ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

UK’s First Woman Sikh MP Elected to Key Parliament Panel

Preet Kaur Gill has also been chosen to lead the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Sikhs. 

Published
World
2 min read
story-hero-img
i
Aa
Aa
Small
Aa
Medium
Aa
Large
Hindi Female

Britain's first woman Sikh MP Preet Kaur Gill has been elected to an influential cross-party panel in the UK Parliament that examines the workings of the Home Office. Gill, who won the Edgbaston seat for the Labour party in the 8 June snap general election, was elected to the Home Affairs Select Committee in the UK Parliament.

"We had no Sikh MPs prior to this election. So, Sikhs had no representation, and we had no female Sikh representation. Parliament must reflect the people it serves,” said the 44-year-old, who will join 10 other British MPs on the committee.

ADVERTISEMENTREMOVE AD

The House of Commons Home Affairs Select Committee was chaired by Keith Vaz, Britain's longest-serving Indian-origin MP, until he stepped down from the post in 2016. Its newly-elected chair is Labour party MP Yvette Cooper, elected unopposed to the post last week.

The Committee chooses its own subjects of inquiry and seeks written and oral evidence from a wide range of relevant groups and individuals.

At the end of an inquiry, the committee often produces a report setting out its findings and making recommendations to the UK government. It is incumbent upon the government to respond to each of the report's recommendations within two months of publication.

Gill has also been chosen to lead the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for British Sikhs. Bhai Amrik Singh, chair of Sikh Federation (UK) said:

The APPG has made an excellent start this week... we are confident Preet will make an excellent chair to guide the APPG to make concrete progress on some of the key issues of importance to the Sikh community.
0

Meanwhile, a veteran Indian-origin Labour MP, Virendra Sharma, was re-elected chair of the Indo-British All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG). The 70-year-old, who has been the Chair of the group for seven years and prides himself as the only first-generation member of the Indian Diaspora in the House of Commons, was unanimously re-elected by the cross-party meeting of members of both Houses of Parliament this week.

The group, of which fellow Indian-origin Labour MP Seema Malhotra was elected vice-chair, works to promote understanding and co-operation between the people and parliamentarians of India and Britain.

Sharma, the MP for Ealing Southall said:

The Brexit negotiation period will be a challenging time for the United Kingdom and I want to do everything I can to encourage further trade and investment opportunities between the UK and India.

Earlier in 2017, he had led an international cross party delegation of parliamentarians to Agra and Delhi, where the group met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

(We all love to express ourselves, but how often do we do it in our mother tongue? Here's your chance! This Independence Day, khul ke bol with BOL – Love your Bhasha. Sing, write, perform, spew poetry – whatever you like – in your mother tongue. Send us your BOL atbol@thequint.com or WhatsApp it to 9910181818.)

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

Read Latest News and Breaking News at The Quint, browse for more from news and world

Topics:  Brexit   British MP   UK Elections 

Speaking truth to power requires allies like you.
Become a Member
3 months
12 months
12 months
Check Member Benefits
Read More
×
×