political parties and for the Sikh community to use over the next five years;

• provides a much better understanding of the specific issues currently impacting on Sikhs in the UK;

• is an essential resource that raises awareness and encourages Sikhs to engage with politicians;

• sets out areas where Sikhs in the UK want to see actions and progress; and,

• provides a concrete basis for MPs and the Government to regularly provide feedback to the Sikh community.

The Sikh Network is an open and collaborative collective of Sikh professionals and activists from various Sikh organisations, youth groups, and backgrounds, including human rights, politics, law, academics, and research. The Sikh Network represents UK Sikhs through various projects and initiatives, including the Sikh Manifesto, the UK Sikh Survey, and the Sikh Network Podcast.

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