As the Great Britain heads to its 4 July general election, an age-old practice is turning heads for its name.
The Purdah
An Islamic word, ‘Purdah’ means ‘curtain’ or ‘veil’.
It has traditionally referred to the practice of screening women from the male view.
The word has evolved over the years to become a general term for the Middle Eastern and South Asian practice of segregating the genders and ensuring women’s modesty.
What does that have to do with UK politics?
In fact, for more than a century, ‘Purdah’ has been in use in British politics to describe the pre-election period.
Historians say ‘Purdah’ was initially adopted during the Second World War, and entered the English language because of Britain’s colonial past.
According to Dr Mohammad Seddon, Centre for the Study of Islam, Cardiff University, UK, “English is constantly developing, but the fact is that ‘Purdah’ entered the language because of the colonial encounter…”. Dr Seddon said this in an earlier interview published with local UK website Wales Online.
It is assumed that the British government learned the term ‘Purdah’ during the British Occupation of India.
In recent years however, the use of ‘Purdah’ to describe the pre-election period has come under intense scrutiny, with many saying the term is ‘derogatory and racist’. Since early 2020s, the word has been dropped and cancelled from official use in the UK.
‘Purdah’ context in UK polls
Informally, ‘Purdah’ can be seen in use everywhere in the 2024 UK general elections.
This year, the UK parliament was dissolved on 30 May, more than a month before the voting is due to take place on 4 July.
This period, from the 30 May dissolution till voting on 4 July, is when the entire UK government is said to observe ‘Purdah’.
It means that it is officially the sensitive “pre-election period” with restrictions on ministerial and departmental activity during the election campaign.
As stated on the UK Parliament website: “The pre-election period (purdah) is the term used to describe the period between the time an election is announced and the date the election is held.”
“Civil servants are given official guidance by the Cabinet Office on the rules they must follow in relation to Government business during this time.”
When the UK parliament is dissolved, all businesses in both the Houses (House of Commons and House of Lords) come to an end.
There are no members of the parliament (MPs) and every seat in the House of Commons is vacant until after the general election.
However, before being used in elections, ‘Purdah’ was in use at the UK Treasury.
An analysis done in 2010 by John Cooper of international law firm Gowlings (known at that time as Wragge & Co LLP), ‘Purdah’ was originally used with the UK Treasury, “where it has long been established that the Chancellor of the Exchequer should avoid discussing a budget prior to its official announcement in order to prevent any repercussions in financial markets.”
This is also known as ‘Budget Purdah’ – the period after plans have been prepared but before the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s annual budget is announced – when there were restrictions from discussing any matters that had relevance to the budget. However, ‘Budget Purdah’ has also slipped through the ranks in recent years.
“By extension, the principle of avoiding active engagement on politically sensitive matters has been applied to pre-election periods,” Cooper writes.
Analysing in detail, Cooper adds, “Purdah is a classic convention of British governance… It needs to be understood by reference to the way public bodies behave in practice rather than to any clear rules governing their actions.”
“What is clear is that a practice, which started in Whitehall with a limited purpose confined to central government has grown organically to extend to local government and the wider set of public authorities…” he adds, referring to the fact that ‘Purdah’ was never a law, but an adopted practice.
Rules of UK ‘Purdah’
‘Purdah’ has quite a big impact on civil servants as they must be politically impartial during this time.
They are expected to avoid any activity that could, or could be seen to, influence the outcome of the election.
Therefore, during ‘Purdah’, governments, ministers, and civil servants in the UK are required to exercise caution in making any announcements or decisions. This is not set out in law, but is governed by conventions.
There are no sanctions if ministers are perceived to have breached the rules.
However, guidance is issued on the principles that should be observed, with details of the code of recommended practice.
These include: ban on publicity that influences voters, ban on publicity of controversial issues, reporting views on proposals in a way that identifies with a particular candidate or political party, and ban on publicity relating to individuals involved directly in the election among others.
‘Purdah’ has considerable moral authority, and its breach carries the possibility of actions for abuse of power and misconduct in public office.
Otherwise, its lack of status as a common law means different local authorities adopt different standards to observe ‘Purdah’.
At the national level, ‘Purdah’ period means major decisions on policy are postponed until after the pre-election period, unless it is in the national interest to proceed, or a delay would waste public money.
The period also continues after the election during the time in which new MPs and ministers are sworn in.
In the event of an inconclusive election result, ‘Purdah’ does not end until a new government forms.
Drawing the veil over ‘Purdah’
Over the years, there has been considerable criticism of the use of ‘Purdah’ in UK elections and other official practices. Women’s rights activists say the usage is “sexist and racist”.
In fact, in 2019, the Bank of England dropped ‘Purdah’, which was used to signify its quiet period, on gender grounds.
The same year, Harini Iyengar, a Women’s Equality Party politician told Metro.co.uk in an interview that traditionally, “Purdah required upper-class women to be physically secluded and segregated from men and even kept indoors, hidden out of sight behind curtains and screens.”
“It was a system that took away their human rights.”
In more recent times, the Taliban had supported ‘Purdah’ using it to push women out of the workforce.
“Many women in Britain of South Asian heritage believe that ‘Purdah’ was an unfair system…” Iyengar said, adding that “when we hear the word ‘purdah’ being used as jargon for proper behaviour by civil servants and ministers, we experience it as sexist, racist, and offensive.”
The term has been intensely contested over the years, and replaced largely by “pre-election period” in the 2024 general election officially. However, its informal use continues to prosper.
What happens if ‘Purdah’ is broken?
Breaches of the restrictions imposed on civil servants during ‘Purdah’ are taken seriously.
Breaches by ministers are referred to the Prime Minister.
If civil servants are required to act in a way that conflicts with the Civil Service Code, they can make a complaint to the Civil Service Commission. The Commission can then make recommendations about how the matter should be resolved.
There are no explicit consequences for the British government if they breach the general principles.
However, it could have political consequences and a constitutional row with the Opposition.
For this year’s general election, the British ‘Purdah’ ends on 4 July 2024.
