Labour Friends of India celebrates Diwali

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and prominent members of the Indian community in the UK celebrate Diwali at an event in central London … reports Asian Lite News

The Labour Friends of India hosted their annual Diwali Reception with nearly 100 key figures from across the Hindu, Sikh, and Jain communities, including MPs, councillors, and Labour party members.

The event was hosted by Rajesh Agrawal, Deputy Mayor of London for Business and Co-Chairmen of Labour Friends of India and Darren Jones MP (Chair, House of Commons Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy Committee).

Rajesh Agrawal with Keir Starmer and Angela Rayner

Labour leader Keir Starmer MP, Shadow Chancellor Angela Rayner and the Bhaktivedanta Manor Temple’s Alpesh Patel took part in the traditional lamp lighting ceremony to inaugurate the evening.

Other guests included Jonathan Ashworth MP, Stephen Timms MP, Catherine McKinnell MP, Fleur Anderson MP, Kate Osborne MP, Patrick McFadden MP, Virender Sharma MP and Tan Dhesi MP.

“I am delighted to see such enthusiastic support for the work of Labour friends of India at this evening’s Diwali reception,” said Keir Starmer. “I am committed to working closely with the Indian community, including building stronger links with India’s business and cooperating on global issues such as climate change.”

“Diwali is an important festival for the community,” said Darren Jones MP. “It was good to celebrate it with so many of my fellow Parliamentarians and LFIN members. Our engagement with the Indian community has been going from strength to strength and we are pleased to see attendees from business, community leadership and more widely in attendance.”

Rajesh Agrawal said: “Since the Labour Friends of India relaunched in 2019, we have worked closely with the Keir Starmer’s office to continue to promote UK-India ties as well as continuing to raise any issues from the community to the leadership. We are pleased at such a positive turnout as we emerge from the pandemic.”

LFIN has been extremely active over the pandemic. Last month, it launched The Mahatma Gandhi Future Leaders Program, a mentoring and leadership program for a new generation of political leaders from the Indian community in the UK, which will enhance the relationship between the UK and India.

The MGFLP is a mentoring and leadership program for a new generation of political leaders from the Indian community in the UK. The program aims to grow and nurture new talent in the Labour Party, to take on roles across the local, regional, and national government.

The training program will include a multi-pronged approach to cover political education (including becoming a candidate), good governance, communication and marketing, values and ethics in public life and navigating through the Labour party system. It also seeks to enhance the relationship between the UK and India. The six-month program started in October 2021 and will run until the next Labour Party conference.