London
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer’s office is under intense pressure from the influential British-Sikh community after a prominent Sikh leader and human rights activist’s announcement to the UK House of Lords was delayed.
Reportedly, a row has broken out after Dabinderjit Singh Sidhu, principal adviser to Sikh Federation UK, was about to be announced as one of the new political peers last Tuesday but his name was missing when the list was released by Downing Street although leading journalists were given his name in the morning.
The undue delay, according to sources, has caused dismay among the British-Sikh community. As per reports, the announcement of Dabinderjit Singh Sidhu, a strong supporter and advocate of Sikh causes, was dropped but the Sikh Federation UK said in a statement that the nomination of Sidhu to the House of Lords has been delayed and the announcement is expected in January.
“Our understanding is (Labour leader) Keir Starmer recommended Dabinderjit to fill one of the nominations given to the Labour Party by the prime minister. The House of Lords’ appointments commission carried out all the necessary checks and concluded weeks ago [that] Dabinderjit was of good standing in the community and had no concerns on his past conduct that would call into question his appointment to the House of Lords as a Labour peer,” the Sikh Federation said in the statement.
“Dabinderjit’s name then went to the prime minister and Buckingham Palace for the formal sign-off. The Formal sign-off had been obtained and the only matter outstanding was a public announcement,” it added.
The Sikh Federation’s statement noted that minutes before the list was released on Monday, Labour decided to delay Dabinderjit Singh Sidhu’s announcement as a peer.
“Much has been made in the Indian media of Dabinderjit’s support for the re-establishment of an independent Sikh state. This should not be a matter of concern for Labour as there are many MPs and Lords who have strong personal views in relation to Kashmir, Palestine, and the establishment of other independent states,” the statement added.—Agencies
