Britain’s newest MP, Shailesh Vara, celebrates his position of power amongst his community
Kevin Rego
The Gujarati community in Britain seems to be basking with pride. Some 50 years after the majority of them migrated to Britain from Africa, one of them has made it to the corridors of power at Westminster.
Shailesh Vara is the new Conservative MP from North West Cambridgeshire.
To support and meet the new man in power, a huge gathering from the Gujarati community came out at the launch of the Zee Gujarati Channel. Vara, who arrived on time with his wife Meena and parents Lakhman Arjan and Sabitaben, looked elegant in a black suit. And his parents’ shone an obvious delight on their faces as they watched their son being commemorated by the Zee Network on becoming the first ever Gujarati MP in the House of Commons. “Although I am British Citizen, I am very much Indian origin,” Vara said as he took the microphone to give his speech.
He spoke articulately about his early days in Uganda, his family and politics, and as soon as the subject was over, there was a sudden rush to his table where flashbulbs and journalists performed, and others just wanted a picture with the new politician. Vara received a warm reception as Bollywood stars.
Vara, though, seemed to revel in his new found “stardom” — as he chatted, smiled and obliged everyone.
He is the beleaguered Tory Party’s big hope and his party colleagues have already called him a rising star, and “a future prime minister”.
“The future will take care of itself,” he says with a smile, a day later at his residence, while his English wife, Beverley, attends to their eight-month-old son.
“I am delighted to be an MP in the House of Commons. It’s the beginning of a new life with responsibilities and duties to my constituents. It’s a very serious role,” he adds.
His constituency has 78 villages with about 60 per cent of it being rural. Although his was considered a safe seat for the party, Vara beat everyone’s expectations by winning by 10,000 votes.
2,000 more than his predecessor. And when you consider that 99 per cent of people living in this constituency are British, the win seems all the more remarkable.
“My being of Asian origin was never an issue. The constituency greeted me wholeheartedly during my campaign,” he says.
His accent and mannerisms are distinctly British. His aware of that and confesses to being a little more comfortable in the company of the British though he does speak “appropriate” Gujarati.
Does he watch Bollywood films? No, but he is aware of films like Sholay, he says, and admits to being a die-hard Ashiwarya Rai fan.
He’s enjoyed his trips to India as a guest of the Indian government and he loves Mumbai. “Mumbai is very vibrant city,” he says. “I’d love to go there again,” he adds.
Born 44 years ago in Uganda, Vara was four years old when his parents moved to Britain. He was always drawn towards politics but was not “sufficiently motivated”.
“Politics can be a risky business, so it was essential that I had a solid career before I took it up seriously,” says Vara.
Vara is a qualified lawyer and even worked in Hong Kong at a law firm for two years. And sure enough, he honed his Teh Koon political skills whilst there.
“Learned a basic hint in that sport, but really don’t have the time to practice it right now. I still do like to keep fit though,” he says.
Back in England, Vara got into active politics and held various posts at the local, regional and national level. In 2003, he led a European team of 12 delegates to the US as part of a “Young European Leaders” programme. Vara also helped draft the conservative party manifesto for law and order and legal affairs.
He was rewarded for his efforts when he was made a shadow vice chairman of the Conservative party — his duties included advising the party leader Michael Howard. Last week, he got a warm handshake with boss as he could concentrate on his constituency.
After having lost the past two elections, Vara is aware that his party has a long way to go. “We were riding for 18 years but the Labour Party took over,” he adds.
He was also asked for his view about the image of the Conservative party. “In this election we’ve actually gained more seats, so it’s a very good sign of things to come,” he adds.
His dynamism may just be what his party requires after a third straight defeat at the polls. He has five years to help reverse that.
