Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Prominent businessmen Rami Ranger and Zameer Choudrey appointed to House of Lords

by LAUREN CODLING

A NEWLY APPOINTED Asian peer has said he wants to use the opportunity to develop “positive relations” between India and Pakistan.


Businessman Dr Rami Ranger was nominated by former prime minister Theresa May in her resignation honours list to serve as a life peer in the House of Lords. He is among ten others who were nominated by the former prime minister for peerage after she stepped down as the leader of the Conservative Party in the summer.

Speaking to Eastern Eye on Tuesday (10), when the peerages and other resignation honours were announced, Dr Ranger said he was “humbled and delighted” by the news.

Dedicating his peerage to “peace between India and Pakistan”, Dr Ranger said he hoped his influence could be used to bring together communities from the two nations.

“If we are divided in the subcontinent, then we are also divided in Great Britain and other countries where we have large numbers (of Indians and Pakistanis),” he said. “This is a cause that is very close to me.”

Dr Ranger, who acts as chairman of the Conservative Friends of India and of the British Sikh Association, added that his family were “over the moon” when they heard the news.

“My family are all so happy,” he said. “I am very grateful to Theresa May for considering me to be worthy of this great honour.”

British Pakistani businessman Zameer Choudrey was also nominated by the former prime minister. Choudrey, the chief executive of Bestway, called the peerage “an immense honour”.

“I am truly humbled to have been appointed to the House of Lords,” he said. “I have always viewed the UK to be the land of opportunity and I look forward to contributing to the continued advancement of our great country.”

Choudrey, who acts as chairman of Conservative Friends of Pakistan, was previously appointed with a CBE in the 2016 New Year’s Honours List for services to industry and philanthropy.

Both Dr Ranger and Choudrey have donated to the Tory party in the past and were vocal supporters of May while she was the prime minister.

Raoul Ruparel, former adviser to the prime minister on Europe, was handed an OBE on the resignation honours. The author is also the co-director of Open Europe, an organisation who produce recommendations on the UK’s relationship with the EU and its trading relationships with the rest of the world.

Among other recipients of the resignation honours was the founder and director of pressure group Operation Black Vote.

Sir Simon Woolley was also appointed as a life cross bench peer.

Woolley, who was named as a Knight of Realm in June, said being appointed as a peer would “take a bit of getting used to”.

Recalling his last meeting with May while she was prime minister, Woolley said she did not disclose her decision to appoint him to the Lords.

“But I should have read between the lines during our chat,” Woolley, the advisory chair of the government’s racial disparity unit, said.

According to him, May had told him: “The work you’ve done with the Race Disparity Unit has to continue. Together Simon, we’ve built a foundation that will help transform government departments and deliver better policies to tackle racism.”

He learned days later of her decision. She had apparently chosen him due to his extensive work in tackling race inequality and “to help him continue his work at the highest level”.

Speaking of his goals for the future, Woolley said that he hoped to focus on tackling persistent race inequality, politically empower communities, and continue to “offer talented BAME individuals pathways to the highest political and civic offices in the land”.

Opposition leader Jeremy Corbyn nominated Debbie Wilcox, leader of the Welsh Local Government Association (WLGA), to become a Labour peer while the co-leaders of the Green Party nominated former leader Natalie Bennett.

Other nominees included: Lady Justice Hallett; senior British diplomat Sir Kim Darroch; Chief executive of Stonewall, Ruth Hunt; former Downing St special advisor Elizabeth Sanderson and chairman of the Welsh Conservatives Byron Davies

More For You

Norman Tebbit
Following Thatcher’s third general election victory in 1987, Tebbit stepped back from frontline politics to care for his wife. (Photo: Getty Images)
Getty Images

What was the Tebbit Test and why was it controversial?

LORD NORMAN TEBBIT, the former cabinet minister who introduced the controversial “cricket test” to question the loyalty of migrants, has died at the age of 94. The test, later known as the “Tebbit Test,” suggested that immigrants who supported cricket teams from their countries of origin instead of England were not fully integrated into British society. His death was confirmed on Monday by his son, William, who asked for privacy for the family.

Tebbit first spoke about the test in 1990 as a Conservative MP. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, he said, “A large proportion of Britain's Asian population fail to pass the cricket test. Which side do they cheer for? It’s an interesting test. Are you still harking back to where you came from or where you are?”

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India flight crash
Air India's Boeing 787-8 aircraft, operating flight AI-171 to London Gatwick, crashed into a medical hostel complex shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad on June 12.
Getty Images

Air India crash probe finds fuel to engines was cut off before impact

Highlights

 
     
  • Fuel to both engines of the Air India flight was cut off seconds before the crash
  •  
  • A pilot was heard questioning the other over the cut-off; both denied initiating it.
  •  
  • The Dreamliner crashed shortly after take-off from Ahmedabad, killing 260 people.
  •  
  • Investigators are focusing on fuel switch movement; full analysis may take months.

FUEL control switches to both engines of the Air India flight that crashed shortly after takeoff were moved from the "run" to the "cutoff" position seconds before the crash, according to a preliminary investigation report released early Saturday.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

The Indian Navy and Coast Guard have consistently reported Chinese research vessel presence. (Representational image: Getty Images)

Chinese vessel tracked in Bay of Bengal after disabling identification system

A Chinese research vessel was detected operating in the Bay of Bengal near Indian waters while attempting to conceal its presence by disabling its Automatic Identification System (AIS), according to a report by The Economic Times, citing French maritime intelligence firm Unseenlabs.

The French company conducted a 16-day satellite-based survey tracking ships through radio frequency emissions. It monitored 1,897 vessels, with 9.6 per cent showing no AIS activity, indicating attempts to avoid detection. The survey raised concerns amid increased Chinese activity in the region.

Keep ReadingShow less
Asian-inspired garden earns
five awards at Hampton Court

(From left) Malcolm Anderson (RHS, head of sustainability) Clare Matterson (RHS director general), Lorraine Bishton (Subaru UK and Ireland, managing director) Andrew Ball (director, Big Fish Landscapes) Mike McMahon and Jewlsy Mathews with the medals

Asian-inspired garden earns five awards at Hampton Court

BRITISH Asians are being encouraged to take up gardening by a couple who have won a record five medals at the Royal Horticultural Society’s Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival.

“It’s a contemporary reimagining of a traditional walled garden, highlighting the British and Irish rainforests,” said Jewlsy Mathews, who was born in Britain of parents from Kerala, a southern Indian state known for its lush vegetation.

Keep ReadingShow less
uk weather

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England

iStock

England faces widespread heat alerts and hosepipe bans amid rising temperatures

Highlights:

  • Amber heat health alerts in place for large parts of England
  • Hosepipe bans announced in Yorkshire, Kent and Sussex
  • Temperatures could reach 33°C over the weekend
  • Health risks rise, especially for elderly and vulnerable groups

Heat warnings in effect as UK braces for another hot weekend

Amber heat health alerts have been issued across several regions of England, with temperatures expected to climb to 33°C in some areas over the weekend. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) activated the warning at 12 pm on Friday, with it set to remain in place until 9 am on Monday.

The alerts cover the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, East of England, and London. Additional yellow alerts were issued for the north-east, north-west, and Yorkshire and the Humber, starting from midday Friday.

Keep ReadingShow less