Tory peer’s book award dilemma

By Amit Roy

DOLAR POPAT, the Conservative peer who is one of his party’s whips in the House of Lords, faces an unusual dilemma.

His very readable book, A British Subject: How to make it as an immigrant in the best country in the world (Biteback Publishing, £20) has been nominated for “Best biography or memoir by a parliamentarian”, by the Booksellers Association and the Publishers Association.

Those eligible to vote include parliamentarians, with the winner being announced on February 26.

But Dolar doesn’t want to win. That’s because his book is up against David Cameron’s For the Record. The third book on the shortlist is Ian Murray’s And This is Our Story: How the Fans Kept their Hearts Beating, an account of the battle to save the Heart of Midlothian, Edinburgh’s oldest football club.

Dolar tells me that Cameron, who encouraged him to set up the Conservative Friends of India and nominated the Uganda Asian businessman for a peerage in 2010, has been one of his greatest benefactors.

In fact, Cameron has written the foreword to Dolar’s book, in which the former prime minister says: “For years, people have urged Dolar to tell his story. He’s always been too humble – and too busy. So I’m glad he took the time to ... write about his life. It is as instructive as it is inspiring. It should be read by people who want to learn about the history of Africa, Indian and Britain. I believe we are the greatest multiracial, multi-religious democracy on earth – and that is in large part down to Ugandan Asians like the author of this book. I hope you enjoy Dolar’s story as much as I did.”

Dolar tells me: “I want him to win. Cameron has been so good to me.”

And I think Dolar, who comes across as a very modest and decent man, means it.