In the 1960s and '70s, the United Kingdom received a wave of Indian-origin migrants from African countries who came to be described as ‘twice migrants’.
These were the East African Asians whose forefathers had come from South Asia to British colonies like Kenya, Uganda, Mauritius, Malawi, Tanzania and Zambia to work as indentured labourers, traders, or civil servants.
Some of the most prominent and successful Indian-origin politicians in the UK, including Rishi Sunak, belong to the ‘twice migrants’ families.
As British colonies in Africa gained independence, resentment grew among the native population against the South Asians (overwhelmingly Punjabis and Gujaratis) who had a large share in trade and employment. The ‘Africanization’ drive took different forms in different countries – restricting access to state resources, blatant discrimination, and deportations at short notice – making it imperative for them to leave. Many returned to India, but there was a substantial section which saw the UK as the better option for them for two reasons: they held British citizenship, and they had little or no contact with the land of their forefathers.
Around the same period Britain was tightening up its migration policies. Previously, anyone who lived in the British Empire got UK citizenship under the British National Act of 1948. This facilitated the migration of people from the Indian sub-continent to aid the post-war reconstruction. But laws were changed in the 1960s which made it difficult for commonwealth citizens to migrate to the UK. However, these changes did not affect the white commonwealth citizens who continued to move freely to the UK.
Against all such odds, East African Asians sought resettlement in the United Kingdom. Parts of London and towns and cities in Midlands like Leicester became popular hubs for them. But it was never easy. The Leicester council placed advertisements in newspapers in Uganda discouraging migration to Leicester citing shortage of homes and places in schools, which was a subtle form of racism. Though they were well-educated and ran successful businesses, in the UK the migrants had to start life afresh with low-paying and menial jobs. The ‘twice migrants’ lost their material belongings in Africa and their sense of belonging to India got further diluted.
Sunak’s maternal grandmother, Sraksha, grew up in rural Tanzania and had married Raghubir Berry, a railway engineer, who worked as a tax official in Kampala. His mother Usha was born in Tanzania, but it was Sraksha who first came to the UK followed by the rest of the family. Sunak’s father Yashvir was born in Kenya, and his Punjabi forefathers hailed from Gujranwala. Thus Sunak’s parents who studied in the UK, and his grandparents were ‘twice migrants’, whose initial struggles paved the way for Sunak to reach the political height that he has.
Suella Braverman, who was eliminated from the Tory leadership contest, and her cabinet colleagues, Priti Patel and Shailesh Vara are also ‘twice migrants’. Braverman, who is the Attorney General, was born and brought up in England to parents who had moved to Africa from India. Her father, with roots in Goa, moved to the UK from Kenya, while her mother, with Tamil ancestry, was born in Mauritius. Vara, who studied law in the UK, came to England in the early 1960s as a toddler, having been born in Uganda to Gujarati origin parents. He is the Northern Ireland secretary in Johnson’s cabinet.
Similarly, home secretary Priti Patel, who is popular among the Tory right wing, was born in London to parents who migrated from Uganda. Her paternal grandparents had moved from Gujarat to Uganda where they ran a grocery store. When her parents came to the UK, they established and managed a chain of newsagents. Priti Patel has been a cabinet minister for several years and is likely to continue in her role as home secretary when Sunak or Liz Truss replaces Johnson as Tory leader and UK prime minister in September 2022.
Former Labour MP Keith Vaz who represented Leicester East from 1987 to 2019 was born in Aden to Goan-origin parents who came to the UK in the 1960s. Vaz was chairman of the influential Home Affairs Select Committee. He is famous for getting Bollywood stars in his constituency, and remains an influential figure in British Asian affairs. His sister Valerie Vaz has been a Labour MP since 2010, and represents one of the most politically successful ‘twice migrant’ families.
In the case of Sunak, his marriage to Akshata, daughter of Infosys-founder N.R. Narayan Murthy, has given an extra zing to his India connection, while Patel’s appointment by David Cameron as Indian diaspora champion way back in 2013, along with her good relationship with the Narendra Modi government, has made her one of the most prominent Indian-origin British politicians.
The British government has made the most of the ‘twice migrant’ UK politician. Lord Dolar Popat, who came to England in his teens from Uganda, was made the Trade Envoy to Rwanda and Uganda in 2016. Another Kenya-born, raised in Uganda, Punjabi-origin Tory peer is Lord Sheikh who promotes the Conservative party among the ethnic minorities. Lord Gadhia, an investment banker and prominent Tory donor was born in Uganda to Gujarati origin parents; he made his fortune in the UK.
The success of the ‘twice migrants’, however, must not take away from the prominent individuals who came to the UK from India or were born in the UK to parents who migrated from India. London deputy mayor Rajesh Agrawal, cabinet minister Alok Sharma, Labour MPs Virendra Sharma and Tan Dhesi, and Conservative MP Claire Coutinho are some examples.
In the medley of British politics, the distinction between the ‘twice migrants’ and the migrants has been subsumed by their links to India. But it is important to remember that the journey and success of the ‘twice migrants’ is a convoluted by-product of the British Empire. And Sunak, who took oath as an MP on the Gita, is in the race to be Prime Minister of a country which is yet to elect a South Asian to this top job.
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