Since entering the House of Commons in 2000, David has been at the forefront of the fight for social and racial equality. David led the campaign for Windrush British citizens to be granted British citizenship and paid compensation by the government, forcing the Home Secretary to guarantee the citizenship of Commonwealth nationals, set up a specialist Commonwealth Taskforce and establish a compensation scheme.

David presented the Channel 4 documentary, The Unremembered: Britain’s Forgotten War Heroes, in 2019. The piece revealed the lack of memorials for African soldiers who gave their lives to protect Britain during WW1. The documentary inspired an investigation by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission which found that “pervasive racism” was the leading factor in the failure to commemorate service personnel. The Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, subsequently apologised over the findings in the review.

In the aftermath of the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, David was at the forefront of the fight for justice for the families of the bereaved. David has highlighted the need for those responsible for the fire to be brought to justice, as well as calling on the government to take steps to ensure that such a fire can never happen again. 

Published in 2020, David’s second book Tribes explored the social and racial divisions in society. In it, David calls for us to challenge our common perceptions of British history and to forge stronger community ties.