British-Indian Women Triumph in UK Parliament

In the 2024 UK general election, twenty-six candidates of Indian origin won seats, with many being women. The Labour Party, which won a majority in the 650-seat Parliament, fielded a record number of Indian-origin candidates.

**_{Suella Braverman, Conservative Party. Image: Jeff Moore/PA Images via Getty Images}**

Labour Party Victories

Lisa Nandy
Lisa Nandy retained her Wigan seat for the Labour Party. Influenced by her Kolkata-born Marxist father and social worker mother, Lisa has been an MP since 2010. She co-founded the think tank Centre for Towns, focusing on the prosperity of Britain’s towns.

Nadia Whittome
Nadia Whittome won the Nottingham East constituency. Elected at 23 in 2019, Nadia is the youngest serving MP. With a background in hate crime work and care, she is also one of the few queer MPs in the House of Commons.

Satvir Kaur
Satvir Kaur won the Southampton Test constituency with a significant margin. A Labour Party member since 2011, she has championed zero tolerance for hate crimes and transformed the city’s library services.

Preeti Kaur Gill
Preeti Kaur Gill secured the Birmingham Edgbaston seat, becoming Britain’s first female Sikh MP in 2017. She has served as Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health since 2023 and chairs the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs.

Seema Malhotra
Seema Malhotra held her Feltham and Heston constituency. Serving since 2011, Seema focuses on providing better education and employment opportunities for underprivileged children through her charity, Hounslow’s Promise.

Sureena Brackenbridge
Sureena Brackenbridge won the Wolverhampton North East constituency. A Deputy Headteacher, she emphasized Labour’s commitment to economic security, lower bills, and a stronger NHS.

Conservative Party Wins

Claire Coutinho
Claire Coutinho won the East Surrey constituency. Born to Goan parents who worked for the NHS, Claire studied at Oxford and worked at Merrill Lynch and KPMG before entering politics. Elected in 2019, she is now Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero.

Suella Braverman
Suella Braverman retained her Fareham & Waterlooville seat. With a background in law, Suella has been controversial for her strict measures on migration and was sacked as Home Secretary after challenging Prime Minister Sunak.

Priti Patel
Priti Patel retained her Witham seat in Essex. Born to Ugandan-Indian parents, Priti has been an MP since 2010 and served as Home Secretary from 2019 to 2022. She is known for her strong views on immigration and criminal justice.

Shivani Raja
Shivani Raja won the Leicester East seat. A first-generation British citizen, Shivani has a degree in cosmetic science and participated in the 2017 Miss India UK beauty pageant. She is passionate about Leicester’s future.

Liberal Democrats

Munira Wilson
Munira Wilson reclaimed her Twickenham constituency. Born to East African Indian parents, Munira worked for Save the Children and other organizations before entering Parliament in 2019. She focuses on local issues like Heathrow noise and pollution.

Other Victories

Valerie Vaz
Valerie Vaz secured the Walsall and Bloxwich seat for a fifth term. Born in Yemen to Goan parents, Valerie has a background in law and media. She served as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons from 2016 to 2021.

These women MPs represent a new wave of leadership in UK politics, bringing diverse backgrounds and strong commitments to their roles.

Re-reported from the articled originally published in Forbes.