A radical demographic shift means that Britain’s ethnic minority vote may determine the outcome of the 2015 election, according to research. The Guardian newspaper reports that a study by the cross-party group Operation Black Vote (OBV) found the number of seats where black and Asian voters could decide the outcome had rocketed by 70% compared with the 2010 election.
The study suggests that in 168 marginal seats, the ethnic minority vote is bigger than the majority of the sitting MP. The seats extend beyond inner-city areas to include places such as Southampton, Oxford, Sherwood, Ipswich and Northampton. The findings will be of particular concern to the Conservative Party, who have acknowledged that they are struggling to capture the ethnic minority vote. The party secured only 16% of the minority vote at the last election, compared with 68% for Labour. Experts say the trend will continue and may change the dynamics of British politics.
MPG’s toolkit on Becoming a Party of choice includes a benchmarking tool to help parties opening to diversity and equality, from voters and candidates to staff and suppliers. It includes examples of strategies and schemes that can be used by political parties to reach out to voters with an migrant background.
The toolkit also includes a comparative analysis of various initiatives initiated in this field by political parties in France, Germany and the UK.
A new project, DivPol, was launched earlier this year and will use MPG’s tool.
