How 'grasp it' message spurred bus driver's daughter to become Britain's first Sikh MP

In 2017 Britain's first Sikh female MP was elected to represent a Birmingham constituency. That election result has been heralded as a ‘victory for Sikh representation in the UK parliament’.

Preet Gill secured 24,124 votes in 2017 to hold the seat in Birmingham Edgbaston for Labour with a majority of 6,917. Speaking to Birmingham Live she revealed she wouldn't be where she is today if it wasn't for her dad Daljit Singh Shergill.

The MP had previously worked in children services and as a councillor for Sandwell and decided to campaign to be elected as an MP in 2017, to fulfil her late father's dream. She took the seat in the snap election called by then Prime Minister Theresa May.

Preet said: "My father’s dream was for me to become the first Sikh female MP, he’s the reason I became a councillor and unfortunately I lost my dad in 2014. He never got to see me realise that dream, he passed away at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here in the constituency. I always felt like he was with me during that journey, In 2017 when I had to switch a lot of Sikh conservative voters to Labour. They agreed only because they knew my dad."

Daljit Singh Shergill was the ex president of the Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick, he was known for driving the N.11 bus and for all the good deeds he did in his community.

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The Edgbaston MP told us her father Daljit gave her the confidence to believe she can make a difference, and that is because of all he achieved during his lifetime. She said: "When I think about my journey, I think it stems to all those values and principles that I saw my father with, he has really given me the passion and the confidence to say yes we can make a difference.

"I’m one of seven, he had five daughters and two boys and he never treated any of us differently just because of that. His thing was Britain gives you a great opportunity to further your life in terms of getting a free education, in terms of the opportunities, grasp it. Be grateful for it, and that was always his attitude.

"When I was eight I remember my dad going to Romania. I remember we had to pack these boxes of aid back then. My father trying to make ends meet, sending money back home... he never felt that sense of responsibility was just for us, his immediate family, he was always about everybody and I loved seeing that.

"People used to say your front room is like a railway station, what’s going on? Why are there always these people in your house? I used to say it’s because of my dad, my dad will meet anyone whether it’s at the gurdwara, somebody he knew, if they needed help filling up any forms...he'd be there for them, always.

"He’d make us go campaigning, we had to do leafleting. Having politicians in and out my home just became the norm. I saw my dad being this driver in my community affecting change, he set up some of the first race equality schemes in Sandwell, he also worked with the Harborne Parish when the gurdwara decided to expand."

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It was really important to Daljit to stand up for justice and help those in need, so he had set up an organisation called Samaj Sardaar. Preet added: "I remember women coming from India in the 80s there wasn't any support for them so my dad set up this organisation in the gurdwara. A lot of girls would come and approach him and tell him how they were treated unfairly by their in laws, employers or any other difficulties they faced as they didn't have access to knowing what their rights were.

"That concept of Sikhi, he really lived and practiced as he went above and beyond his role of being the president of the Sikh temple of Smethwick. He could see that there were a lot of other issues that the community was facing and that his role was more than ensuring the gurdwara was running."

"He would've been immensely proud of me, he would’ve been a huge support and would've advised me in my journey in politics and I miss that I suppose. Representing the constituency where my family first came and where we all grew up is such a great honour for me."

Preet Kaur Gill is a British Labour Party politician serving as Shadow Minister for Primary Care and Public Health since 2023. She has been Member of Parliament for Birmingham Edgbaston since 2017 and she is also chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group for British Sikhs.