Racial politics

Racial politics apparently played a relatively limited role in the UK general elections of May 1, 1997. However, the degree to which all three major parties attempted to woo ethnic voters was striking. The Conservative Party, especially, expended great effort to attract Asian voters, perhaps looking ahead to future elections in 2002 and 2007. The other remarkable race-related aspect of the 1997 elections was the parties' almost total lack of interest in the potentially volatile and divisive issues of race relations and immigration. Four new minority candidates, all from Labor, won parliamentary seats.