ASIAN peer Lord Krish Raval has pledged to dedicate his time to strengthening community cohesion and British Indian relations in his maiden speech at the House of Lords last week.
Baron Krish Raval of Hertsmere reflected on his three decades in leadership development across business, academia and faith communities, describing himself as a “doorkeeper” whose role was “not barring access, but opening doors”.
Raval was nominated for a peerage by prime minister Sir Keir Starmer last year and was introduced to the Lords last month.
In his speech, he stressed the importance of community integration: “I learned that the political scientist Robert Putnam was right. Unattended diversity can fracture communities, but with intent and leadership, it forges strength. Inclusion isn’t passive – it takes effort.”
Raval shared his family’s immigrant journey, recounting how his parents came to Britain in the 1970s and ran a family business for 30 years.
“My parents, Suresh and Padma, arrived in Britain in the 1970s – not with nothing, but with capital and a commitment to service. They ran a family business – 30 years of dawn prayers, long commutes, and 10-hour shifts, yet mum still cooked a fresh Gujarati meal every night. That kind of sacrifice not only sustains families; it builds nations,” he said.
“Their values were inherited from my grandparents. At 15, my grandfather Manishankar left India as a cook’s assistant, alone and impoverished. He endured unimaginable hardship yet rose to become general manager of a large export business, with my indomitable grandmother, Kantaben, beside him. Their journey is a testament to resilience and the structures that foster it.
” The London-based professional, who chairs his party’s diaspora group Labour Indians, was awarded an OBE in 2018 by the late Queen for services to leadership education and inter-faith cohesion.
Raval also stressed the importance of strengthening UKIndia relations: “Since Manishankar Raval’s maiden voyage nearly a century ago, India that is Bharat, is rising as an economic and cultural powerhouse. A strong partnership is key to UK security, education, health, climate goals, and growth.”
He called for a “New Silk Road” linking India to the Middle East and extending beyond continental Europe to the UK.
Raval, who founded Faith in Leadership in 2007, also spoke about the role of faith in community cohesion. His organisation has trained over 2,500 faith leaders to serve their communities while building cross-faith relationships.
“Cohesion does not happen by accident,” he said, highlighting the work of faith communities in responding to crises such as Grenfell and Covid-19. Raval lives in Hertsmere with his wife Lucy and their daughters, Lukshmi and Sita.
He concluded his speech with a quote from Pandit Sriram Sharma Acharya: “Our world is one single family”. He added, “Integration is not just living together, but belonging to each other. Cohesion is the bond that strengthens our society.
Starmer with Mahesh Liloriya 
