or the first time since 1987, Leicester East, a constituency in central England will be electing a new Member of Parliament. That is because its long-serving MP of 32 years – Keith Vaz of the Labour Party – has announced his retirement from electoral politics with just four weeks to go for a general election in the United Kingdom. 

A prominent political figure, both when in government and when in opposition, since the late 1980s, and after eight election victories, Vaz’s name will not figure on the ballot paper for Leicester East, when Britain goes to the polls on Thursday. That is one politician of Goan origin less in the election and in the British Parliament, and that is why the UK election and the Leicester East constituency become interesting for Goa. With Vaz stepping out of the polls, there will be just two candidates of Goan origin seeking to enter the House of Commons this December. Both were MPs earlier and if elected will not be new faces in the Westminster lobbies. One of course is Valerie Vaz, the sister of Keith Vaz, who is seeking re-election from Walsall South on a Labour Party ticket, and the other is Suella Braverman who is the Conservative candidate from Fareham. As the polls predict at the moment, both are expected to win, but this is an election that could come really close, and fortunes are changing quickly as Boris Johnson of the Conservatives and Jeremy Corbyn of Labour reach out to the voters in an election that has been forced because the House of Commons could not agree on a Brexit deal. 

The early lead the the Conservatives had taken over Labour has dwindled fast, and both parties are now close to each other, with pollsters fearing a hung parliament, which could place a cloud over Brexit. Whether the exit happens or not, depends on the outcome of this election, with the possibility of even another referendum, depending on which way this election goes.

In that respect, this election in the United Kingdom will also decide the future on many Goans living and earning in the country, many of who have migrated to British isles with Portuguese passports, and banking on the European Union to keep them on par with British citizens. Much may change for them, if Britain exits the European Union, but all that will depend on the vote. For the moment, they are sure of staying on in Britain, as London does not intend to send back any of the EU citizens. On the other hand European Union citizens and their families can apply for the EU Settlement Scheme to continue living in the UK after June 30, 2021. The deadline to apply is June 30, 2021 and if their application is successful, they will get either settled or pre-settled status. There is also not much for them to worry about, if the UK leaves the EU without a deal, as they will need to be living in the UK before it leaves the EU to apply. The deadline for applying in this case will be December 31, 2020. In both cases there is time aplenty.

The Goans in the UK are not alone, as it is estimated that there are 3.4 million EU citizens who are residing the United Kingdom. Many have already applied, and The Guardian recently reported that there has been a rise in the proportion of EU citizens being granted temporary ‘pre-settled status’, while the backlog of unresolved cases is also growing. 

But, the Goans in the UK would possibly miss Keith Vaz in Parliament, as he did show the affinity to the expat community in Britain, that the other two MPs have not. In fact for Goa, that applauds whenever one of its own makes it big abroad, Keith Vaz’s retirement is a bit of a setback. Early, soon after his election in 1987, Vaz had even been projected as some day being a potential candidate for the leadership of the party. But that never did happen, as his political career was ridden with controversy. He suffered various setbacks throughout his long political career, but bounced back everytime, in 2017 after the scandal – that led to his retirement – broke garnering more votes than he had done in the previous election. That was just how popular he was in the constituency, and this also shows in the manner in which Labour voters in the constituency got upset that the party did not consider the candidacy of an Asian to replace Vaz.

And he had his successes. He was Minister for Europe, becoming the first Asian origin MP to be made a minister, and for a brief while in 2015 led the Labour Party during a transition period. This was when Ed Miliband stepped down following Labour’s poor show in the general election in May that year and Vaz as deputy effectively assumed the reins of the party for four months. But, as he did not throw in his hat in the ring for the leadership contest, this remained a temporary position, which he soon relinquished. It was, perhaps an opportunity for Vaz to rebuild his career in the party and claim a leadership role, but it slipped through his grasp as it had many times in the past.

Vaz was elected to the House of Commons when the number of MPs of Asian origin getting elected were few. He was part of that small group of black and Asian MPs that got elected in 1987 and paved the way for those who were to follow. In the 2017 election, 30 years later, there were 52 ethnic minority MPs elected to the House of Commons. This included his sister, Valerie Vaz who joined him in the House of Commons having been elected from Walsall South. She continues to be an MP.

But after holding sway in the constituency for three decades, the last few elections weren’t any cakewalk for him and Vaz had to fight hard for some of the victories. What did help him, perhaps, is that Leicsester East has a high Asian population, and this vote has become crucial in Britain, as the number of migrants entering the country every year grows. Labour has traditionally attracted the Asian voters, especially the Indian diaspora, though part of that vote is now also going the Conservative way. 

The growing Goan community in the UK can, however, one day give Britain more leaders. Keith Vaz started the trend, hopefully more will follow, for there are not only EU citizens of Goan origin in the UK, but a growing number have already obtained British ctizenship. Their time will come.