I am a Conservative because I firmly believe in the Party’s values of aspiration, a belief in enterprise; a dedication to education; the importance of faith, family, philanthropy and community; and, perhaps most crucial of all, the importance of integrating into wider society. These are the values we proudly stand for and for which we have been successfully elected on in recent elections. It was therefore deeply upsetting to know that anyone should feel unable to realise the true potential of our Party’s values, particularly on the ground of race.
That is why my Conservative colleagues and I welcomed last week’s release of Professor Swaran Singh’s independent investigation on alleged discrimination within the Conservative Party. First called for by former Chancellor Sajid Javid MP back in 2019, the report took evidence from Hindu, Muslim and Sikh communities seeking their experience of engaging with the Party. Our Party Chairman, Amanda Milling MP subsequently made it her mission to address any form of discrimination within the Party and ensure a credible complaints process is in place.
Whilst the report did make uncomfortable reading at times, the investigation did not find any evidence of systematic discrimination against any particular group. With regards to Islamophobia specially, there was no indication that anti-Muslim sentiment in the party is in any way institutional. The report also found that there was no political interference in the Party’s complaints process.
This is reflective in our Party’s historic ethos. We were the first Party to have a Jewish Prime Minister in Benjamin Disraeli. We were the first Party to have a female Prime Minister in Margaret Thatcher (recently followed by Theresa May!). And we were the first Party to have not just one – but four – British Indian Cabinet Ministers – with Rishi Sunak and Priti Patel holding the two highest offices in the country. Baroness Sayeeda Warsi was also our first Muslim Party Chairman and female Muslim Minister in the Lords. This demonstrates the importance of eliminating any barriers to our Party’s commitment to break glass ceilings.
But of course, we can always do better, and that is why the Prime Minister and the Conservative Party immediately accepted all the recommendations set up by Professor Singh’s investigation. The Conservative Party is a broad church of ideas and personalities and we want more people to come forward to add to our rich heritage. Our diversity makes us stronger and I hope that this investigation encourages more people, particularly from BAME background to come forward to engage with the Party at a local and national level.
The troubled times around us are a reminder that any incident of discrimination is wrong, and we must stamp out discrimination of any kind. But to do that requires courage and the confidence to know that complaints will be taken seriously. This is addressed by the Party’s plans to issue a new complaints framework, to ensure they are dealt with in a timely and professional manner.
I would not want anyone to be prevented from realising the true potential of our Party’s values. Conservatives believe in the fair access of opportunity and race or discrimination should never be a barrier to accessing the Party. I therefore welcome Professor Singh’s investigation. It is a clear sign of Party’s zero tolerance on discrimination, which I hope will reflect that the Conservative Party remains one of the most progressive political parties in history.
