Ranbir Singh Suri, a jewellery magnate who is one of Britain’s richest Asians, was elevated to the House of Lords at the request of the Prime Minister. In 2009 his family’s fortune was estimated to be £40m. He has donated more than £300,000 to the Tories since 2004. One of Britain’s richest Asians, Lord Suri has been an active member of the Conservative Party for more than 30 years. A member of the Renaissance Forum, an exclusive dinner club only open to those who have donated more than £10,000 to the party, he has described Mr Cameron as “delightful and a good leader”. Downing Street deliberately created a misleading impression about him.
The Government described the new Lord Suri as a “businessman” and “former General Secretary of the Board of British Sikhs”. The Board has not existed for more than 20 years and only involved four or five people. According to records held by Companies House, the Board of British Sikhs was incorporated in 1990 and dissolved two years later. One person familiar with the group said it “fizzled out” after a couple of meetings and did not feature in any Sikh activities. “It didn’t get off the ground,” they added. The Board’s last registered offices were 38 Berwick Street in London’s Soho – the previous address of Lord Suri’s jewellery company, Oceanic Jewellers Ltd.
The Sikh Federation UK said in a statement: “He is no leading figure in Britain’s Sikh community and he is not associated with any of the leading Sikh organisations. Many in the Sikh community simply see Lord Suri as a businessman who has donated large sums of money [to the Tories].” Bhai Amrik Singh, chair of the Sikh Federation, said the inaccuracies about Lord Suri raised questions over whether the Commission itself had been misled.
The Sikh Council UK, the largest Sikh representative body in the country, said it had never worked with Lord Suri. “We have not come across this individual before,” said Gurmel Singh, the Council’s secretary general. “The first time I heard of him was when his name was mentioned [as a new peer].
Kulwant Singh Dhesi, president of the British Sikh Council, said he had never heard of Lord Suri. “I’ve never met this person. I can’t even recognise his face,” he said.
The Government described the new Lord Suri as a “businessman” and “former General Secretary of the Board of British Sikhs”. The Board has not existed for more than 20 years and only involved four or five people. According to records held by Companies House, the Board of British Sikhs was incorporated in 1990 and dissolved two years later. One person familiar with the group said it “fizzled out” after a couple of meetings and did not feature in any Sikh activities. “It didn’t get off the ground,” they added. The Board’s last registered offices were 38 Berwick Street in London’s Soho – the previous address of Lord Suri’s jewellery company, Oceanic Jewellers Ltd.
The Sikh Federation UK said in a statement: “He is no leading figure in Britain’s Sikh community and he is not associated with any of the leading Sikh organisations. Many in the Sikh community simply see Lord Suri as a businessman who has donated large sums of money [to the Tories].” Bhai Amrik Singh, chair of the Sikh Federation, said the inaccuracies about Lord Suri raised questions over whether the Commission itself had been misled.
The Sikh Council UK, the largest Sikh representative body in the country, said it had never worked with Lord Suri. “We have not come across this individual before,” said Gurmel Singh, the Council’s secretary general. “The first time I heard of him was when his name was mentioned [as a new peer].
Kulwant Singh Dhesi, president of the British Sikh Council, said he had never heard of Lord Suri. “I’ve never met this person. I can’t even recognise his face,” he said.
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