"I am honoured to represent such a diverse area in Parliament"
Mr. Chuka Umunna has become the first Member of Parliament of black parentage to represent one of the three seats covering the Brixton area, considered to be Britain’s Black capital.
He is also among the first ever MPs of Nigerian heritage, along with Mr. Chinyelu Onwurah, who was elected for Newcastle Central and Helen Grant, who is the new MP for Maidstone and the Weald.
In the general election on 6th May Mr. Umunna, standing for the Labour Party, was elected for the Streatham constituency. He received 20,037 votes, with Labour’s vote increasing from 18,950 in 2005.
During the election campaign, the Labour Party chose Streatham as the location to launch its manifesto for black, Asian and minority ethnic communities, being one of the most diverse constituencies in the country.
David Miliband and Harriet Harman came to launch the document, along with David Lammy, Keith Vaz and Diane Abbott.
Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown also visited the New Testament Church of God in Brixton during the campaign to pay tribute to the UK’s faith communities.
Mr. Umunna has mixed Nigerian, Irish and British heritage. Commenting on his victory, Mr. Umunna, MP said: “I am honoured to represent such a diverse area in Parliament and will work tirelessly to serve all the communities here.”
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