Fifty years On: The Battle to Elect Britain’s First Black MP

Dr David Pitt’s experience is now largely forgotten. It shouldn’t be.

Fifty years ago this week, Britain went to the polls amidst simmering tensions over race, immigration and our place in the world. Fought in the aftermath of a tumultuous Parliament – where Labour had grappled with divisive legislation such as the Commonwealth Immigrants Act and the Race Relations Act – the National Front was thought to be on the rise, promising to make Britain great again by stopping immigration and starting repatriation.

As a mini culture war developed, “Marxist” students were condemned for sabotaging Conservative meetings across the country, while dockworkers marched in support of the country’s most well-known politician – Mr Enoch Powell. Powell warned Britons of a potential Civil War of “American dimension”, of “division, violence and bloodshed” if immigration was not halted.

Read the rest of the article on The Critic website here

https://thecritic.co.uk/fifty-years-on-the-battle-to-elect-britains-first-black-mp/