BY KUSH AZRAEL

Staff Reporter

At 34 Chuka Umunna has already been talked of as a future Labour party leader in the United Kingdom, and as “Britain’s Obama.”

His mix of values and passion for social justice reflects his background. His Nigerian father, Ben went to Britain in the 1960s, washing cars and then starting a successful import-export business. His Irish mother was a probation officer and now an attorney. After graduating from Manchester University he became a lawyer specializing in employment. As well as being a trustee of two youth charities, he is the editor of TMP, an online magazine for “multicultural progressives.”

The former lawyer, who was born and raised in the suburb of Streatham, has climbed the ranks of the Labour party with record speed.

In just 18 months, he became parliamentary private secretary to the Labour party leader and then became the shadow minister for small business and enterprise. Five months later, in 2011, Umunna was promoted to shadow business secretary.

At 34 years old, he is one of the youngest Members of Parliament (MP) and the shadow cabinet. When he was elected as MP for Streatham at the election in 2010, he was named by commentators as one of the Labour Party’s “rising stars.”

It has been five years now since Umunna has been compared to President Barack Obama.

In 2009, Umunna was profiled by the New Statesman, which called him “A Barack Obama for the UK.”

There is a broad consensus on the characteristics the two men share. The most obvious is they are both mixed race and from African descent, both are lawyers and both lost their fathers in car accidents at an early age. Their names even share the same amount of syllables.

However, in several interviews Umunna said he was alarmed by the comparisons, which he has described as “dangerous.” He said his wish is not to be “viewed through the prism of someone else’s personality.”

Umunna is said to be an unusually popular politician. This is partially because of his polished public image. He is noted for his custom-tailored suits and has been described by commentators as “smooth,” “marketable,” “refreshing,” and a “cool cat.”

However, Umunna has admitted to experimenting with drugs in his younger days, and at one point in his life, wanted to be a DJ. Ummuna proudly describes himself as a Londoner. His professed love for UK garage music is due to its fusion of English, Jamaican and Latin cultures which makes it “essentially London”.

Like most politicians, Umunna has come under fire for things he has said.

Most notable is his stance on the slave trade.

“African slavery and colonialism are not simply remnants of the past, they helped lay the foundations for the successful modern Britain of today. The effects of slavery are still felt in our communities. Many cite the matriarchal nature of our families, with a high preponderance of absent fathers, as an example,” said Umunna.

“In this light, an apology is long overdue, whatever the legal argument.”

In an interview with the Guardian newspaper, Umunna said his drive to get involved in politics was rooted in his belief in social justice and a desire to change people’s lives.

When asked why he joined the Labour party and not the Tories or the Liberal Democrats, Umunna said, “Achieving our potential as individuals is only possible in a strong society, which gives each of us a platform to succeed. This is why I am Labour. I want a fairer, more equal, democratic and sustainable world.”

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