First Chinese-Briton elected to UK parliament bows to pressure to acknowledge his heritage

The first British-born Chinese MP elected to the UK Parliament bowed to pressure to acknowledge his heritage on Friday night and said he looked forward to “engaging when I can” with Chinese Britons, who number around half a million.

After securing the safe seat of Havant on the south coast following Thursday’s General Election, Conservative Alan Mak said:  “As a British-born MP of Chinese heritage, I appreciate this is significant for the [Chinese] community and look forward to engaging with them when I can.”

Throughout his campaign Mak had dismissed as naive the belief that his victory would give the UK’s third-largest ethnic group a political and vocal presence in the House of Commons.

The South China Morning Post understands Mak was advised to show more support to the UK’s Chinese community following his landmark victory by the Conservative Friends of the Chinese (CFOC), who are keen to promote his historic win.

“I also encourage more of the British Chinese community to join me in public life. I grew up in the UK, and I am blessed with the opportunities and values this country have given my family and me. I pay special tribute to my parents who instilled in me the values of hard work, enterprise and passion for community, a shared philosophy derived from both my British and Chinese heritage,” Mak was quoted as saying in the statement.

The 31-year-old was considered a shoo-in, with his constituency long considered a Conservative stronghold. He picked up 23,159 votes, increasing his share of the ballot compared with his predecessor, David Willetts, who stood down after 23 years.