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CHANGE: Conservative Party Leader, David Cameron, speaks in front of new campaign posters

At one time it was almost unheard of, but now more black Britons than ever are joining the Tory Party.

Trudy Simpson looks at the reasons why.

A few weeks ago, Conservative party leader David Cameron unveiled a series of campaign posters featuring ‘ordinary people’ who have never voted for his party before, but were considering doing so now.

One of the posters featured the face of a black woman, along with the words: ‘I’ve never voted Tory before, but we’ve got to mend our broken society.’

Two decades ago, many black people would have looked at that black face on the poster with disbelief.

Now, not only have more ethnic minorities joined the Conservative Party, among them well known faces such as Wilfred Emmanuel Jones, ‘the Black Farmer’ and Lord Taylor of Warwick, but they even have vocal supporters such as former boxing champ, Frank Bruno. In addition, the perceived staunch black resistance against voting Tory may be changing, political commentators have said.

“We are going to see more black people voting conservative or voting blue if you like …That will inevitably happen (but) to what extent? I don’t know,” said political commentator and former newspaper editor, Lester Holloway.

Simon Woolley, director of non-partisan pressure group, Operation Black Vote (OBV), agreed.

“Historically, for many Black people, the Tories were the 'nasty party'; unreasonable, unsympathetic and at times plain racist. Not any more,” he told The Voice: “ The Tory leadership has acutely recognised that right on its doorstep, in huge numbers, is a community that in many ways is conservative with a small ‘c’. So, with black candidates in winnable seats and reaching out to the community they become more appealing. To what extent, it remains to be seen.”

As he launched that poster campaign, Cameron again stressed that his party “had changed”; no longer seen as racist and elitist but now on the path to modernisation with real inclusiveness, shown by his avid courting of ethnic minority communities.

Some commentators have been sceptical, believing that the Tories are courting ethnic minorities because “particularly at a time when voters are hostile to what is seen as the irresponsible rich, the Conservative Party cannot afford to be seen as the party of privilege, either economic privilege, ethic privilege, social privilege, or religious privilege,” said Rodney Barker, Emeritus Professor of Government at the London School of Economics and Political Science. “The activities of the BNP right-wing support of the party, so David Cameron is seeking to distance himself from any hint of ethnic exclusiveness.”

For example, despite opposition from some Tories, Cameron has put forward a potential MPs list that includes 44 ethnic minorities, including eight black prospective candidates; one serving black MP and one Asian MP.

Several are in ‘winnable’ seats which could mean the Tories could have more ethnic minority MPs than the Labour Party, which has traditionally secured the black vote, Holloway said.

“Clearly the Conservative party needed to be modernised and this is an essential part of the modernisation process,” Holloway continued. “There was a need to win over (parts of) the constituency but also to put their past behind them; the past of Enoch Powell. That book needed to be closed. I think David Cameron has recognised that.”

Holloway believes that these fundamental changes in the Tory party are likely to attract more voters.

While other Tory leaders tried and failed to reach out to black voters, Holloway believes Cameron’s plan may succeed because “the Conservatives have not just talked the talk but they walked the walk by actually having more black candidates, but I also think that to a certain extent, the rhetoric has changed as well. We’re talking about rhetoric from its leader talking about modern caring conservatism; we’re talking about a very different tone,” Holloway said.

Holloway says more black people might be attracted to or vote for the Conservatives because their values tend to be often similar to those touted by the Conservative Party.

“Within the African and Caribbean communities, there has always been a strong strand of conservatism. There are many similarities,” Holloway explained. “If you look at many of the African and Caribbean churches a lot of their political outlook chimes very much with the Conservative party. Now that we can see that there are quite a number of black and Asian candidates standing and likely to get elected, as opposed to running in hopeless seats which has been the case before, I think that will actually have a knock-on effect to many people who would have been perhaps natural allies of the conservatives.”

He said these changes within the Conservative party could also further resonate with black voters, some of whom have been disappointed with what they have achieved under Labour despite their loyal voting.

“Many black (Labour) members have been rooting quality black candidates who we know would be excellent if they became MPs, but they are still not getting through. I think Labour needs to take another look at themselves and the Liberal Democrats need to as well. There is a real issue there,” Holloway said.

He said while Labour is also fielding more black candidates in winnable seats, “The pressure is now on the Labour Party and the Liberal democrats to step up their game.”

Published: 31 December 1979
Issue: 1413

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