Annual Luncheon meeting with the Labour Friends of India


The annual luncheon meeting with the Labour Friends of India was held at Le Meridien Caffe Royal on March 3, 2005. The lunch was attended by more than 200 people including cabinet ministers, Home Secretary Charles Clarke, Trade and Industry Secretary Patricia Hewitt and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Paul Boateng. Prime Minister Tony Blair and Indian High Commissioner Shri Kamalesh Sharma addressed the guests. Their speeches in full are reproduced below:

Prime Minister Rt. Hon Tony Blair Thank you very much indeed Steven. Thank you for all the fantastic work you do for Labour Friends of India. You couldn't get a better, bigger, tub-thumping exponent of the wisdom of the relationship between Britain and India and the Labour Party and India than Steven, and thanks Steve very much for all you do. I should also say please everyone do carry on eating and don't feel in the least bit guilty that I'm not. It's the nature of the prime Minister's diary. People often say 'what keeps you looking so slim?' and I say they never feed me!

I'd also like to say a warm word of welcome to the High Commissioner obviously, those from the Indian Chamber of Commerce, to the many members of Parliament and, members of the House of Lords, all of whom have a very keen interest in our relationship with India, and also to many people from different communities in different parts of the country.

I am immensely proud that it was under a Labour Government that India secured her independence, and I am also immensely proud that nearly 60 years on, the relationship between our two countries today is probably as strong as it has been in all of those almost 60 years and thank you for that. That is obviously in part as a result of what we try to do as a Government but in reality the biggest part of it goes to the emergence of India as a country that's undergone an extraordinary change in modernisation. It's the world's largest democracy of course, but it's become respected and admired throughout the world not just because of its democratic credentials, but increasingly because of its economy, its dynamism, its sense of innovation and adventure, and I think it's an immensely exciting place.

When I visited the south of India a few years ago I thought: 'here is a country that is supposedly behind us economically and yet they are starting to develop a whole infrastructure of university provision that we in this country, if we want to keep up with them in the future, are going to have to emulate'.

Now, different countries find different ways of doing it, but I remember sitting down in Bangalore with a group of women who were in the biotechnology industry, and them telling me about the changes they were making industrially and about the absolutely vital necessity of developing a world class, highly educated work-force, and it so conflicted with some of the things I had thought about and been taught about India over the years, and it was like a revelation to me. And I remember going back and speaking to some of my Cabinet colleagues and saying: 'Look, the future, has got to be in developing this type of work-force here and making sure we stay ahead of the game. Otherwise we're going to find that very very swiftly there is a new and emerging power of an enormous size, that we will running very hard to keep up with.

Now, we've both, I hope, made strides over the last few years, but there's no doubt at all, that the way that India has taken in its own hands the running and dynamism of its economy, has been something of extraordinary impact in India and right throughout the world.

India's culture too has impacted world wide. Bollywood films, seen all over the world, in arts and music and literature, they're recognised frankly here now almost as much as in India. We of course have huge historical and cultural ties. But I think the reason why our relationship today is strong is because we're sharing a global vision and democratic values.

We both play a pro-active role in international affairs, and on such bodies as the UN, WTO and Commonwealth. We're natural partners, and I believe that our relations can and will over the coming years intensify even further. Last September I had the pleasure of welcoming the new Indian Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, to Downing Street. It was an important meeting where we re-affirmed our commitment to the new strategic partnership between our two countries that the High Commissioner referred to. This builds not just on close links in many traditional vital areas, but in education and training, science and technology, defence, tackling terrorism, environmental protection and development, in all of these areas we are now marching forward hand-in-hand together and that is I think both exciting and immensely welcome. And thank you High Commissioner for all you are doing to help us make progress in that regard.

There is the EU-India summit, which is being held in India later this year, and that will be an important part of the United Kingdom's presidency of the European Union. But I also hope for the G8 at Gleneagles later this year, we find a way of bringing India into the dialogue and issues such as climate change in Africa, which is going to be the focal point of the meeting.

The close links on trade and investment are well known. The India-British Partnership has seen bilateral trade and investment increase dramatically since its creation 12 years ago. We are India's second largest trading partner and cumulatively the number one investment in India, and I want to carry on building on that strong foundation for your business and for our business also....However, we don't forget and you don't forget that there are still many millions of people in India who live below the international poverty line, and no country could be expected to tackle poverty on this scale on its own. So we're working in partnership with India's government also, and charities, to help tackle both poverty and its causes. India is now, I am pleased to say, our biggest bilateral development programme. In the last five years the funding has doubled for it, we aim to increase this still further, and our funding is allocated according to a strategy agreed with the government of India and includes spending on health and education and on improving and getting access to services for those who need them most.

And the reason we do that is because we know that as India develops, India will be so important for us, that it is our people that will also develop from the development of India as well as Indian people themselves, living in India. So there are reasons, yes, of common solidarity, but there are also reasons frankly of self-interest too.

The strongest link however, is the one between our peoples. The Indian community makes an immensely important and invaluable contribution to the life and economy and culture of this country. Thank you.

There's been debate as you might have noticed in recent weeks in this country, over immigration and asylum, and we need of course to ensure that there are proper controls in place to make sure that only people who abide by the rules come here and that they contribute to our society and economy. But whilst that debate is taking place, I hope we never forget the immense contribution that people who've migrated into our country make to the daily life of our society, our culture and our economy.

I think that probably the single most important thing that keeps a country going and moving forward, is the dynamism and potential of its people today. We have more than one million people of Indian origin who now live in Britain and I know because I've seen it in different parts of the country that I've visited, the contribution those people have made not just within their own communities, but to the dynamism and innovation of our economy is incalculable.

I was opening a school this morning and I was reflecting on educational attainment. It's true also that in the number of young people of Indian origin going on to further and higher education is increasing every year. School results for Indian children are above the national average and keep improving. Last week the Department for Education and Skills published figures showing that two-thirds of children of Indian origin now achieve five or more good GCSEs, so well done parents, and children, but this is a tremendous testimony not just to the strength of individual children and parents, but to the values of the community.

This is one of the contributions, Mr High Commissioner, that the Indian community make to our country. From the community, we get values, that believe in the importance of the family and the importance of helping other people, but also there is an incredibly strong dynamic within the Indian community here, which then reflects itself in the wider British community, that can celebrate ambition and doing well for yourself, with a sense of obligation and social compassion and respect of other people.

And it's an immensely valuable thing for the whole of British life that that is so. Young people of Indian origin are making an interesting, important impact on the workplace, we're seeing it in a greater representation in the professions, in the growing number of successful Indian businessmen and women and entrepreneurs. We're also, as we keep modernising our public services, seeing in those public services, a whole series of contributions from people, whether it's teachers of doctors or nurses, people from Indian origin in our public services, and we can see too in the greater diversity, in the recruitment, promotion and the work that people do, that it is reflecting a change that's happening in the whole of our society.

So, I am delighted that your community is playing such an increasingly important role in politics and public life, but we need to do more, frankly, to improve the involvement and representation of your community, indeed all ethnic minority communities in politics and public life. Like the Labour Party, now has 12 members of Parliament from ethnic minority communities. Now, that's better than the other two but, it's not good enough.

We hope, and expect to increase this representation still further at the next election. As we celebrate the successes of the Indian community in Britain, we can't ignore however the obstacles that many British Asians still face everyday. Prejudice still exists. We also know that in recent years minority communities have faced prejudice based on their faith as much as their race or ethnicity. And we know that it is not only Muslim communities that face this prejudice, but that it is a problem also suffered by Hindus, Sikhs and other minority faith communities.

Let me make one thing clear. This Government will not tolerate any prejudice or threat to your communities based on either race or faith. We've introduced legislation to tackle hate crimes. We've made racially and religiously motivated violence a specific criminal offence, and we'll also support the victims of these senseless and unprovoked attacks. We've extended protection against racial discrimination across the public sector to include for the first time the police and immigration service. We've introduced protection against religious discrimination in employment, and are extending this now to the provision of goods and services.

And we are also, if I may say in the face of some opposition from the other parties, seeking to introduce legislation prohibiting the stirring-up of incitement of religious hatred. Let me dispel some myths however about this legislation, that some of you will have read about. This is not legislation dreamt up by Government, it's been requested by key leaders in all the major faith communities. It is not going to stop comedians telling their jokes and us having a laugh at the differences between the different races and cultures. However, what it will do is stop people quite deliberately stirring up religious hatred against people of another faith, and I believe that to be right.

Mister High Commissioner, my Lords and ladies and gentlemen, I'm delighted at the strength of the relationship between Britain and India today. I'm delighted too at the contribution that those of Indian origin make to our way of life in Britain today. I think in both aspects, we reflect the changing world around us. The key element in international relations today, is interdependence. There is no country frankly that can tackle the problems it faces on its own. The work that we have been doing with India over the past few years, the strengthening of our bilateral relationship, allows us, I believe, to work as partners across a whole range of issues in the international community.

The input of India is especially important. It's important obviously because of India's size. It's important obviously too because of the dynamism of the economy, but it's important for another reason as well. India, despite being so large, despite having so many poor people still with whom India has to contend, is a democracy, has remained a democracy throughout, has set an extraordinary example for the rest of the world, and what's more has done so with people, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, not always, but for the main part, wanting to live together in harmony with one another. That is a great advantage to the world.

You can never be sure where the next threats to our stability come from. But one thing I am very sure of: it is unlikely in the world in which we live and in the future that we contemplate, that the problems will arise from large nations confronting each other in traditional combat. You know that that cannot be ruled out. You know that it's always important to be vigilant. However, I don't believe that is the principle threat. I believe even in the difficult issues that India faces, and that India faces with Pakistan, I believe that ultimately people will realise that it is important to overcome differences and live together.

But where I do think there is a potential danger and a threat to our security and stability is in those who want to set apart races, faiths cultures, who want to define their identity according to difference rather than according to what we can have in common together, and who want rather than celebrating our diversity, to make it a point of conflict. These are dangerous strains, in every community round the world today. India, as such a large country, as such a democracy with so many different faiths within it, can teach the world a lot. So when we have this relationship with India today, different obviously from before, but renewed, under-going a renaissance in a different world today.

It's one that I value, not just in terms of trade and commerce and all the different statistics, important though that is, but because in that relationship and in the dialogue and partnership we're able to have around it, there are lessons that we can learn here. There are things that India can bring to the international community. There are instruments of cohesion and compassion, and bringing together, that India can use that are of immense importance to the future of our world.

The people of Indian origin here reflect those same values and contribute in that same way. We started, I think, five years ago, the Labour Friends of India, and was maybe long overdue, but it was partly because we could see that there was this new relationship taking place and we wanted somehow to try and define it and enrich it.

We have been successful. Our two countries are close today. The Indian community in this country make a huge contribution recognised by all today. And I believe that in the work that we do together, we are sending out not just something important on a day to day basis, we're sending out a signal, a symbol if you like, of a different and better world to come.

So I am really delighted to be with you here today. At long last I've managed to get inside the Caf� Royale. It's true as I said I haven't been fed inside it but nonetheless I live in hope after I've finished speaking. But I would like to thank all of you for attending here today, for giving me the honour and the privilege of coming along and addressing you, and to say to all of you: 'Long live the relationship between Britain and India, long live Labour Friends of India, and thank you all for the contribution you make'.