Starmer must realise anti-Indian politics will hurt Britain’s ties with India – Firstpost

India-UK relations are truly comprehensive and the scope of further improvement is enormous. However, the anti-Indian stand on certain issues and unacceptable political statements tarnishing the image of India and Indians can constrain the blossoming of the bilateral ties to their full potential.

The latest in this issue is a statement by no less than the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. When American multi-billionaire Elong Musk criticised his alleged complicity in the “rape of Britain” by “grooming gangs” of ethnic British Pakistanis during his tenure as Director of Public Prosecutions in England and Wales, Prime Minister Keir Starmer used the term “Asian grooming gangs” while defending himself. While such a statement might have pleased the British Pakistanis and Pakistan, the British Indian community took serious offense.

A spokesperson of Friends of India Society International UK rightly commented, “It’s an insult to every Asian…. When it comes to grooming gangs, we are Asians and when they talk about Kashmir, we are suddenly Indians.” The chair of the Hindu Council pointed out that even Hindu and Sikh girls were victims of the perpetrators of crime who were of Pakistani descent and how could the Prime Minister sort to whitewash such atrocities.

The careful use of language and terms by political leaders are extremely important. There are leaders in the UK who do raise the issue of Kashmir in the Parliament, even if the government stand characterises the Kashmir issue as a dispute between India and Pakistan. In December 2023, a Member of Parliament of the Scottish National Party brought up the Kashmir issue in the British Parliament and wanted to know the government stand on the Indian Supreme Court’s decision on abrogation of Article 370.

But this time, it is the Prime Minister of Britain himself who made a statement that offended the Indian community in his country and it indirectly amounted to throwing mud at India. Prime Minister Starmer is the leader of the Labour Party which has had a tradition of anti-Indian postures on many issues. A few years ago, the Labour Party was branded anti-India by many in the British Indian community when the party leaflet during a byelection used an image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi shaking hands with Conservative British PM Boris Johnson saying, “Don’t risk a Tory MP who is not on your side.” At another time, to woo the radical Sikh voters the Labour Party made a promise in its poll manifesto to hold an independent investigation into British role in 1984 Operation Bluestar. Some of the Labour Party leaders have openly supported the Khalistan movement.

However, the Labour Party under the leadership of Keir Starmer has tried to bring down the anti-India image of the party. The party under Jeremy Corbyn was notoriously anti-India. During the last election in July 2024, the party went all out to woo the Hindu voters. At least one member of the party, Parbinder Kaur, was placed under investigation for his links with the Khalistani elements. Starmer has been vocal about mending UK-India ties and he reportedly made a statement during a meeting of the labour Friends of India saying: _“_Any constitutional issues in India are a matter for the Indian Parliament and Kashmir is a bilateral issue for India and Pakistan to resolve peacefully.”

Yet, recently, Conservative Peer Rami Ranger and Managing Trustee of Hindu Council Anil Bhanot had their honours revoked. Bhanot’s fault was to tweet against the atrocities on the Hindus in Bangladesh and Ranger had criticised the BBC Documentary, India: The Modi Question. The decision of the Forfeiture Committee was conveyed to the King through Prime Minister Starmer. All these are happening despite the traditional tilt of the Hindu community in the UK in favour of the Labour Party.

There are clear indications that Prime Minister Starmer intends to improve ties with India. The negotiation on the India-UK Free Trade Agreement and Bilateral Investment Treaty are reportedly going to start in February. In fact, India and the UK are strategic partners and there are numerous areas where the relationship has been strong. Differences over the Ukraine War have not disrupted the relationship. There is broad convergence in the worldview of the strategic communities of the two countries. The Indo-Pacific strategies of India and the UK also have ample areas of convergence and cooperation. Trade and investment ties between the fifth largest and the sixth largest economies are bound to deepen further, if FTA comes to its logical and positive conclusion.

But the constructive political chemistry between the leaders of the two countries, and positive popular sentiments of the people in the two democracies are critical in sustaining the strategic partnership and carrying it further forward. The anti-India activities of extremist and separatist groups within the United Kingdom, violence against Indian diplomats and attacks on Indian High Commission and tolerance of anti-India hate speeches in the name of freedom of speech can hinder the relationship and delay the implementation of programmes and policies aimed at optimising cooperative initiatives.

The writer is editor, ‘India Quarterly’, and founder chairperson, Kalinga Institute of Indo-Pacific Studies. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost’s views.