Labour MP for Stockport, Navendu Mishra, reportedly asked a series of written parliamentary questions about India without declaring donations from Indian organisations, according to magazine ‘POLITICO’.
The report, based on POLITICO's scrutiny of parliamentary records, alleged that Mishra received £4,929 from the Indian High Commission to sponsor a reception at the Labour Party conference last year and also allegedly accepted an £11,304.50 trip to India funded by the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), one of India's largest business lobbying groups.
Navendu Mishra, MP for Stockport since 2019, previously worked for the John Lewis Partnership and as a union organiser for UNISON, where he supported care workers in precarious jobs. He also has a long track record of engaging on issues related to India and being a prominent advocate for strengthening the UK-India relationship, often championing it at a time when few within his party took a clear stance on the matter.
Upon approaching Mishra for a comment, in a statement to Asian Voice, a Labour spokesperson said that, “Navendu Mishra has consistently declared his interests when speaking in parliament. Having not done this for written questions, he has notified the Commons Registrar.”
“As an MP of Indian heritage, the written parliamentary questions Navendu has tabled represent legitimate and longstanding interest in affairs related to India. They do not and have never represented any commercial interests, and any suggestion otherwise is completely inaccurate.”
The spokesperson also clarified that the funds from the Labour Party Conference event went toward covering food and photography costs, with Navendu receiving no direct benefit. They added that his trip to India was in his capacity as a shadow cabinet PPS, supporting the shadow cabinet’s efforts to strengthen ties with India, and was fully declared in accordance with parliamentary rules.
Since September 2023, Navendu has tabled 14 questions regarding UK-India relations. Some of thequestions tabled included - asking the Deputy Foreign Secretary, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of supporting a permanent seat for the Republic of India on the United Nations Security Council, asking the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether the United Kingdom and India collaborate on space programmes, asking the Deputy Foreign Secretary, how many staff in his Department were based in the Republic of India as of 15 April 2024, asking the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the number of international students studying in the UK from India in the last 12 months, among others.
A spokesperson from Indian High Commission told Asian Voice said, “The High Commission of India has not funded any political party or MP to host the High Commission’s reception at last year’s Labour Party conference. All dues for this event were paid directly to the restaurant, photographer and other service providers.”
