Reform UK Enjoys Growing Popularity Among British Indians, Recent Figures Indicate

Nigel Farage is seeing increasing support among British Indians, as new polling shows Reform UK making inroads in areas it once found challenging.

Oxford academics at the 1928 Institute found a significant rise in Reform UK support among British Indians, increasing from 4% to 13% in the last year.

The findings, timed for Diwali, indicate that although backing for Mr Farage’s party is rising within Britain’s largest minority ethnic community, it remains far below the overall national level.

However, as The Guardian reports, the surge in backing since last year’s election exceeds the national average by a considerable margin.

It suggests that Mr Farage’s party is gaining ground in areas where it previously had little support.

“British India support for Reform is significantly lower than that of the general UK population,” the report stated.

“However, there is a strong upwards trend in support.”

British Indians, who account for roughly three per cent of the population, are quickly turning into a crucial swing voter demographic.

For years, they have aligned with Labour, known in the 1960s and 1970s as the party most supportive of immigrant communities.

As the community has become more established, its historic ties have started to loosen.

Studies indicate that social conservatism and a rise in nationalism among Hindus are contributing to the community’s shift further to the right.

The 2021 Carnegie Endowment report also said that Labour’s position on Kashmiri independence under Jeremy Corbyn turned some British Indians away from the party.

Mr Farage has held varied views regarding South Asian immigration.

Farage criticised the government’s trade deal with India, suggesting it opened the door to more workers from the subcontinent.

In 2015, he expressed a preference for Indian and Australian migrants rather than those from Eastern Europe.

According to a 1928 Institute report, the findings reflect the demographics and political priorities of Indians living across the UK.

A survey of more than 2,000 voters conducted earlier this year was analyzed alongside voting patterns from last year and a comparable poll from half a decade ago.

According to the findings, Labour received 48% of the British Indian vote in the last election, the Conservatives 21%, and Reform UK just 4%.

Five years prior, only 0.4% of British Indian voters supported Reform UK.

However, support for Labour among the community remains at 35%.

Support for the Conservatives has decreased to 18%, whereas the Greens have seen their backing grow from 8% to 13%.

Evolving policy priorities have played a significant role.

Indian voters place education first, with the economy moving into second place and health falling behind.

The importance of equality and human rights has fallen from fifth to seventh.

According to Nikita Ved, a co-author of the report, Reform UK was “disrupting traditional voting patterns within the British Indian community”.

“As economic and social frustrations deepen, both major parties may face growing pressure to engage more directly with a community whose political loyalties can no longer be taken for granted,” she stated.