Pramod Thomas is a senior correspondent with Asian Media Group since 2020, bringing 19 years of journalism experience across business, politics, sports, communities, and international relations. His career spans both traditional and digital media platforms, with eight years specifically focused on digital journalism. This blend of experience positions him well to navigate the evolving media landscape and deliver content across various formats. He has worked with national and international media organisations, giving him a broad perspective on global news trends and reporting standards.
GARETH THOMAS MP has written to the home secretary seeking his intervention over Tier 5 religious worker visas, which enable UK temples to recruit priests, saying such places of worship face closure over staff shortages.
In a letter to James Cleverly on Wednesday (17), the Labour MP for Harrow West, who is also the chair of the All Parliamentary Group for British Gujaratis, said many temples have closed down or offer reduced services due to “severe delays” in obtaining Tier 5 religious worker visas.
Priests are vital to the community as they not only lead prayer services in temples, but are called upon by families for house warming and wedding ceremonies, among other religious events.
Thomas said he met the Mandirs United group, which represents 20 Hindu temples in UK, and urged Cleverly to set up an expert panel to resolve their concerns.
"Temples often find themselves without a religious worker and they struggle to serve their community," he said.
In his letter, Thomas said for most UK temples, the Tier 5 religious worker is the only paid member of staff and their wage is funded through donations.
It is a temporary two-year visa with no option to extend, so these institutions have to search for a new religious worker for up to six months before the existing religious worker’s visa runs out, Thomas pointed out.
Representatives of the Mandirs United group suggested amending the rules for Tier 5 visas to be issued for three years, with an option to extend up to five years.
In a briefing document presented to the APPG on December 13, the group noted delays over processing of applications, rising visa costs and raised questions about the quality of translation staff, which they claim led to visa refusals.
The Shree Laxminarayan Mandir in Birmingham said it had to close down last year due to delay in issuing visa to a religious worker. When the temple lodged a formal complaint, a visa was issued to the worker but not his wife and no explanation was provided.
In another instance, when Shree Ram Mandir in Birmingham complained about an inaccurate end date on biometric residence permits (BRP), they were informed that it was being looked into. However, nothing happened for six months. Further, around £6,000 had already been paid for the service.
Gurjar Hindu Union Temple in Crawley said it did not receive a 'priority service' even after paying £262 towards that.
Shrijidam Havelli, Leicester said its application was rejected last September as the interview conducted in Gujarati was not translated correctly. It has now asked for the script of the interview.
The Shree Krishna Mandir, West Bromwich, had to rely on volunteer members to do the rituals for important Hindu festivals last year due to the delay in issuing visas to a religious worker and his family members. It took five months to get the visa (excluding the spouse visa), instead of the stipulated 15 days.
Thomas said in the letter that temple representatives expressed concerns over the resident labour market test as there are no gurukuls (religious schools) or Hindu religious education establishments in the UK from where they can recruit workers.
“As a result, the resident labour market test cannot be met, and temples have to wait thirty days before they can start their selection process and conduct interviews.
“Temples further feel they are facing lengthy delays and there is no easily available hotline they can speak to within the Home Office about their application," he wrote.
Thomas told Eastern Eye, “Mandirs play a crucial role in our communities. Due to these problems many have had to reduce their hours.
“I call on the Home Secretary to look into the problems around Tier-5 Religious Worker visas and the specific cases which the Mandirs have raised.”
BRITAIN's borrowing has surged past the official forecasts that underpin the government's tax and spending plans, compounding the challenge facing chancellor Rachel Reeves in her November budget.
Public sector borrowing between April and August totalled £83.8 billion ($113.39), £11.4bn more than forecast by the Office for Budget Responsibility earlier this year, official data published on Friday (19) showed.
The borrowing was the highest for the first five months of the financial year since 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic forced the government into huge spending to prop up the economy.
Even before Friday's figures, Reeves had been expected to announce fresh tax increases in her budget on November 26 to stay on track to meet her fiscal rules and avoid unsettling financial markets.
Sterling fell by almost half a cent against the US dollar after the ONS released the borrowing figures along with separate data that showed a stronger-than-expected increase in retail sales volumes in August.
In August alone, the government borrowed almost £18bn, the Office for National Statistics said, much higher than the OBR estimate of a £12.5bn overshoot.
A Reuters poll of economists showed a median forecast of a £12.75bn deficit in August.
"Last month’s borrowing was the highest August total since the pandemic," ONS chief economist Grant Fitzner said. "Although overall tax and National Insurance receipts were noticeably up on last year, these increases were outstripped by higher spending on public services, benefits and debt interest."
The ONS said its estimates for borrowing in recent months had been revised higher by almost £6bn after updated data from the tax office showed value-added tax receipts were lower than initially thought.
Updated figures from local and devolved administrations also contributed to the revision.
Prior to Friday's data release, public sector borrowing had been tracking close to the OBR's forecast for the year to date.
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HOME SECRETARY Shabana Mahmood can adopt a bigger and bolder approach combining “control and compassion” in reducing the number of asylum seekers arriving on UK shores via small boats, a new report out today (18) said.
Britain on Thursday (18) returned the first migrant - an Indian national - to France under a new "one-in, one-out" deal, which Mahmood hailed as “an important first step to securing our borders".
The home secretary said, “The UK will always play its part in helping those genuinely fleeing persecution, but this must be done through safe, legal and managed routes - not dangerous crossings”.
Earlier in the day, a report by British Future thinktank said a scaled-up “routes and returns” deal, based on a model implemented by the US as well as the framework of the UK-France deal, could reduce Channel crossings by 75 per cent in the next three years.
Under proposals outlined in the report, the UK-France ‘one in one out’ deal can be expanded, enabling the return of a vast majority of those who arrive without permission in small boats to France.
This could be achieved by simultaneously allowing a significant number of people with the right to claim asylum via an expanded, regularised route to the UK, the report’s authors said.
Its premise is drawn from an initiative during the fourth year of former US president Joe Biden’s term, when irregular crossings at the US-Mexico border were reduced by 81 per cent from December 2023 to December 2024.
That strategy integrated swift returns of asylum seekers who arrived without authorisation with controlled and capped legal routes offering refugee protection to those who qualified.
Director of British Future and co-author of the report, Sunder Katwala, said, “The new home secretary needs to seize the initiative on small boats with a real-world plan bold enough to have an impact, but founded on hard evidence of what works.
“The foundations are in place in the UK-France deal. The US experience shows what can be achieved when this approach is delivered at scale.
“The public would support this: they want action on Channel crossings but still want Britain to protect refugees in need.
“Most people would prefer an orderly, controlled and humane system to the populist threat to tear everything up, which appeals only to a vocal minority.”
In the report, the authors said scaling-up the UK-France scheme would change the behaviour of people seeking asylum and thus undermine the business model of people smugglers.
Frank Sharry, former lead immigration advisor to the Kamala Harris presidential campaign in the US, and co-author of the report, said: “The policy lesson from America’s experience last year is clear: a mix of international cooperation, credible deterrence and managed legal pathways produces results.
“The political lesson is also clear: if Labour is to thwart the populists who weaponise migration in pursuit of power, a humane and workable solution to the small boats crisis is essential.”
Former Labour home secretary Charles Clarke said: “Sunder Katwala and Frank Sharry’s approach to ’stopping the boats’ demands serious and urgent consideration by the government.
“It is constructive, creative and establishes genuine control based on successful practical experience. Theirs is a realistic and humanitarian route to effective action.”
At a press conference this evening with visiting US president Donald Trump, UK prime minister Sir Keir Starmer said it was important to make the migrant returns deal with France work, in order to control the number of those arriving.Trump urged Starmer to use military force if necessary.
"You have people coming in, and I told the prime minister I would stop it," the US presdient told reporters. "And it doesn't matter if you call out the military, it doesn't matter what means you use, but it's going to destroy... countries from within."
Starmer responded that on Britain's "one in, one out" deal with France, "it is important we're able to prove it can be done."
New polling by Ipsos for British Future showed a majority of the public (55 per cent) supports the proposal that “The UK should agree with France a capped number of people that the UK will admit into the UK each year to claim asylum by authorised routes, in return for France agreeing to take back those who cross the Channel without permission.”
Among those polled, the policy was opposed by 15 per cent, with majorities of Conservatives (64 per cent) and Reform UK voters (53 per cent) supportive, along with 62 per cent of Labour voters and 58 per cent of Lib Dems.
Even when a large number of authorised arrivals, 50,000 each year, is included in the policy proposal, public support still eclipsed opposition by 48 per cent to 18 per cent.
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Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer and Lady Victoria Starmer (right) with US president Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump watch members of the Red Devils Army parachute display team at Chequers, near Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, on day two of the president's second state visit to the UK. Stefan Rousseau/Pool via REUTERS
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump and British prime minister Keir Starmer hailed the renewal of their nations' "special relationship" on Thursday (18), drawing the US leader's unprecedented second state visit to a close with a show of unity after avoiding possible pitfalls.
At a warm press conference when the two leaders glossed over differences on Gaza and wind power to present a united front, Trump said Russian president Vladimir Putin had "let him down" and he was disappointed other countries were still buying Russian oil because only a low oil price would punish Moscow.
After two days of his state visit to Britain, which the US leader described as an "exquisite honour", Trump was in a relaxed mode at the final press conference while Starmer was focused on avoiding areas of disagreement.
Neither leader was tripped up by potentially embarrassing subjects, with both batting away questions over the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and his ties to Trump and to Starmer's former ambassador to the US.
"We've renewed the special relationship for a new era," Starmer told reporters.
"This partnership today is a signal of our determination to win this race together and to ensure it brings real benefits in jobs, in growth, in lower bills, to put more hard-earned cash in people's pockets at the end of each month."
"We're forever joined, and we are forever friends and we will always be friends," Trump said.
Earlier, at the start of a business reception, some of the leading names in US and UK business were welcomed by the two leaders to unveil a record £150 billion ($205bn) package of US investment into Britain, part of a wider £250bn package officials say will benefit both sides.
Starmer said the deals would "light up the special relationship for years to come". Trump was equally effusive. "The ties between our countries are priceless.
US president Donald Trump and UK prime minister Keir Starmer announce an agreement between the two countries as they hold a press conference conference at Chequers at the conclusion of a state visit on September 18, 2025 in Aylesbury, England. Leon Neal/Pool via REUTERS
"We've done some things that financially are great for both countries ... I think it's an unbreakable bond we have, regardless of what we're doing today. I think it's unbreakable."
Starmer has pitched Britain as a destination for US investment, aligned to its financial services, tech and energy sectors so it can draw in US capital and build out its infrastructure to grow the economy.
He was keen to champion deals including a new technology pact with companies from Microsoft to Nvidia and OpenAI pledging £31bn ($42bn) and £100bn from Blackstone.
In terms of any differences, it was on foreign affairs where the two were most out of lockstep.
Starmer, and other European leaders, have been pressing Trump to put more pressure on Putin to end his war against Ukraine; Trump, while criticising the Russian president, failed to mention any further sanctions against Moscow.
The US leader again expressed frustration that European nations were still buying Russian oil, but said Starmer was not part of their number.
Trump also repeated his position that he disagreed with countries recognising Palestine - something Starmer has said Britain will do if Israel fails to relieve suffering in Gaza and reach a ceasefire in its nearly two-year war with Hamas.
"I have a disagreement with the Prime Minister on that score, one of our few disagreements, actually," Trump said.
But the two leaders sidestepped questions on Epstein, after both were asked about Starmer's decisions to sack Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the U.S. last week after his close ties with the late financier were released. Trump's relationship with Epstein has also come under scrutiny.
"I don't know him actually," Trump said in response to a question about Mandelson. "I think the prime minister would be better speaking over that, it was a choice that he made."
Starmer repeated his position: "Some information came to light last week which wasn't available when he was appointed and I made a decision about it, and that's very clear."
He also avoided a blowup on differing UK and US interpretations of free speech, after Trump said Britain had "laid the foundations of law, liberty, free speech and individual rights" under its empire and "must continue to stand for the values ... of the English-speaking world".
When the final question was answered, a clearly relieved Starmer ushered Trump out of the Great Hall at Chequers before the president leaves to return to Washington.
ASIAN business leaders have emerged among the most prominent donors to UK political parties in the second quarter of 2025, new figures from the Electoral Commission showed.
Among individual Asian donors, Kamal Pankhania and Haridas (Harish) Sodha stood out with £100,000 contributions each. Pankhania’s gift to the Conservatives in June and Sodha’s support for Labour in April were the largest Asian donations recorded during the second quarter of this year, data released on September 4 showed.
Pankhania is the chief executive of Westcombe Group, a family-owned property and development company best known for buying historic Grade I and Grade II listed buildings and converting them into homes. He and his brother Sunil took over the running of the company in 2003 from their father, Vraj Pankhania, who remains chairman.
Sodha, who fled Uganda during Idi Amin’s 1972 expulsion of Asians, has built a career in travel services.
A graduate in business administration from the University of Bath (1977), he cofounded Key Travel before going on to establish Diversity Travel, which arranges travel for NGOs and charities working in difficult regions. He is also director of City Eco Hotel Limited.
Other major contributions came from Dr Selva Pankaj, chief executive of Regent Group, a London-based education provider. He gave £60,000 to the Tories in May.
A Sri Lanka-born accountant turned entrepreneur, Dr Pankaj oversees several colleges and training institutes across the capital. Malik Karim, an investment banker and Tory fundraiser who has hosted events for former prime minister Rishi Sunak, donated £55,500 in May and June.
Labour also received £20,000 in April from Lord Waheed Alli, a media entrepreneur and long-standing party supporter.
The Liberal Democrats also recorded steady contributions.
Businessman Sudhir Choudhrie, a long-time backer of the party, gave a total of £16,666 during April to June. Tushar S Prabhu added £5,000 in June, and Ramesh Dewan contributed £3,330 in May.
Data confirmed that Tories remain the single largest recipient of political donations, raising £2.9 million in the second quarter. This is more than Labour and Reform UK combined, and follows the £3.4m the opposition party collected in the first quarter.Labour raised £2.6m, much of it from trade unions, while Reform UK collected £1.3m.
The Conservative party’s statement on the donations stressed that it had once again outpaced Labour and Reform UK. “The Conservatives have reported £2.9m in donations in the 2nd quarter of 2025, continuing to raise far more than any other party – for the third quarter running,” the party said.
Jackie Killeen, director of Electoral Administration and Regulation, said, “The UK political finance regime has high levels of transparency, and we know that voters are interested in where parties get their money from. This publication is an important part of delivering this information for voters.
“However, there are parts of the system that need strengthening, and we have been calling for changes to the law for some time. The UK government’s proposed reforms to the political finance regime have the potential to improve the strength of donation controls and ensure voters can have confidence in the political finance system. We will continue to work with the government to ensure any changes are evidence based and workable in practice.”
Labour continues to rely heavily on union funding, with £1.67m in the second quarter coming from Unite, GMB and other affiliated unions.
The party also reported an £80,000 donation from Activepine, a property company owned by businessman Maqbool Ahmed.
Reform UK, led by Nigel Farage, secured £1.3m in donations, including contributions from Greybull Capital, hedge fund manager Johan Christoferson, and treasurer Nick Candy. While the figure was significantly below Tory and Labour totals, it marked a steady inflow from wealthy backers. The latest data revealed that while bigticket donors remain engaged across the political spectrum, Tories continue to enjoy a clear financial advantage.
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Rafiq M Habib (Photo: Habib University Foundation)
TRIBUTES have been paid to Rafiq M Habib, a prominent Asian business leader, philanthropist and founding chancellor of Habib University, who passed away in Dubai earlier this month. He was 88.
News of his death was confirmed by Habib University, which described him as the “moral and visionary force” behind its creation. “His calm resolve and integrity shaped every step of this journey, and his belief in education’s role in serving the greater good continues to guide our mission,” the university said in a statement.
Habib dedicated much of his life to building institutions that not only shaped industries but also uplifted communities. His passing has been marked with tributes from across the business, education and philanthropic sectors.
Born in 1937, he rose to prominence as the head of the House of Habib, one of Pakistan’s leading conglomerates. He later went on to serve as chairman of the Habib University Foundation and played a central role in the establishment of Habib University in Karachi, which has since become a world-class centre of higher learning. He was also a member of the board of directors of the Stile Company and served on the boards of various other firms.
At Habib University’s 2023 convocation, Rafiq addressed students with his hallmark humility and commitment to education. The institution remains one of his most enduring contributions to Pakistan, reflecting his vision that learning should serve society at large.
Wasif Rizvi, president of Habib University, remembered him as a “towering figure of vision, humility, and steadfast service.” He added: “Rafiq sahib was the visionary in the legendary Habib family to imagine a world-class institution of higher learning being founded in Karachi. His generosity was never about recognition, but an act of devotion to knowledge and service.”
Beyond education, Rafiq was widely respected for his philanthropic work. He was a trustee of several welfare projects and supported initiatives in education, healthcare, rehabilitation, and relief. Under his guidance, the Habib family’s schools reached more than 8,000 children, offering high-quality primary education. He also promoted street schools and home schools, ensuring that opportunities extended to underprivileged communities.
His charitable commitments stretched further, as he remained active in healthcare and humanitarian causes. He was a strong supporter of the global Polio Plus programme and contributed significantly to Rotary’s charitable activities.
Rafiq also made a mark in the business world with his vast experience in insurance and banking. He played an important role in promoting Indus Motor Company Limited and served as a consultant for Habib Bank AG Zurich.
Over the years, he contributed to the growth of many enterprises, including through positions on the boards of Philips Electrical Company of Pakistan and the advisory board of Standard Chartered Bank in Pakistan.
Companies under the House of Habib umbrella, including Thal Limited, Shabbir Tiles and Habib Insurance, also expressed their sorrow at his passing. Their statements highlighted his leadership, discipline, and lifelong commitment to progress.
Colleagues and associates have described him as a man of conviction, discipline and generosity. His leadership style was often quiet but resolute, rooted in values that shaped not only his businesses but also his contributions to society.
He is survived by his family, who have vowed to carry forward his vision of progress through education, philanthropy, and enterprise.