50 years ago, I along with roughly 28,000 Ugandan Asians arrived in the UK after being forced out of Uganda by President Idi Amin. What now seems like a lifetime ago, was a very real and uncertain future for Ugandans. My early days started in a Wimpy bar before I became an accountant and then a businessman. My desire to integrate and play a part in society led me to become a Conservative Party activist which started me on my journey that led me to become a member of the House of Lords.
My story is far from unique as many of those who came to Britain and were successful, not only in other areas but also in Parliament. I am honoured to be one of several Ugandan Asians in the House of Lords and the House of Commons. On the occasion of my ennoblement in 2010, a fellow Ugandan Asian, Lord Sheikh, was one of my sponsors, walking me into the chamber to read out my pledge. The work started immediately with me discovering I was on a two-line whip that day, so I couldn’t join friends for a celebration at home until 9.30!
I will forever be grateful to the friendship and hospitality of others who had fled Amin’s Uganda to make a life in Britain as well as those in the UK who welcomed us. People such as Shailesh Vara, who has retained his North West Cambridgeshire seat since 2005 and held significant positions in Conservative governments. People such as Sir Peter Bottomley, MP for Worthing West constituency since 1997 and current Father of the Commons. Peter and his wife Virginia (a Cabinet minister at the time and now Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone) were among those many Britons who took in Ugandan Asian families.
Speaking in a debate on a previous anniversary, Sir Peter said: ‘My wife and I were delighted to go to an RAF camp in Kent to collect Razia and Roshan Jetha, who came to live with us for a year and a half. We learned a great deal from them, and I was also grateful for the £5 a week they gave us, which helped with the housekeeping.’
This welcoming attitude from the Bottomleys exemplifies the tradition of Britain being a place that welcomes refugees as seen during the Second World War. However, all this would have not been possible without the swift action by a previous Conservative government. As Shailesh Vara reminded us in the same debate, speaking of the Ugandan Resettlement Board that was set up when the scale of the Ugandan Asian exodus became shockingly apparent: ‘Edward Heath rightly took the decision that both morally and legally Britain had an obligation to take in the refugees.’
Many of those arriving at Stanstead (nothing more than a few sheds in those days!) and Heathrow, already had British passports. This is important to remember as the government faces really difficult decisions about refugees. These decisions are being managed with skill and a determination to ensure Britain can remain as welcoming as possible whilst recognising the challenge faced by the global migration picture, by a child of emigrant Ugandan Asian parents, Home Secretary Priti Patel.
Immigration remains a concern for many and with a growing number of people wanting to come to the UK, a balance between being compassionate to those wanting to move here whilst recognising the needs and abilities of this country has to be struck. Speaking for myself only, as I think I can in this forum despite a government role as the Prime Minister’s trade envoy to Uganda, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, I have long felt that there needs to be selective immigration to fill skills shortages.
All that remains, and it’s a big task, is for me to list some of the other Ugandan Asians active in Parliament; Baroness Vadera, Lord Verjee, Lord Sheikh, Lord Gadhia, Archbishop Sentamu and of course Priti Patel and Shailesh Vara in the other House. And, on so much larger a scale, the massive Ugandan Asian contribution to the economic and civic well-being of this country. In a short space of time, many of those who had to flee Uganda have seen amazing levels of success, from family-run businesses becoming major global trading companies and dominating the Rich Lists in the UK, to the boardrooms of FTSE 100 firms, the Ugandan Asians have woven themselves into the fabric of British life.
We came as Ugandan Asians unsure of our future and have found ourselves becoming British and being a part of Britain. As much as I don’t like to discuss identity too much due to the trouble it can cause, I will say that our former Ugandan Asians identity has been subsumed into our British identity and, I hope, strengthened British identity in the process. We will never forget those who welcomed us to this country and helped us along the way. The challenge going forward is to ensure that future generations of British Ugandan Asians continue to show the best of our small but energetic group which is entrepreneurial whilst ensuring we look out for our family and community. Amin might have tried to separate us but instead he helped to unite us in a way that we could never have imagined. Our shared history has allowed us to not only come together at a time of need but to go on to make a success of our lives in Britain. We came as refugees and we have stayed as members of the community.
