Anti-racist campaigners are celebrating as the Tory hard Brexit anti-immigration agenda is defeated at the polls. The Conservative Party failed to win the overall majority it expected and results point to a hung parliament.
In contrast the Labour Party and its anti-racist, anti-austerity leadership received a huge increase in its share of the vote, with a net gain of over 30 seats.
Sabby Dhalu, Stand up to Racism Co-Convenor said:
“Since last year’s Brexit vote the Tory leadership sunk into the gutter, shifting to the right with a Powellite anti-immigration and hard Brexit agenda. Theresa May refused to guarantee EU nationals rights, reneged on the Dubs amendment on taking child refugees, refused to condemn Donald Trump’s Muslim ban and rolled out the red carpet for him. Amber Rudd came within a hair’s breadth of losing and made a speech at the Conservative Party conference that was compared to sections of Mein Kampf and recorded as a hate incident by police. Meanwhile the Tory government ruthlessly attacked hard the living standards of British people and arrogantly thought by blaming immigrants they could get away with it. They did not. This election is a slap in the face for austerity and dog whistle politics and signals a new dawn for progressive anti-austerity and anti-racism politics.”
Weyman Bennett Stand Up To Racism Co-Convenor said:
This election result shows once again that politics is changing radically. May and Co thought they could force through more years of austerity and racism. They wanted to pin the blame on migrants and ramped up tough talk on immigration. In the wake of the London attack May joined with those who wanted to scapegoat the Muslim community. But ordinary people saw through the politics of divide and rule. They have voted instead for the politics of hope.