Prime Minister Keir Starmer said he is committed to challenging voices of division within Britain’s communities and combat the rise of anti-Sikh hatred.

During a Vaisakhi reception hosted at 10 Downing Street in London on Monday evening, Starmer referenced the turbulence of the conflict in West Asia in his message to stand together against divisive forces. He also drew parallels between the concept of sewa and Labour Party values underpinning his government devoted to service.

“Sikh history is British history,” said Starmer, addressing a gathering of British Sikhs, parliamentarians and community leaders from across the UK.

“It is who we are as a country. When people try to tear us apart, we need to reassert that, over and over again. This is what it is to be British. This inclusive way that we operate and we are very proud of it.

“It [Vaisakhi] is about celebration, of course, but it is about stepping up against injustice and oppression as well; because there are voices in our communities and politics that seek to divide us, and they will use any opportunity to do so,” he said.

In an appeal for communities to “stand up together” against such voices of division, Starmer acknowledged that anti-Sikh hatred has risen in the country.

“We stand firmly against anti-Sikh hatred in all its forms, and we must act on that. I want to be able to stand here at future events and say anti-Sikh hatred has gone down, where it doesn't even become an issue. But until that point comes, we must fight together and challenge the voices that are peddling this division and toxic separation and hold them accountable,” he said.

The Prime Minister highlighted a new exhibition celebrating the achievements of a prominent British Sikh in history, Princess Sophia Duleep Singh, which opened at Kensington Palace in London last month.

'The Last Princesses of Punjab' spotlights the role of Maharaja Duleep Singh’s daughter as a suffragette campaigning for women's voting rights. Children from the west London gurdwara, Khalsa Jatha Shepherd’s Bush, that the princess frequented performed kirtan at a Downing Street adorned with vibrant decorations and candles for Vaisakhi.

“Sikh values are intrinsically linked with Labour values of family and community, choosing love over hate, unity over division and the most prominent of all being the Sikh principle of sewa,” said Cabinet Office minister Satvir Kaur, a Labour MP from Southampton who set the scene for the reception.

She also pointed to a “record number” of Sikh heritage members of Parliament in the House of Commons as a sign of the Labour Party’s successful engagement with British Sikhs.

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