Lucknow:

A Labour Party candidate’s landslide victory in the UK general elections sparked celebrations thousands of kilometres away in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur and Gorakhpur.

Navendu Mishra, elected to the House of Commons for a second consecutive term from the Stockport constituency, was born in Kanpur in 1989. His mother’s paternal home is in Gorakhpur.

Mr Mishra’s maternal uncle Nilendar Pandey, a social worker and businessman who now lives in Lucknow, told PTI that some people in Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Kanpur celebrated his victory by distributing sweets and setting off crackers.

Mr Pandey said Mr Mishra left for the UK with his parents when he was four years old. His father was a marketing manager for Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited and moved to the UK after taking charge of a British company.

Mr Mishra grew up in the UK with his brother and a sister.

He entered politics after completing his studies in London and was elected to the House of Commons in the 2019 elections on a Labour Party ticket from Stockport.

It’s an honour to be officially nominated as the Labour candidate for Stockport constituency.

Since 2019, I have always put the priorities of local residents first. If re-elected, I will continue to work hard for Brinnington, Edgeley, Davenport, the Heatons and Reddish. pic.twitter.com/Ctv1CHn58F

— Navendu Mishra (@NavPMishra) June 5, 2024

Mr Pandey said Mr Mishra entered politics through the trade union movement.

Mr Mishra is very close to him, Mr Pandey said and added that his nephew called him after winning the election to seek his blessings.

Mr Pandey said, “He (Mishra) likes coming to India. He is always keen on doing something for his country.” “He visits India once every year or two and makes it a point to visit relatives from Gorakhpur to Delhi. He is a vegetarian and loves home-cooked food common in eastern Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

Praising his nephew, Pandey said, “You can guess his popularity by his victory margin. In the UK, where elections are won by margins of only 1,000-2,000 votes, Mishra won by about 16,000 votes.”

Mr Mishra secured 21,787 of the votes cast. His closest contender, Reform UK candidate Lynn Schofield, got 6,517 votes.

Mr Pandey said Mr Mishra returned to India for the first time after about seven years in the UK and spent time at the home of his maternal grandparents in Gorakhpur.

“Mishra used to fly kites and play cricket in the streets with the children of locals, including my two sons and daughter. My children are also ecstatic over his victory,” he added.

During a recent visit to India, Mr Mishra led a delegation to meet Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The delegation also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Delhi.

Following this, he spent time with his family in Delhi and Lucknow, Mr Pandey said.

Political experts claimed that Mr Mishra’s victory and his connection with India would strengthen bilateral relations and cultural, political and social ties between the two nations.

Mr Pandey said Mr Mishra had also planned to visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya but that programme did not materialise.

Ishwar Singh, an associate of Mr Pandey in Gorakhpur, told PTI, “Mishra was inspired to join politics and social service by his maternal uncle Nilendar Pandey.”

“When he visited Gorakhpur at a young age, he used to see the crowds gathering to meet Pandey and got inspired,” he added.

Mr Mishra’s paternal home in Kanpur’s Arya Nagar was also teeming with locals, gathered to congratulated the family on his second successive election victory.

Mr Mishra last visited his family home in Arya Nagar about two years ago.

On Friday, Keir Starmer became the UK’s new prime minister after his Labour Party secured a landslide victory in a general election in which weary voters inflicted a “sobering verdict” on Rishi Sunak-led Conservatives.

The Labour Party secured 412 seats in the 650-member House of Commons. Mr Sunak’s Conservatives won just 121 seats.

Discussing plans to invite his nephew to India, Mr Pandey said, “We have invited Mishra to come here soon and a welcome ceremony will be organised in Lucknow after his arrival.” 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Lucknow:

A Labour Party candidate’s landslide victory in the UK general elections sparked celebrations thousands of kilometres away in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur and Gorakhpur.

Navendu Mishra, elected to the House of Commons for a second consecutive term from the Stockport constituency, was born in Kanpur in 1989. His mother’s paternal home is in Gorakhpur.

Mr Mishra’s maternal uncle Nilendar Pandey, a social worker and businessman who now lives in Lucknow, told PTI that some people in Gorakhpur, Lucknow and Kanpur celebrated his victory by distributing sweets and setting off crackers.

Mr Pandey said Mr Mishra left for the UK with his parents when he was four years old. His father was a marketing manager for Indian Petrochemicals Corporation Limited and moved to the UK after taking charge of a British company.

Mr Mishra grew up in the UK with his brother and a sister.

He entered politics after completing his studies in London and was elected to the House of Commons in the 2019 elections on a Labour Party ticket from Stockport.

It’s an honour to be officially nominated as the Labour candidate for Stockport constituency.

Since 2019, I have always put the priorities of local residents first. If re-elected, I will continue to work hard for Brinnington, Edgeley, Davenport, the Heatons and Reddish. pic.twitter.com/Ctv1CHn58F

— Navendu Mishra (@NavPMishra) June 5, 2024

Mr Pandey said Mr Mishra entered politics through the trade union movement.

Mr Mishra is very close to him, Mr Pandey said and added that his nephew called him after winning the election to seek his blessings.

Mr Pandey said, “He (Mishra) likes coming to India. He is always keen on doing something for his country.” “He visits India once every year or two and makes it a point to visit relatives from Gorakhpur to Delhi. He is a vegetarian and loves home-cooked food common in eastern Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

Praising his nephew, Pandey said, “You can guess his popularity by his victory margin. In the UK, where elections are won by margins of only 1,000-2,000 votes, Mishra won by about 16,000 votes.”

Mr Mishra secured 21,787 of the votes cast. His closest contender, Reform UK candidate Lynn Schofield, got 6,517 votes.

Mr Pandey said Mr Mishra returned to India for the first time after about seven years in the UK and spent time at the home of his maternal grandparents in Gorakhpur.

“Mishra used to fly kites and play cricket in the streets with the children of locals, including my two sons and daughter. My children are also ecstatic over his victory,” he added.

During a recent visit to India, Mr Mishra led a delegation to meet Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. The delegation also met External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in Delhi.

Following this, he spent time with his family in Delhi and Lucknow, Mr Pandey said.

Political experts claimed that Mr Mishra’s victory and his connection with India would strengthen bilateral relations and cultural, political and social ties between the two nations.

Mr Pandey said Mr Mishra had also planned to visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya but that programme did not materialise.

Ishwar Singh, an associate of Mr Pandey in Gorakhpur, told PTI, “Mishra was inspired to join politics and social service by his maternal uncle Nilendar Pandey.”

“When he visited Gorakhpur at a young age, he used to see the crowds gathering to meet Pandey and got inspired,” he added.

Mr Mishra’s paternal home in Kanpur’s Arya Nagar was also teeming with locals, gathered to congratulated the family on his second successive election victory.

Mr Mishra last visited his family home in Arya Nagar about two years ago.

On Friday, Keir Starmer became the UK’s new prime minister after his Labour Party secured a landslide victory in a general election in which weary voters inflicted a “sobering verdict” on Rishi Sunak-led Conservatives.

The Labour Party secured 412 seats in the 650-member House of Commons. Mr Sunak’s Conservatives won just 121 seats.

Discussing plans to invite his nephew to India, Mr Pandey said, “We have invited Mishra to come here soon and a welcome ceremony will be organised in Lucknow after his arrival.” 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

London :

UK Minister for Local Government, Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Lee Rowley on Monday said “anti-Hindu hatred is abhorrent and has no place in our communities”.

He said the UK government is working with the police and community partners to monitor and combat it.

Mr Rowley was responding to a question by UK Member of Parliament Navendu Mishra.

Mishra had asked Rowley about his department’s assessment of “trends in levels of Hinduphobia” in the UK.

Meanwhile, UK’s Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Kemi Badenoch recently condemned the attack on the Indian High Commission in London by pro-Khalistan supporters in March. She labelled the attack a ‘disgrace’, reported Khalsa Vox. 

The High Commission of India in London was attacked in March by a group of about 50 persons, who committed criminal trespass, caused disrespect to the Indian National flag, damage to public property and injuries to officials of the High Commission of India.

The attack was organised by Gurcharan Singh, Dal Khalsa, UK; Avtar Singh Khanda of KLF, Jasvir Singh and many of their associates, both Indian and foreign nationals, who have been identified during the ongoing NIA investigations.

Badenoch further affirmed the British government’s commitment to ensuring the safety and security of all diplomats, according to Khalsa Vox. 

During a trade ministers’s session at the B20 Summit India 2023, Minister Badenoch stressed the complex issue of integration and the challenges posed by extremism. 

“In any country, no matter how much of a global superpower, there will always be problems. In the UK, one of the most interesting things, and I say this as one of the immigrants to the country, is that quite a lot of the times people don’t integrate the way we want them to,” Badenoch said, emphasizing the intricacies of cultural assimilation.

The attack on Indian High Commission in London not only triggered the sanctity of diplomatic premises but also raised concerns about the safety of diplomats and the broader implications for international relations, reported Khalsa Vox. 

“I personally thought that what happened, and I speak on behalf of the UK government—not just personally—was a disgrace,” she further said.

Earlier in July, UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said that any direct attacks on the Indian High Commission in London are “completely unacceptable.”

He said the UK has made clear to the High Commissioner of India to the UK, Vikram Doraiswami and the Indian government that the safety of staff at the High Commission is paramount.

“Any direct attacks on the Indian High Commission in London are completely unacceptable. We have made clear to @VDoraiswami and the Government of India that the safety of staff at the High Commission is paramount,” Cleverly said in a tweet.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)