It never ceases to surprise me that despite much of the UK’s seemingly constant battle against diversity, curry remains the nation’s favourite dish. Imagine all those Brexit voters outraged by how immigrants are “taking over their community” tucking into a chicken tikka masala at the end of the day and seeing no hypocrisy in their actions.

In fact, Brexit could have a devastating effect on the curry industry. While this may not seem like the most pressing issue at hand, it’s an important reminder of how leaving the EU will impact us in more ways than we could imagine.

Brick Lane in east London is famous for its curry houses and attracts tourism in part thanks to this feature, but it too is struggling to find staff. From April 2016, Tier 2 visa restrictions became tighter with the introduction of a new £35,000 salary threshold, and many chefs from India and Bangladesh earn much less than this, leaving curry houses unable to find the necessary staff to meet demand. An increasing number of EU nationals were happy to fill these roles, but have now been returning to their home countries with the uncertainty of Brexit, leaving restaurants unable to find the necessary staff to meet demand.

This week at the annual British Curry Awards Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable gave a speech, reminding us all that Tory Brexiteers misled the community about EU withdrawal making it easier for Indian and Bangladeshi chefs to come to Britain. In her “Save Our Curry Houses” campaign, Priti Patel claimed that a Leave vote would mean more chefs and staff would be able to come over from Asia because of an end to freedom of movement from the EU. Cable has long recognised the difficulties in recruiting qualified staff for curry houses, which is why he proposed a “vindaloo visa” plan, which would allow chefs to come to the UK for a year to train new staff. Cable has claimed that Theresa May received this proposal when she was home secretary, but has ignored it.

In 2016 Enam Ali, founder of the British Curry Awards, also submitted a 100 page document to the Home Office, with suggestions on how to make the system work better. He suggested allowing people to work in the UK but not giving them the right to claim any government benefits or bring their family. The idea was for them to come here for a set period to work as a chef, then return. Ali claimed that the government would not touch his submission until the Brexit situation was settled.

It’s hard to see how leaving the EU could possibly benefit curry houses and their staffing issues unless there is a clear initiative regarding immigration from Asia. But the promises worked, and many chefs and restaurateurs in Britain’s £4.2bn curry industry backed Brexit under the assurance that it would boost their businesses. They now feel let down. Despite Theresa May describing the curry industry as an “immensely important and popular part of British life”, she seems to have done little to help it survive.

Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Show all 14 1 /14 Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Stoke A toy tiger, a long way from its natural habitat, no longer loved, no longer cuddled, caught in wires, lost within a maze of alleyways and red-brick terraces Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Coventry The Multi-Faith Peace Walk visits a gurdwara. The white man in the front row wears a cross, displaying allegiance to Christianity. His hat is a public sign of loyalty to Coventry City FC. There is no disrespect. On the contrary, this is an event that encourages multi-faith interaction, and his sincerity and concentration, I think, show that it’s working Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Birmingham Two outlines of man in British society, 100 years apart. Both carry a heavy load, both with a purpose, going somewhere, under orders, no doubt. But they’re split by the years between them, looking at life from different ends of the century, with different outlooks, facing different futures and fates Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Hanley There are small shops like this all over modern Britain. They are adorned with flags of the countries whose products you may find inside. They have names like “International”, “European”, “Baltic”, “Balkan”, “Eastern”, etc. “Unity Store” is exceptional, however, because it makes a political statement about the desirable relationship between the nationalities and their relationship to Britain Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Wolverhampton The blind leading the blind, or friends leaving the pub together, walking and talking together, going to the bus stop and heading home, not in need of a sighted leader Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Worcester A man sleeps in a pub, preserving body heat, his crossword incomplete and Guinness unfinished. There’s absence beside; a light emptiness that exaggerates the weight of his slumber Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Coventry Warriors in the heat of a Pokémon battle, war-weary, yet glued to the action, fighting on. Reality is up for grabs in this scene, fragmented across three planes: the street, the battle, and the airbrushed projections of femininity Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Worcester A crowd looks on as a young man contemplates suicide, standing atop a building in the town centre. A fireman eventually persuades him not to jump, and he is carried down to earth by the mechanical arm of a fire engine Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Birmingham Jehovah’s Witnesses try to convert people outside Moor Street station. They compete for attention with a sign promising financial gain. There’s a choice here, between the world of faith and the heady skylines of Birmingham and London, where what’s in your pocket matters most Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Worcester A church on the high street undergoes construction. Scaffolding is hidden by boards displaying messages about God and Christianity. Coupled with a secular, national symbol, the text takes on another meaning, a commentary on the nation itself as a broad church, as shelter, as a place of worship Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Coventry Skeletons behind curtains in a spiritualist church. They are there for Halloween, but it looks like a joke about the role of the dead in the church, who are kept close, communicating with terrestrial beings through the energy that binds all things Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Warwick Red poppies made from plastic bottle bottoms. Recycling in the service of memorialisation. The act of remembrance blurs with the ethics of 21st century environmentalism Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Coventry A tent pitched in the middle of the city, next to the pavement, cramped in a corner. The inhabitants’ towel hangs out to dry, below a cruel, unintentional, chance commentary on the transitory, temporary, and thoroughly unhomely settlement. A boy moves in the light, playing or hiding or turning away Richard Morgan/The Independent Britain before Brexit: West Midlands Warwick An early morning view of Warwick castle, still black, just reappearing, yet the flag shines as if it had done so the whole night through, as if it had always been this way; a beacon of light in a world of darkness Richard Morgan/The Independent

In speaking to the people who run these restaurants, it seems clear that Brick Lane in particular is divided over Brexit because people feel they were lied to. Now it’s become apparent to many that Brexit will not help the curry industry. In fact it will have a negative effect on the hospitality sector, as many restaurants rely on EU employees. There are curry houses still on the fence, who still believe that Brexit could help their businesses, while others think the industry should take a stand and demand a second referendum now they know the facts. Of course, there are those who never believed the Brexiteers’ promises in the first place, and are resentful of those who did, putting all their futures in jeopardy.

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This sense of divide was particularly noticeable at the British Curry Awards, where the tension was palpable every time the topic of Brexit came up.