New British Sikh MP wants to strengthen Labour’s India connection

London: Jeevun Sandher, one of Britain’s newest members of Parliament elected in the Labour Party’s landslide general election victory earlier this month, is determined to restore trust in politics and strengthen his party’s connection with India and its diaspora communities.

The British Sikh first-time MP was elected from Loughborough in the East Midlands region of England, considered a bellwether constituency which has reflected the national result in UK general elections over the years.

He referenced the visit of UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy to India earlier this week as a symbol of the high level of priority the incoming government places on the relationship as it gets on with the job of “delivering change”.

“From a personal perspective, I am a part of the Indian diaspora so I see it as a natural connection, for the Labour Party and the incoming Labour government,” he told PTI in an interview at the Parliament complex in London this week.

“It is a hugely important strategic partnership for us, which is why David has gone out there to stress that it is an incredibly important partnership for us in the region and globally. India is the world's largest democracy, there is a trade deal in the works as well. It is about ensuring that we achieve a lot together for the mutual benefit of both nations,” he said.

Sandher, in his mid-30s, was born in the eastern England town of Luton to parents who migrated from Punjab and regularly travels back to the region with his family. While these India visits will now face a few more protocol hurdles given his new parliamentary role, his work with voluntary organisations such as Labour Indians keeps him closely connected to the country of his heritage.

“I think Labour Indians has helped inform policy, helped me personally as well. I'm incredibly proud of what we've achieved and look forward to achieving even more in the weeks, months and years to come,” he said of his party’s diaspora outreach.

“I am really proud of my Indian roots and really proud of the way our contribution is reflected and recognised in this country. We watch football and then go for a curry, that is the country we live in and it says a lot about our culture,” he noted.

As an economist and political strategist who also spent some time as a teacher in classrooms with disadvantaged children in Somaliland, Sandher feels he has been training all his life for this new challenge in the House of Commons.

He has a clear-eyed vision of his key focus areas after a hectic election campaign interacting with voters in the market town of Loughborough, where he lives when he is not in London on parliamentary business.

“I am an economist and the first thing for me is to get more money in people's pockets. The way we're going to do that is by investing in clean energy, bringing that investment and green prosperity into Loughborough," he said.

"The second priority is about the health service, there's nothing more important to any of us than the health of our loved ones and getting the highest NHS waiting list in history fixed. And thirdly, getting crime down by hiring more police officers and getting youth hubs going,” he added.

Sandher believes there is a “wave of optimism” sweeping through the country since the July 4 election voted out the Conservatives after 14 years, but the focus must now be on delivery for the celebrations to “really kick in”.

“There's a lot for us to do and a lot for us to fix. It is going to be really hard. I would not underestimate the scale of the challenge. This country is in its greatest crisis since 1945, it’s a real turnaround job. It's a massive mess the Tories left us with… We go into politics because we want to achieve change and now we have the chance to make that change,” said the MP, who is slowly getting to grips with a “lot to learn” in his brand-new job profile.