There are a multitude of drivers behind the growing number of British Indians shifting towards the Conservatives.

British Indians are now the second-highest earning ethnic group in the UK (just below British workers of Chinese origin). Compared to other non-white ethnicities, levels of female economic activity are higher among British Indians, with fertility rates being lower. This means there is a relatively high proportion of two-income households with lower numbers of children — which in turn reduces the need to be dependent on forms of social welfare.

Being well-integrated in both a socio-economic and social sense, British Indians are more likely to identify more strongly with their British identity than their faith, when compared to other non-white groups — such as British people of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin. It is also worth noting that British Indians were also the most pro-Brexit non-white group. Osterley and Spring Grove in Hounslow — an affluent west London ward with a high Indian-origin presence — delivered a Leave vote of 63 per cent.

While Shah suggests that anti-Muslim prejudice is driving Conservative support among British Hindus, she decides to completely ignore the possibility that Labour’s — specifically Jeremy Corbyn’s — fraternisation with Islamist organisations may have put off a number of British voters of all faiths and ethnicities.

To finish off, Shah then suggests that British Indians should return to their rightful place, joining forces with other non-white groups under the banner of “black resistance”.

Laid bare is the reality that for some, British Indians — traditionally viewed as entrepreneurial, ambitious, and self-sufficient, and now more willing to cut ties with Labour — pose a fundamental threat to their precious white privilege narratives.

---

Dr Rakib Ehsan is a researcher specialising in British ethnic minority socio-political attitudes, with a particular focus on the effects of social integration and intergroup relations.

 

rakibehsan

---