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General election 2019: New House of Commons is set to be the most ethnically diverse

Late surge in selections of Bame election candidates by Tories and Labour

Record numbers of ethnic minority MPs are set to be elected next month following a last-minute increase in selections of non-white candidates by the Conservative and Labour parties alike.

An analysis suggests that 67 black, Asian and minority ethnic (Bame) MPs could be soon be sitting in the House of Commons – a rise of 15 from the previous Parliament.

i disclosed last month that local parties were lagging behind in choosing Bame candidates, suggesting that the composition of the Commons might barely change.

However,  the think-tank British Future identified a “late diversity surge” in selections by the two biggest parties.

Most diverse Commons

Sam Gyimah defected to the Liberal Democrats ahead of the anticipated snap election
Sam Gyimah defected to the Liberal Democrats ahead of the anticipated snap election (Photo: Jonathan Brady/PA Wire)

It found that there would be 67 ethnic minority MPs next month if each party holds on to the constituencies it won in 2017 – 44 Labour MPs, 21 Conservatives and two Liberal Democrats. Even if some seats change hands, the next Parliament will be the most diverse in the UK’s history.

In addition, two high profile former MPs, Sam Gyimah and Chuka Umunna, are seeking to win seats for the Lib Dems having defected from other parties.

British Future also forecast that for the first time more ethnic minority women will be elected than men.

Sunder Katwala, its director, said: “Ethnic diversity has become a ‘new normal’ in British politics, across parties, and we should expect to see rising diversity in our parliament given the growing diversity of society.

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Last minute selections

“Depending on results, it’s possible that one-in-ten MPs will be from an ethnic minority background – a first for our Parliament. Just a decade ago that figure was one in 40.

“The gap between Parliament and the society is represents is now closing – but there is still work to do to match the electorate, estimated to be around 12 per cent Bame and rising.”

He said there had been an unusually large number of last-minute selections after Boris Johnson called the snap election.

Mr Katwala said both parties had taken that late opportunity to correct the low diversity pattern of selection in target seats: of the 20 ethnic minority candidates most likely to become MPs, all but 3 were only selected in the last 3 weeks.

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