II) Immigrants from the

former colonies
 What colonies?
First British Empire

When the British settled in North America and the Caribbean between the 16 th and the 18th
centuries

Second British Empire

When the British colonized Asia, Africa and the Pacific, after America had become
independent

Strong emotional and political ties maintained between the UK and its former colonies
Commonwealth of Nations

1931: Statute of Westminster : creation of the British

Commonwealth
1949: London declaration: birth of the modern
Commonwealth
 53 independent member states
formerly part of the British Empire (except 2:
Mozambique and Rwanda)
16 member states still hold Queen Elizabeth II as their
Monarch
 Commonwealth of Nations
http://www.commonwealthofnations.org/

“An association of sovereign nations which support

each other and work together towards international
goals”.

It is also “a ‘family’ of peoples”… “able to work

together in an atmosphere of greater trust and
understanding than generally prevails among nations”.

Promoting democracy, human rights, free trade, and

world peace
Strong emotional and political ties maintained between the UK and its
former colonies

Geographical proximity as less important than emotional ties

A common legacy
 All in all…

British culture and language are represented across the

globe, thanks to Britain’s former colonies.

 Reverse colonization
Latest migration statistics, 2015

Immigration 636,000
 Emigration 300,000
Migration 336,000
Figure 1:
Ethnic groups,
England
and Wales,
2011 
 Integration problems ?

Especially for more recent non-whites

immigrants.

The reality is that those immigrants often are:

• From the lower social categories
• Unqualified or unskilled workers
• Without any financial backing
Measures taken by the government

The Race Relations Act (1965) which makes it

unlawful to discriminate against anyone on grounds of
race, colour or nationality.

Watch this, a testimony of the type of discrimination

migrants suffered from in the UK
https://youtu.be/e9fnFii5JEs
 Towards more ethnic toleration?

In 2019, there were 65 Members or Parliament in

the House of Commons who originated from
minority ethnic groups ( 10% of the total number
of MPS)

Emphasis on the intellectual and cultural

contributions by ethnic minorities
Looking ahead …