SLOUGH’S MP Tan Dhesi has spoken out about his experiences with racism as he encourages more representation in politics.

In a line of video series with Show Racism the Red Card, Mr Dhesi, who became the UK’s first turban-wearing Sikh MP, told viewers of his experience in Parliament and the discrimination he faced while growing up in the UK.

The Labour Parliamentarian recalled one time in school, that one of his classmates thought it would be “funny” to pull his turban.

Mr Dhesi said: “It left a very negative image of not just him, but of the whole experience. But I was lucky [and] very, very fortunate to have friends and family around me that helped me to overcome that and despite the sadness and tears, I moved on from that and I was able to build that self-confidence and belief.”

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He also recalled a “tragic incident” where one of his turban-wearing guests from India was visiting Parliament and someone tried to pull his turban when he was queueing.

This is not the first time Slough’s MP spoke about his experiences with racism. During Prime Minister Questions in 2019, Mr Dhesi went viral and revealed he had to endure and face up to being called derogatory names.

He also called out Boris Johnson for using racist and derogatory language in the past in describing black people and Muslim women who wear burkas.

In the video series, Mr Dhesi said: “All of us face racism at some point within our lives. I think that’s one of the sad travesties of humanity is that there are those who will seek to bully or demean other individuals on the basis of their race, gender, and sexuality.

“So, I think it’s important that we maintain that level of self-confidence. I too encountered such racism when I was younger.

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“In Parliament, I would say my experiences have been mostly very, very positive. Lots of colleagues have been incredibly helpful from Labour MPs as well as MPs from other affiliations.”

He also urged more people from ethnic backgrounds to enter politics, saying representation does matter.

He said: “As the saying goes if you can’t see it, you can’t be it. So, for people to see, especially within Parliament, that they too can aspire to those heights – if they see somebody who looks like them, then they are much more likely to be feeling a part of that democratic process.

“It’s incredibly important that we have the most diverse Parliament ever where more women, ethnic minorities, LGBT+, and more people with disabilities have been elected than ever before.”