First female Sikh and first turbaned lawmakers take Indian-origin MPs tally in UK to 12

Britain on Friday got its first female Sikh MP and first turban-wearing MP as the UK general election results threw up a small increase in the number of Indian- origin MPs in the House of Commons.

The latest tally indicates the Labour party has improved its record from five to seven MPs, with the Tories retaining their five Indian-origin MPs taking the total number up from 10 in the 2015 general election to 12.

Labour's Preet Kaur Gill won her Birmingham Edgbaston seat by polling 24,124 votes, defeating her Conservative party rival by 6,917 votes. "I am delighted I have been given the opportunity to become the next MP for Edgbaston," she said. Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, known as Tan, won his Slough seat decisively polling 34,170 votes, to become Labour's first turban-wearing MP.

He said he was "humbled" and wanted to serve the town where he was born and raised.

Among some of the other Indian-origin contestant results, Conservative party's Priti Patel has held on to her stronghold of Witham in Essex with a solid majority of 18,646, Alok Sharma has held on to Reading West by 2,876 votes and Shailesh Vara has won in Cambridgeshire North West by 18,008 votes.

Lisa Nandy won in Wigan, Seema Malhotra held on to Feltham & Heston and Virendra Sharma in Ealing Southall.