The 2017 Parliament is the most ethnically diverse on record; yet this change in who our representatives has not been matched by changes in ethnic minority voting patterns.
This is according to the February 2019 briefing (pdf) from the Runnymede Trust. This briefing looks at ethnic minorities during the 2017 general election.
The paper finds:
- It appears that 2017 confirmed that the (modest) gap in electoral participation between white British and ethnic minority citizens is explained by registration rates, not turnout
- In 2017, 77% of ethnic minority votes were for the Labour party and 20% for the Conservatives, compared to 37% and 45% for white British voters respectively
- One minority group did noticeably increase its support for the Conservatives in both 2017 and 2015 – British Indians, and Hindus in particular.
- The Conservatives still find it extremely hard to win in seats with more than 30% non-white British residents – in 2017, they won just 16 of these 110 seats, down from 24 in 2015 and 27 in 2010.
