All three Bangladeshi-origin MPs in the UK Parliament, who are seeking re-election in the December 12 General Election, have signed up to an anti-Brexit pledge to campaign to Remain in the European Union (EU) if they win their seats again.
Tulip Siddiq, who is contesting from Hampstead and Kilburn in north London; Rupa Huq, who is fighting from Ealing and Central Acton in south-west London; and Rushanara Ali, who will be contesting her Bethnal Green and Bow seat from east London are among over 100 Labour Party candidates to sign the “Remain Labour Campaign Pledge” this week.
“Labour is committed to a confirmatory referendum, to give you the final say on Brexit. If elected as your Labour MP, I pledge to campaign to Remain in the EU,” reads the simple pledge.
All three MPs have been very vocal in their anti-Brexit stance in the House of Commons and repeatedly attacked the Prime Minister Boris Johnson led government for trying to push through a damaging deal in his attempt to meet the October 31 Brexit deadline. The snap General Election next month is a result of Johnson’s failure to get his withdrawal agreement through Parliament and an attempt by the ruling Conservatives to win a majority in order to see that Brexit deal through by the new deadline of January 31, 2020.
However, the Opposition Labour Party is contesting on the platform of promising the electorate another say on any Brexit agreement reached by a Labour-led government, a so-called People's Vote.
“Happy to have signed the Remain Labour Pledge – for a People’s Vote and against any Brexit,” said Huq, who is defending a healthy 13,807 majority in her constituency.
Siddiq, who is defending a fairly strong majority of 15,560 since the last election in 2017, said: “My record on opposing Brexit is clear. I lost my job as a shadow minister to vote against the trigger­ing of Article 50 and delayed the birth of my son to vote against the Prime Minister’s dreadful withdrawal agreement.”
And, Rushanara Ali, who represents a heavily Bangladeshi-origin electorate in east London and is also defending a strong 35,393 vote majority, has repeatedly spoken out against Brexit, which she believes would be damaging for her constituents.
“Leaving the single market and customs union will be devastating for many of our businesses and their employees. That is why I couldn’t support this Conservative government’s hard Brexit,” she said.