Ethnic Minority Voices in London Reflect on International Issues

London (Parliament News) – A recent survey reveals significant ethnic minority concerns in London regarding international events impacting domestic affairs, with considerations ranging from voting decisions to perceptions of racism and policing.

Most ethnic minority Londoners approve that international events affect relations between people in the UK, according to a recent survey that comes as pressures simmer over Israel’s war in Gaza.

Will International Affairs Impact Ethnic Minority Voting in London?

A total of 59 per cent of ethnic minority Londoners think that foreign affairs have a domestic result, the survey for the Mile End Institute at Queen Mary University of London showed.

Some 60 per cent of Pakistani Londoners think that a political party’s position on the dispute in Kashmir will influence their vote at the next general election, and 42 per cent of Indian Londoners say the same.

George Galloway’s shock by-election triumph in Rochdale showed that Gaza is another international element in the coming general election, research fellow Farah Hussain stated.

“You can’t generalise and say every single Pakistani Muslim person in the UK is going to vote a certain way, or that it’s the most important issue for them compared to the cost of living or taxation,” she stated. “But international events such as Gaza and Kashmir do play a part in how ethnic minority people vote in the UK and is something that the parties should consider.”

Is London’s Ethnic Minority Support for Rishi Sunak Fading?

The poll by Number Cruncher Politics of 1,002 white and 1,002 minority adults living in Greater London uncovered that only 26 per cent of all Londoners are pleased with Rishi Sunak’s premiership.

British-Indian Londoners were more corroborative of the UK’s first Hindu PM than other minorities, with 47 per cent either very or somewhat comfortable. The report stated their backing may be a “critical factor” in the general election in constituencies such as Brent, Harrow, Ealing and Hounslow. Asked whom they entrusted more to manage the UK economy, 37 per cent of minority Londoners expressed Labour and 19 per cent said the Conservatives. 

Are Ethnic Minorities in London Victims of Increasing Racism?

The survey also discovered that 13 per cent of ethnic minority Londoners were the victim of a racist happening in the past two years, while an additional 24 per cent witnessed a racist incident but did not experience it directly. It declared that 50 per cent of all Londoners think that the UK is very or moderately racist, and 56 per cent of ethnic minorities, increasing to 83 per cent of Caribbean Londoners. Some 37 per cent overall say the nation is not racist, but that there is room for improvement.

Does London’s Ethnic Diversity Affect Trust in Police?

Caribbean Londoners also led the practice in mistrust of the Metropolitan Police, with 82 per cent of them blending that the Force is “institutionally racist”.  Altogether, 47 per cent of all Londoners including white people supported that view, and 54 per cent of minority Londoners.

There was no agreement about how to fix perceptions of Britain’s largest police force. Only a minority of 30 per cent of ethnic minority Londoners would charge the Met more if there were more officers from their ethnic group. The same number stated having more female officers would push them to trust it more. 

The poll was performed before the London mayoral election. It found more robust support for Sadiq Khan among ethnic minority Londoners than Londoners as a whole – 54 per cent against 43 per cent.  But matching numbers – 34 per cent of white Londoners and 33 per cent of ethnic minority Londoners – were pleased with the way that he has done his assignment as Mayor, significantly lagging 52 per cent support for Labour in London.