On January 14, the UK-based Centre for Kurdish Progress hosted an event in London to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the establishment of Kurds for Labour. The event was attended by various ministers, members of Parliament, lords, and the general supervisor of the Kurdish Diaspora Confederation.

“Fifteen years ago, we established Kurds for Labour to ensure that the Kurdish community had a voice in the United Kingdom. Over the years, the community has become more familiar with the British Labour Party. Today, we have grown to 40 councils across London and proudly have a mayor and a member of Parliament, who is also a minister,” Ibrahim Dogus, founder of the Centre for Kurdish Progress, told Kurdistan Chronicle.

Delivering for the people

Councilor Sarbaz Barznji, the former Mayor of Lambeth and Chair of Kurds for Labour, was proud that the Kurdish community played a crucial role to bring back the Labor party to power in July of last year. “We are celebrating the return of the Labour government, which can deliver for the people of this country. We are proud to have played a pivotal role in supporting our candidates across the nation and mobilizing the Kurdish community to back Labour candidates.”

Shifa Barzani, General Supervisor of the Kurdish Diaspora Confederation, congratulated the Labour Party in his speech and provided a brief history of the sacrifices made by Kurds for freedom in the Middle East, emphasizing their significant role in defeating ISIS. He urged members of Parliament and the House of Lords present at the event to stand with the Kurdish cause and ask the government to increase support for the Kurds. Additionally, he called for the BBC to include the Kurdish language in its broadcasts. 

Feryal Clark, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for AI and Digital Government, addressed the attendees and emphasized the Kurdish community’s role within the Labour Party. “Every British government I’ve witnessed since entering politics has recognized the importance of the Kurds in Kurdistan and the surrounding countries,” Clark said in response to questions from Kurdistan Chronicle regarding the current relations between the UK government and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). “This relationship can and should be improved. We are committed to ensuring that the Labour Party understands the needs of the thousands of Kurdish families who call the UK home.”

“Kurds for Labour is about giving a strong voice to Kurdish communities within the Labour Party,” she added.

UK-KRG relations

The relationship between the UK government and the KRG encompasses diplomatic, economic, and security cooperation. 

Historically, the UK has played a crucial role in the region. At the event, Lord Peter Hain, Member of the House of Lords, highlighted his connection to the Kurdish cause. “When I was a minister in the Middle East for Tony Blair’s government over 20 years ago, the Kurdish people were very much on our minds. We championed Kurdish rights, including political rights, and the government was very concerned about ensuring that these rights were respected here in London.”

Lord Hain hopes that, in the future, the UK will always stand in solidarity with the Kurdish people, who deserve to have their human and political rights upheld on the global stage. He also discussed the role of the Kurdish community in the UK, noting that “the Kurdish community is very important across the UK and plays a crucial role in the Labour Party.”

Goran Shakhawan is a Kurdish-American journalist and author based in the United States. He has covered news for several Kurdish news outlets and was a former senior correspondent for Kurdistan24 in Erbil and Washington D.C. He has published several books in Kurdish.