In a political twist few would have predicted, Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is finding unexpected traction among one of Britain’s most influential and traditionally Labour-leaning communities of British Indians. Once regarded as a steadfast bastion of Labour loyalty and social moderation, this diaspora now appears to be reconsidering its political home.
New polling by the 1928 Institute, an Oxford-based think tank studying the British Indian community, reveals that support for Reform UK has tripled in just a year; a surge from 4% to 13% that has stunned analysts and party strategists alike. The findings carry a symbolic undertone: a new political awakening is flickering within Britain’s largest minority group.
Reform UK: Is it the “lesser of evils”?
But what lies behind this unexpected awakening? Perhaps it is the growing sentiment that Reform UK, despite its openly anti-immigration stance, now appears to be the lesser of the evils. Both the Conservatives and Labour have, in recent years, shown a covert unease toward immigration, masking their rhetoric behind policy nuance. Reform, by contrast, wears its views on its sleeve, and for some voters, that blunt honesty is oddly refreshing.
Dr Nikita Ved MBE, Executive Co-Chair of The 1928 Institute agrees. She said, “Looking at our data, one of the key insights is that crime ranks as a top priority for many British Indians. In areas where law and order and economic pressures dominate, Reform’s clear and consistent messaging, regardless of its stance on immigration, seems to resonate with voters who value control, safety, and effective delivery.
“The party has positioned itself as one that can ‘get things done’ efficiently, and for those whose main concerns lie in these areas, that message holds strong appeal.
Of course, even with this growth, reaching 13% in our sample, British Indians still support Reform at a lower rate than the general population, where the figure stands closer to 30%. So while this community isn’t a major outlier, the direction of travel is unmistakably shifting.”
When familiar promises stop working
Moreover, disillusionment runs deep. After years of perceived mismanagement of the economy, cost of living, education, and healthcare, the two mainstream parties seem to many like exhausted institutions recycling the same promises. In that landscape, Reform UK’s outsider appeal and promise of disruption may simply seem like the better alternative or at least, a different one.
Former and the country’s first Prime Minister of Indian origin, Rishi Sunak shared a similar assessment of the shifting political landscape in a recent interview with The Times, suggesting that parties like Reform are benefiting from a wider sense of frustration and fatigue among voters. He believes that after years of sluggish economic growth, many people have become more focused on dividing limited resources rather than expanding them; a mood that naturally fuels polarisation.
According to Sunak, the appeal of Reform lies not so much in its ideology as in its perceived freshness. After more than a decade of Conservative rule and a swift decline in enthusiasm for the Labour government that followed, many voters are simply drawn to a party that feels new and untainted by the past. This search for something different, he implies, has created a political environment in which loyalty to the major parties is eroding faster than ever.
Dr Ved adds, “When we asked the community about their top five policy priorities, they identified education, the economy, crime, health, and domestic poverty, which includes the cost of living crisis. Notably, concern about crime as a policy issue has risen sharply since 2020 and parties that address these issues are gaining significant traction in these areas.
“Simply put, when only one in sixteen people feel represented and voter priorities are shifting, many begin exploring alternatives that promise clearer delivery or a stronger voice; which helps explain the rise in support for parties like Reform or the Greens.”
A Green wave among younger voters
Yes! The Green Party. Support for the Greens has also risen to 13%, up from 8% last year.
According to the sample from The 1928 Institute, the rise in Green Party support is most notable among younger voters which may not come as a surprise.
Dr Ved explains, “Among younger British Indians, issues like climate change, skills development, apprenticeships, and access to starter homes are key priorities. Naturally, that demographic may be leaning more towards the Greens. Across all communities, younger generations are increasingly disillusioned by what they see as major parties rolling back on climate commitments. It’s a genuine concern for this generation, and so it’s only natural that their support shifts towards a party that pledges to prioritise these issues.”
The Green party now has 150,000 members and counting, leaving the Liberal Democrats behind.
Another point Dr Ved highlighted was that much of the media’s focus has been on Reform UK’s rising support, overlooking the growing backing the Green Party is receiving from British Indians. “This polling was conducted during the Zach Polanski wave, so it is significant, it’s not just a new trend,” she said.
When asked about aligning with the interests of the Indian diaspora, a Green Party spokesperson EXCLUSIVELY told Asian Voice, the party has always had a broad platform and a strong voice on the climate crisis, the environment, and inequality. “Since becoming leader in September, Zack Polanski is cutting through very well on social and economic issues as well, and that is a result of his bold communication style,” the spokesperson said, adding that the party continues to challenge the status quo of “ever-growing inequality that suppresses social mobility.”
On the importance of the British Indian demographic, the spokesperson said, “We absolutely see British Indians as a strategically significant group of voters. Greens are now polling on a par with Labour and the Conservatives in many polls… Our policies align well with areas of particular interest to British Indians- social justice, sustainability, small business policy, and the cost-of-living crisis.”
“We also continue to challenge Reform wherever we see their brand of divisive and hateful politics”, they said.
The road to the next election
So, what does it look like going into the next general election? Dr Ved believes that each party will attempt to “be all things to all people.”
“You’ll see left-leaning parties possibly adopting more right-wing agendas, while right-leaning parties move even further to the right,” she says. “Who knows? Parties will start borrowing policy priorities from one another, and in doing so, they risk losing their identity.”
When asked what parties should do instead, Dr Ved is clear: “There needs to be fewer symbolic gestures and more genuine delivery on priorities and representation. Concretely, parties need to think about representation beyond optics. Outreach should be nuanced and non-sectarian.”
She points out that more than a third of respondents, nearly 34%, described themselves as having a pluralist identity. “Our respondents often hold multiple identities: they might be Hindu and atheist, Sikh and spiritual. Our identities are complex; they go beyond faith and into culture and lived experience. If communities think that way, political outreach needs to be designed accordingly.”
Dr Ved cautions against treating British Indian voters as a monolithic bloc. “Engaging with us through discrete little buckets of Sikhs here, Hindus there, Muslims over there plays into an outdated, almost divide-and-rule mentality.”
Instead, she says, “Parties should co-design manifestos with community organisations at every level, recruit and empower Indian candidates and staff across the ideological spectrum, and publish how local engagement actually drives policy changes. Otherwise, visits end up feeling performative. They land well in the moment, but a few months later, communities feel disillusioned again.”
To retain the British Indian vote, Dr Ved suggests that parties anchor their manifestos to the community’s top five policy priorities: education, the economy, crime, health, and domestic poverty, particularly the cost-of-living crisis. “Parties should offer credible, measurable plans for each of these areas,” she says. “Constituency-level delivery metrics, things like school outcomes, appointment backlogs, and local crime hotspots, matter deeply. People want to see tangible improvements. Safety, especially, is a key concern.”
She also calls for more targeted engagement. “Younger British Indians care about climate and opportunity, so they’re naturally more Green-leaning. Older cohorts are more focused on crime, the NHS, and pensions — issues that align with Conservative or Reform policies. There’s also a gender dimension: men tend to tilt towards the Conservatives or Reform, while women lean towards Labour and the Greens, prioritising health, childcare, and safety.”
“Ultimately,” Dr Ved concludes, “any party that truly drills into this community, understanding its diversity, priorities, and regional dynamics, stands to benefit. Strategically, that means focusing on key constituencies like the East Midlands, Wolverhampton West, Ilford North, and Harrow East. These are strong British Indian areas and potential swing seats in the next election.”
Asian Voice has reached out to Reform UK to understand the representation and role of the Indian diaspora in their policymaking and how significant this demographic is for the party in the upcoming election.
