Britain’s Conservative Party has long been seen as a bastion of privilege – largely made up of upper-class white men. But the race to succeed Boris Johnson as leader has become the most polarized in British political history and party members could soon choose the country’s first prime minister from an ethnic minority. Of the 11 Tory MPs vying for the leadership, six are racists, including front-runner Rishi Sunak and front-runners Nadhim Zahawi, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, former health secretary Sajid Javid and Kemi Badenoch, who is seen as an up-and-comer star in the party. That number could rise to seven if Home Minister Priti Patel joins the race, as many expect. That the Conservatives can have such a diverse leadership contest has raised awkward questions for the opposition Labor Party, which prides itself on being inclusive. Labor has yet to elect a female leader, while the Conservatives have had two – Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May, who both served as prime minister – and the latest Labor leadership contest featured an all-white list of candidates. Doug Sanders: A moment of madness brought Boris Johnson to power, but his clownish defiance has lost its appeal Tom Rachman: UK Conservatives suddenly realise: Maybe Boris Johnson isn’t so great after all “There are now more people from minority backgrounds running to lead Britain’s Conservative Party than ever before to lead Labour, have sat in the Labor cabinet, been a Labor minister in the Lords or Labour” member of the European Parliament said Matthew Goodwin, Professor. of Politics at the University of Kent. It’s unclear how far many of the racially charged candidates will make it in the race, but the contest is wide open. Conservative MPs will begin a series of votes this week that will gradually reduce the number of candidates to two. Around 200,000 party members – limited to those who joined at least three months ago – will then choose the winner in a national vote on 5 September. Many of the leading candidates were keen to highlight their diverse backgrounds for positions in MPs and party members. Mr Sunak, 42, released a slick video describing how his grandparents immigrated to Britain from East Africa. Mr Zahawi, 55, has spoken of his family’s harrowing escape from Iraq when Saddam Hussein came to power in 1978 and how he went on to a successful business career. “I am the British dream,” he said this week. Mr Javid has also spoken often about his parents, who came to Britain from Pakistan in the 1960s, and how his father became a bus driver to make ends meet. “His nickname was Mr. Night and Day because he used to work whatever hours God sent him,” Mr Javid said. In many ways, the wide range of candidates marks the culmination of a process that began in 2006 under former prime minister David Cameron. At the time, the Tories had just two racist MPs. Shortly after becoming leader in 2005, Mr Cameron launched a drive to diversify the party’s candidates and broaden his support base. He created a “List” of 100 potential MPs who would better reflect the country by including more women and ethnic people in Parliament. Mr Johnson took the process further in 2021, requiring candidates eyeing Tory vacancies to apply and interview. The effort paid off. The 2019 election sent 65 tribal MPs to Parliament, or 10 percent of the total. Of these, 41 are Labor MPs and 22 are Conservative. Overall representation still does not reflect the population – for that it would require 93 MPs from minority backgrounds – but it has come a long way since 1987, when there were just four. Mr Johnson also appointed the most diverse cabinet in British history in 2019. It included six black, Asian or ethnic minority ministers – 18 per cent of the total. According to the Institute for Government, the previous highest total was five full ministers. Nadhim Zahawi, frontrunner, and Sajid Javid are two possible candidates for the leadership of the Conservative party to replace the outgoing prime minister, Boris Johnson. PETER NICHOLLS/Reuters “The Conservatives are an extremely adaptable party,” said Vernon Bogdanor, emeritus professor of politics and government at Oxford University. Pointing out the leadership candidates, Dr Bogdanor added: “You couldn’t see more diversity than this. It is a pragmatic party. They are not hindered like the Labor Party by ideology.” However, Dr. Bogdanor said that despite the diversity of the candidates, none have stood out yet and most fail to address the economic challenges facing the country, such as the rising cost of living. “We need a leader who can tell people unpopular truths,” he said. “That the standard of living for everyone is going to fall and there’s nothing you can do about it. I don’t think any of the candidates actually say that. They say there is some magic potion that we have to do everything right. This may hurt the Conservatives. It may come back to haunt them.” The Morning Update and Afternoon Update newsletters are written by Globe editors, giving you a concise summary of the day’s most important headlines. Sign up today.
