The Chair of the Ethnic Minority Election Task Force Cllr Rabi Martins has explained his reasons for supporting the Reflecting Britain campaign, and calls for the Lib Dem leadership contenders to outline their position:

It is good to see the spirit in which the leadership contest is being conducted..open, frank and friendly…. in other words … Very Lib-Dem!!!

Clearly all the three contenders have the capability to continue the work Charles started of building support for the party to maintain our postion as the real opposition and prepare us for even greater presence in the next Parliament.

However, I honestly cannot see how the Party will make the breakthough in the next general election without significant support from our ethnic minority citizens. And we are unlikely to get that support until we are seen as a Party that is inclusive at every level. That is why it is important that we hear what the leadership candidates have to say on this subject. We need to know what practical steps they plan to take to ensure our Parliamentary groups in the Commons and the Lords are more representative of the country and our membership. We need to know what policy initiatives they have in mind to create a society where all citizens regardless of ethnic background are as one when it comes to feeling and thinking “British”

This is particularly important as the many inner city areas where we hope to win council and parlimentary seats have very significant ethnic minority populations.

Leave a Reply