1987 - First Black British MP Elected — John Stewart

Though the formal election results were declared on June 11, 1987, John David Beckett Stewart (along with Diane Abbott, Paul Boateng, and Bernie Grant) secured a winning vote share by June 1, making him one of Britain’s first Black MPs. Stewart, of Jamaican descent, represented a new multicultural Britain grappling with the legacies of empire, migration, and race. His election into Parliament was a historic breach of the British political establishment’s racial homogeneity. June 1, 1987, was a signal that post-colonial subjects had not only arrived in Britain but were now legislating its future. Stewart’s presence in Parliament opened doors for broader debates on policing, housing, education, and immigration. While Diane Abbott is more widely known as the first Black woman MP, Stewart’s early victory on June 1 deserves recognition as a breakthrough in Black political representation in Europe.