We need more BAME Shadow Ministers to propel Ed to Downing Street 

Historically, the fight for racial justice has followed the amazing progress made in the fight for gender equality, particularly in the trade union and Labour movement.

Over the last fifteen years and after many years of debate, campaigning and struggle, the treatment and representation of women has made leaps and bounds in the Labour Party. Our Party is unrecognisable from the one in which women were effectively excluded from positions of influence, with the exception of pioneers like Barbara Castle. Today, we rightly have all women shortlists, an annual Labour women’s conference and 40% of the Shadow Cabinet are women (with a target of 50%). However, we are yet to see the same outcomes for Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) members.

There are 32 people who attend Labour’s Shadow Cabinet. Only two – Sadiq Khan MP & Chuka Umunna MP are from BAME communities, that’s just 6% compared to over 14% of the UK population. The Shadow Cabinet has less than half the BAME representation it needs to be proportionate. The Coalition’s Cabinet is even worse – with just one BAME Minister in the Cabinet out of 33, Sajid Javid MP – that’s just 3%.

As with gender, Labour must continue lead on BAME representation. What a great message it would send to the British people to see Ed Miliband chairing a Shadow Cabinet meeting which includes more Shadow Ministers from all the Britain’s communities, including ethnic minorities. It’s a win-win situation for the Labour Party and the UK.

There are a host of talented BAME Shadow Ministers who could be promoted to the Shadow Cabinet – Lisa Nandy, Chi Onwurah, Seema Malhotra and Rushanara Ali to mention just a few. BAME voters need to see talented BAME MPs given prominent roles.

There are 168 marginal seats in which the BAME vote is greater than the majority of the sitting MP – and this is growing quickly. BAME voters can ensure that Labour wins many of the 106 seats needed to form the next Government, but we cannot take BAME voters for granted.

The 2011 Census showed 14% of the UK population identified themselves as coming from a non-white background. That shot up from 8% just ten years earlier. However, despite an increase of 15 minority ethnic MPs between the 2001 and 2010 general elections, the ethnic diversity of MPs and in the Cabinet and Shadow Cabinet, remains disproportionately low. There are 27 minority ethnic MPs in the House of Commons; 4% of the total. There should be 117.

BAME Labour is looking to the Labour Party to take the lead again and ensure that ethnic diversity of the UK population is reflected at all levels of the Party, including in the Shadow Cabinet.

Kamaljeet Jandu is Chair of BAME Labour