Few people who were alive 40 years ago will forget the scenes of thousands of Ugandan Asians arriving in Britain after being expelled from their country by dictator Idi Amin.
Between 1972 and 1973, nearly 40,000 Ugandan Asians came here. Many originated in India and had British overseas passports, and the then Prime Minister Edward Heath said our country had a moral duty to help them.
Amin had forced them to leave everything. But he could not make them relinquish their skills, their determination and their resilience – all of which they brought here in abundance.
So 40 years later we are not commemorating the terrible circumstances of their departure from Uganda; we are celebrating the enormous contribution they have made to the UK. One of those celebrations is today’s debate in the House of Lords, which I’m delighted to be answering on behalf of the government.
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