Diplomats, business leaders and parliamentarians discussed the future of UK-India bilateral ties and the Labour Party’s wider connect with the South Asian diaspora at an event co-hosted by the Labour Convention of Indian Organisations (LCIO) and Indian High Commission in London on the sidelines of the Labour Party’s annual conference in Liverpool this week.
Attended by Shadow Secretaries of State and Ministers, including the Shadow Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner MP, Shadow Paymaster General Johnathan Ashworth MP, Shadow Minister Catherine West MP, as well as business leaders, discussions at the dinner event ranged from talking about trade to development and strengthening UK-India relationship. Having previously brought together businesses, parliamentarians and the High Commissioner of India, LCIO believes this was the next step in widening the conversation about the bilateral relationship.
Navendu Mishra, the Indian-origin Labour MP from Stockport and Chair of LCIO, noted: “It is important that ahead of a possible change of government, discussions are had about the future of Britain's relationship with various nations, including India, Bangladesh and Nepal.
“Labour, in government, will transform Britain's standing on the world stage and promote agreements that deliver good, well-paid jobs at home and abroad. It was therefore useful to bring together key figures across the various nations to continue those discussions”.
LCIO said with Labour tipped to be in government following the next general election, the Labour Convention of Indian Organisations (LCIO) decided it was the right time to unite parliamentarians, business leaders, diplomats and community leaders to look ahead at what that Labour government led landscape would look like.
The event this week was attended by several members of the House of Commons and Lords and was addressed by the High Commissioner of India to the UK Vikram Doraiswami and Bangladeshi High Commissioner Saida Muna Tasneem, among others.
The LCIO’s mission statement reads: “Labour’s historical relationship with India and its diaspora has profoundly impacted our world.
“We reaffirm this legacy and our values of pluralism, internationalism, and unity.”
*Info: LCIO
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