UK Sikhs Go To The Polls With Tough Decisions To Make
UK Sikhs Go To The Polls With Tough Decisions To Make
"The 2024 election leaves Sikhs between a rock and a hard place, or even unknown territory."
Jasveer Singh
July 3, 2024 / 6 min. read | Opinion
The UK goes to the polls tomorrow for the 2024 general election, leaving much of the British electorate, including Sikh communities, split.
Rishi Sunak announced the July 4 election day on May 22, leaving voters less than four weeks to decide but with more options than ever. The battle between the Conservatives and Labour will decide the Prime Minister, while the Workers Party, independent candidates, and others fight for important constituencies that will shift political power in the UK.
Opinions on where Sikh interests lie within these options vary from group to group. However, no route looks obstacle-free. Sikh priorities often conflict with party interests, so the 2024 election leaves Sikhs between a rock and a hard place, or even unknown territory.
As an aside, Sikh community interests regarding how to vote in the election are based on the advocacy and articulation of Sikh positions by the likes of The Sikh Network’s manifesto, The Sikh Vote campaign and The Sikh Press Association’s due diligence built from a decade of community engagement. The space is dominated by third-party groups as the vast majority of UK Sikh organisations, including Gurdwaras, are prevented by Charities Commission rules from officially endorsing any candidate or party.
A Rock: The Conservative Party
To some, rock means solidity and consistency. To others, rock is cold and unnurturing. The Conservatives have been the rock on which current UK politics has been built for the last 14 years, culminating in the huge drop in support currently evident for the party.
The reasons for that include, but are not limited to, the general economic downturn in the UK, the poor handling of the Covid pandemic, and increasing pandering towards far-right ideologies, which have made much of the nation decide the Conservatives do not deserve to be in charge of Britain any longer after 14-years.
On Sikh issues, the #FreeJaggiNow campaign team has been open about Tory failures, although it must be noted that campaign lead Gurpreet Singh Johal is a Labour Councillor. The Tories have also yet to take any action on Indian interference despite major media exposure of the issue. Tory ties to the Indian nationalist regime through the likes of Priti Patel, Rami Ranger, Bob Blackman and Sunak himself, amongst countless others, further underline Sikh concerns.
Many Sikhs will still say the Conservatives are still the best option for UK Sikhs. Thus far, though, not a single Sikh body seems to endorse the Tories. That includes their own Sikh Tories unofficial support group, which seems to have stopped their service of the Tories as a collective. However, long-time members and party advocates Jay Sohal (also involved in Sikh Army engagement work), and Gurjit Bains (formerly associated with Guru Nanak Darbar Gravesend Gurdwara) continue their own individual campaigning.
A Hard Place: The Labour Party
Labour may be a safe bet to win the next election, but it is still hard to like in its modern guise.
Most Sikhs will still vote Labour according to recent data, but anecdotally, many will have noted Sikhs are among groups showing a growing disdain for modern "left/centre-left" parties.
In recent years, we have seen mistreatment within the party of Sikh political figures like Jas Athwal, Dabinderjit Singh and Chaz Singh, resulting in the latter leaving the party altogether.
Labour has also been increasingly cozy with the Indian nationalist lobby, overlooking human rights abuses to celebrate trade, whilst they also recently partnered with the 1928 Institute, the Oxford University thinktank criticised for suggesting “Hinduphobia” is the most prominent form of hate Indians suffer in the UK.
Yet, the position of #FreeJaggiNow campaign lead Gurpreet Singh Johal within the party should still suggest they are the best route into seriously tackling India’s Anti-Sikh transnational repression. However, Labour’s responses to the #GazaGenocide are a major reason they have lost many votes, which may be enough to question the integrity of the party on foreign policy.
Nevertheless, the Sikh Federation UK has already stated it believes the majority of Sikhs will vote Labour, and there is ample reason to see why.
Labour recently made a cohesive effort to say they will finally follow through with a push for an inquiry into the UK's role in India's 1984 Sikh Genocide. As well as these bigger gestures, Labour's grassroots Sikh engagement has been taken up a notch in the last month, with some suggesting it is because they know they have lost the Muslim vote.
In Coventry, the Sikh community seems to support Zarah Sultana, Mary Creagh, and Taiwo Owatemi, who was prominent in raising the West Midlands Three situation in parliament.
Similarly, the Sikh Federation UK's Twitter feed suggests Labour candidates across the Midlands, in Newcastle and Southampton, seem to be favoured by the community. The Sikh Federation UK has also highlighted how Labour may potentially have more dastaar (Sikh turban) wearing MPs join the first, Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, in parliament.
Altogether, there are a possible 16 Sikh Labour candidates, compared to just three with the Conservatives.
However, MP Dhesi’s situation reflects the hard place Labour are in. For most of his period in power, he has been immensely popular. Still, he was recently subjected to vocal criticism at a Mosque based on perceptions about his and Labour’s lack of support for a ceasefire in Gaza. Nevertheless, along with Preet Kaur Gill, he still reflects a much more vocal and visible political Sikh presence, which has undeniably helped amplify Sikh community issues in parliament.
Unknown Territory: The Rest
The much-noted public despondency with Labour – which anyone paying attention will have noticed in Sikh circles – has directly led to the formation of the Workers Party, something the socialist group cite themselves. The advocation for the working class, which includes the immigrant Sikh communities of many inner-city areas, is one reason, but not the only one, some Sikhs support the party.
Party Leader George Galloway is controversial but undeniably charismatic, especially when calling out the geopolitical hypocrisy of the UK, including on India and Sikhs. The likes of the AK Media 47 team, which is ran by West London based Sikhs, and Sikh Youth UK have endorsed Sikh Workers Party candidates for Southall and Hounslow, stronghold Sikh constituencies.
The Green Party, often a popular choice behind the two leading parties, has been praised by the Sikh Federation UK for “publicly [supporting] the Sikh Manifesto.”
Perhaps surprisingly to some, the far-right anti-immigration Reform Party has some Sikh support, mainly through activist turned MP candidate Prabhdeep Singh, who had campaigned on issues like ULEZ and the cost of living crisis before joining the party headed by Nigel Farage. Farage has previously included Sikhs in his attacks on migrants, leading to groups like the Sikh Press Association challenging his narrative.
The Liberal Democrats represent the traditional third option outside of Labour and Conservatives. The party has tried to become an alternative for Sikhs, with representatives like Stephen Richmonds addressing various questions about #TheSikhVote.
Beyond these parties, SNP represents an obvious choice for Panthic voters in Scotland due to their efforts on the #FreeJaggiNow campaign, mainly through Jaggi's local MP Martin Docherty-Hughes.
For Sikhs in Wales the fact Plaid Cymru have confirmed they have had all candidates check the Sikh Manifesto is a welcomed move.
Yet, the independent candidates running for election may be more interesting than all these options. This cycle could see an unprecedented level of non-party-affiliated members of parliament.
According to ex-Labour rep turned independent candidate Chaz Singh, this would be beneficial towards Sikh causes, allowing individuals to raise issues like the suspected assassination of Shaheed Bhai Avtar Singh Khanda without having to pander to party agendas regarding India.
Labour’s culling of members loyal to previous leader Jeremy Corbyn has seen the creation of the most prominent and likely-to-win independent candidates in Corbyn himself, Diane Abbot, and Claudia Webbe, who recently won much Sikh support for her efforts engaging with the community at a grassroots level and recognising sentiment around topics like Khalistan.
Theoretically, these candidates could be freer from the pressures and agendas afflicting the main parties, Labour and Conservatives, to serve Sikh interests. On the other hand, some may say they do not have enough presence to make change. Either way, mass voting in these directions will leave Sikhs in unknown territory.
In summary, the 2024 UK election leaves Sikhs in a difficult position, no matter the outcome, with no clear path for the community's interests. Regardless, Panthic efforts in political engagement seem to have increased, and with that, hope remains for a government that better serves British Sikhs.
Jasveer Singh hails from Southall, UK, and is the Senior Press Officer of The Sikh Press Association, a position he has held since 2015. In this role, Jasveer works across all sectors of media supporting Sikh organisations and individuals on Panthic endeavours. Jasveer previously worked as a freelance journalist which included stints with Sky News, Super Fight League, and more. You can find Jasveer on Twitter at @Jazzthejourno.
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