Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
I entered Parliament 30 years ago among the first black MPs to sit there. Too little has changed
Shadow home secretary DIANE ABBOTT says the way immigrants are demonised today is little different from the cruel era of Thatcher

IT IS 30 years since myself, Paul Boateng, Keith Vaz and the late Bernie Grant became the first black MPs in Parliament.

This was a historic breakthrough for black representation, for the black communities in Britain, and a moment of pride for the Labour Party.

The 1980s were a tumultuous time, with Thatcher and the Conservatives as emboldened as ever. The presence of black MPs in Parliament was provocative to the status quo as much as we were pioneering.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Claudia Jones
International Women’s Day 2026 / 7 March 2026
7 March 2026

The pioneering activist understood that freedom could only be won through solidarity across communities. Her legacy offers vital lessons at a time when progressive politics risks losing that shared purpose

The Morning Star republishes PRAGNA PATEL’s speech at the annual commemoration of Claudia Jones on February 22 2026

Fanning the flames of fascism: Starmer’s betrayal of the working class
Features / 23 September 2025
23 September 2025

CLAUDIA WEBBE argues that Labour gains nothing from its adoption of right-wing stances on immigration, and seems instead to be deliberately paving the way for the far right to become an established force in British politics, as it has already in Europe

TENDENTIOUS: Illustration of the Cardiff riots from the Illustrated Police News, June 19 1919 - note the depiction of the black man as a knife-wielding assailant / Pic: Public domain
Racism / 15 August 2025
15 August 2025

White racist rioting has many an infamous precedent in Britain, writes DAVID HORSLEY

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer speaking during a press conference on the Immigration White Paper, May 12, 2025
Politics / 31 May 2025
31 May 2025

DIANE ABBOTT MP argues that Labour’s proposals contained in the recent white paper won’t actually bring down immigration numbers or win support from Reform voters — but they will succeed in making politics more nasty and poisonous