Yesterday evening I had an excellent meal at the Bombay Dreams restaurant/nightclub in Wembley.  I thoroughly recommend Bombay Dreams – it’s the place to go if you are ever in the area.

The occasion was a fundraiser for Brent Central Labour Party and the re-election campaign for local MP Dawn Butler.  Guest speaker  Harriet Harman gave a powerful and inspiring exposition on current political events.

One passage from her speech is worth highlighting.  Harriet talked warmly about Dawn Butler’s work acknowledged widely as she is the current woman MP of the year.  Harriet mentioned that there are two million black women in the UK.  With only Diane Abbott and Dawn that means they represent 1 million black women each.  It is a sad failing of the opposition parties that only Labour has black women MPs.

The Liberal Democrats have a shockingly bad record on this and there is not even a hint of any black or ethnic minority candidate getting a sniff of a safe or currently held seat.  Do have a look at the Operation Black Vote blog if you want to see how Labour continues to lead the way.

 

 

 

Thanks to Dawn’s work on sickle cell I had the opportunity to meet Dr Asaah Nkohkwo, Director of the Sickle Cell Society.  He enjoyed the entertainment provided by the dancers Future showing the local talent in Brent. I also had the chance to catch up with my former colleague Robert Evans who was honoured for his work as a MEP for Brent until the last election by being placed on the top table. It is typical of Robert that he still remains actively supporting and working for the Labour Party.

My last picture shows me

 with Parvez Ahmed, an old friend who has consistently supported the work of London’s Labour MEPs. Parvez is Chair of the Brent Bengali Community Centre. The restaurant was packed and everybody had a great time.

My thanks to Karin Barrett and all the organisers for all their hard work in putting together a fantastic evening.