A new All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) dedicated to promoting the bilateral relationship between India and the United Kingdom has been established in the newly elected UK Parliament. This group, officially launched earlier this week, aims to enhance collaboration across a range of sectors, including trade, investment, science, technology, healthcare, and education.
The India APPG was inaugurated during an event celebrating South Asian Heritage Month at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Room within the Houses of Parliament. The group will be co-chaired by Karan Bilimoria, a crossbench peer in the House of Lords, and Jeevun Sandher, a British Sikh Labour MP.
Karan Bilimoria expressed his enthusiasm for the APPG, noting, “It is serendipitous that we celebrate the UK-India partnership just as we launched the new India APPG, which I am proud to co-chair.” He emphasized that the APPG will focus on strengthening the bilateral relationship through key areas such as trade and investment, education, sustainable development, culture, health, science and innovation, including technology and AI, as well as defense and security.
The group is designed to foster closer ties between the parliaments and governments of the two countries on both national and regional levels. It will also work to promote people-to-people links, including the connection between the Indian diaspora in the UK and India.
The 1928 Institute, a British Indian think-tank, will serve as the secretariat for the APPG, consolidating previous India-UK parliamentary panels under a single umbrella. Baroness Sandy Verma will act as the President of the group, which includes a diverse range of MPs and peers from various political parties, such as Gurinder Josan, Warinder Juss, Kirith Entwhistle, Sojan Joseph, and Kanishka Narayan from Labour; Shivani Raja and Bob Blackman from the Conservatives; and veteran peers like Lord Navnit Dholakia (Liberal Democrats) and Lord Dolar Popat (Tories).
APPGs are informal, cross-party groups formed by members of both Houses of Parliament who share a common interest in specific policy areas, regions, or countries. Catherine West, the UK’s new Indo-Pacific Minister in the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), praised the group’s longstanding commitment and anticipated involvement of new members. She highlighted the Foreign Secretary David Lammy’s recent visit to India and discussions on deepening the relationship beyond politics to include economic, health, and educational ties.
South Asian Heritage Month (SAHM), observed annually in the UK from July 18 to August 17, coincides with Indian independence celebrations. The month marks the anniversary of the Indian Independence Act, signed into law on July 18, 1947, and the drawing of borders between India and Pakistan on August 17, 1947. Jasvir Singh, SAHM Co-Founder and Chair of City Sikhs, emphasized the importance of understanding the historical connections between Britain and South Asia, noting that “South Asian history is British history.” This year’s SAHM theme, “free to be me,” focuses on celebrating individual uniqueness and intersectional identities.
