The Postcolonial World Stage: Immigration and Britain’s International Reputation

Abstract

The British government felt exposed to public and international scrutiny when details of the virginity testing of the Indian woman at Heathrow Airport emerged in the press in February 1979. Strategies were considered on how to limit the potential damage to its reputation. As the controversy unfolded, the government was receiving reassurance from the South Asian Department of the FCO that the Indian government was ‘generally unconcerned’ with Britain’s immigration control policies.¹ Nevertheless, the Indian government was described as being ‘very concerned’ that immigration control practice ‘is (and is seen to be) racially discriminatory’.² An April 1979 brief for the incoming (Thatcher) government also highlighted that, ‘though Indian Ministers and officials are usually responsible and restrained, the same cannot be said of the media or parliamentarians who are ever ready to believe the worst of us’.³ A similar warning was made in a Steering Brief for the July 1979 visit by the new Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, to India. This brief stated that ‘Indians have from time to time expressed concern at alleged harassment by Immigration Officers of Indians coming to the UK for visits’. Another brief advised Lord Carrington ‘not to say anything on this subject unless the Indians raise it with him’.⁴