Sikh Council UK representatives attended the official launch of the campaign led by Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi for a memorial in London to commemorate the sacrifices of Sikh soldiers in the world wars and pledged to support the various work streams involved in the project.

Tanmanjeet Singh launched the campaign before a packed committee room in Parliament. An impressive £375,000 was committed in pledges from members of the community present during the event including a number of Sikh Council UK members. The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Sajid Javid attended on behalf of the Government and pledged to get behind the campaign including helping set up a working group, finding a suitable location in London and helping provide additional funding towards the project.

A large number of other MPs attended and spoke at the event including leaders of all the main opposition parties including Jeremy Corbyn (Labour), Nigel Dodds (DUP), Vince Cable (Liberal Democrats) and Liz Saville-Roberts (Plaid Cymru). Letters of support were also read out from Ian Blackford (SNP) and Caroline Lucas (Green). Other notable attendees included Mayor of London Sadiq Kahn and Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell. The proceedings were presided over by the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow.

Sikh Council UK Secretary General Jagtar Singh said “I congratulate Tanmanjeet Singh on an excellent campaign launch and the support and financial commitments that have been secured in a short space of time. Many MPs spoke of his enthusiasm and commitment to this cause and I commend his leadership in uniting everyone behind this project. There were many moving and heartfelt speeches referencing the overwhelming and disproportionate contribution and bravery of Sikh soldiers to this country during the wars and it will be a fitting tribute to recognise their sacrifices as we mark the centenary of the end of the First World War this year. Sikh Council UK is committed to extending all support to Tanmanjeet Singh and a number of our members will be working within the project team.”

Labour Leader Jeremy Corbyn re-affirmed his personal commitment to the manifesto commitments made by the party on Sikh issues before the election. In a letter to Sikh Council UK members ahead of the Sikh Council UK General Assembly at Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara Leicester yesterday, Jeremy Corbyn said he remained committed to implementing the pledges in government in respect of addressing longstanding concerns regarding the wearing of Sikh articles of faith in this country and to establishing an independent inquiry to review the role of the British Government in the 1984 Darbar Sahib attack.

Whilst wishing members a successful and productive General Assembly Jeremy Corbyn acknowledged the work of Sikh Council UK and others who have campaigned for more Sikhs in Parliament and expressed his pride at seeing history being made with Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Preet Kaur Gill being elected as the first turban wearing Sikh and first female Sikh MPs respectively. He acknowledged that there was more to do and confirmed his commitment to making Parliament and all parts of public life more diverse.

The General Assembly also received a letter from Lord Bourne the Minister of Faith and Integration at the Department for Communities and Local Government. Lord Bourne also acknowledged the work being undertaken by Sikh Council UK for increased Sikh participation in public life and expressed the need to do more in seeking a Parliament and Government which reflects the society they serve. He referred to the Race Disparity Audit which he hoped would inform the Sikh Council UK in its work. He paid tribute to Gurmel Singh and offered his congratulations from everyone at the Department for Communities and Local Government to Jagtar Singh as the incoming Secretary General of Sikh Council UK and said he looked forward to working with him going forward.

Sikh Council UK hosted a large panthic gathering at Guru Tegh Bahadur Gurdwara in Leicester on Saturday 2 September. The meeting was attended by over a hundred delegates representing Gurdwaras and Sikh organisations from across the country including London, the South East, West Midlands, East Midlands, North-West and North-East.

Following wide ranging discussion on key issues current in the Sikh community the meeting
approved seven resolutions ranging from the Sikh response to the ongoing consultation by the
British Government regarding caste legislation to opposing any campaigns for the return of the
Koh-i-noor diamond and the remains of Maharaja Daleep Singh from the UK to India or Pakistan.

The resolutions included mandates for Sikh Council UK to establish a professional multi-skilled team to support the capacity building of Gurdwaras and to work on developing an accord/compact through consensus building to promote intra-community unity and prevent disharmony. The resolutions are reproduced in full below.

The meeting was chaired by Secretary General Elect of Sikh Council UK Jagtar Singh with the assistance of Secretary General Gurmel Singh, Assistant Secretary General Sukhwinder Singh Padda and Spokesperson Jagjit Singh.

Following the meeting Jagtar Singh said “We were very encouraged by the number of delegates in attendance from up and down the country including a number of newcomers who had not previously attended Sikh Council UK meetings. We were pleased with the positive engagement and contribution of all who attended the meeting and we are committed to commence work on the resolutions adopted straight away”.

The resolutions approved were as follows –

1. The reference to the Sikh faith in connection with caste in the Explanatory Notes of the Equality Act 2010 is offensive to Sikhs and we call upon the Government to change the Explanatory Notes to remove all reference to Sikh faith.

Note for Editors: Sikh Council UK is the largest representative body of Sikhs in the UK. We are recognised as the national advocate for British Sikhs in the United Kingdom and in the European Union.

2. As case law has already provided appropriate legal protection for caste discrimination within the existing provisions of the law we favour a case law based approach. We object to the inaccuracies contained in the research produced by the National Institute for Economic and Social Research.

3. Sikh Council UK is mandated to establish an impartial one stop shop professional support and coordinating arrangement for Gurdwara committees as part of capacity building of our community institutions and to liaise with relevant bodies towards addressing issues and spear heading innovative developments

4. This Panthic meeting reaffirms its commitment to the implementation of the Anand Karaj
Guidance and calls upon Sikh Council UK to consult on solutions for improving processes
and securing positive outcomes in the coming months

5. British Sikhs oppose campaigns for the return of the Koh-i-noor diamond to India or
Pakistan and resolve that it should remain available for viewing by the public and in a
secure location until such time that there is a guarantee that the diamond would be in a safe
and sole possession of Sikhs

6. We the British Sikhs oppose any campaign to remove the remains of Maharajah Duleep
Singh to India or Pakistan. Exhuming the remains is not a Sikh religious necessity.

7. Sikh Council UK work towards developing a written accord/compact through consensus
building as to how the Sikh institutions, organisations and media will conduct themselves to
prevent distraction from our aspirations and disharmony

Sikh Council UK condemned the terrorist attack in London this morning and urged Sikh Gurdwara managements to remain vigilant and for the maintenance of all relevant safety and security measures.

Sikh Council UK Chair of Community Safety Ravjeet Singh said “We are in the unfortunate situation today of coming to terms with yet another terrorist atrocity. We condemn today’s incident at Finsbury Park in the strongest terms and we offer our condolences, thoughts and prayers to the innocent victims.

“This is the third incident of terror in London in the past three months involving the use of motor vehicles as a weapon of death and destruction and we echo the calls for a wider debate on how we collectively respond to and tackle all those who promote ideologies based on hatred and terror.”

He added “It is unfortunately the case that Sikhs and Sikh institutions have also been targeted
where perpetrators are motivated by Islamophobia. We are urging Gurdwara managements to
remain vigilant and keep an ongoing review of security arrangements in their respective areas and
appealing to all Sikhs to report all hate crimes or concerns to the police and to Sikh Aware UK”.

Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi and Preet Kaur Gill have successfully been elected to Parliament
following the General Election in the UK.

Tanmanjeet becomes the first turban wearing Sikh in history to be elected to the House of Commons. He was successful in obtaining 34,170 votes for the Labour Party in Slough. This constitutes a significantly increased majority of 16,998 votes and a vote share of 62.9% in that constituency

Preet becomes the first Sikh woman in Parliament. She succeeded in obtaining 24,124 votes for the Labour Party in Birmingham Edgbaston. This constitutes an increased majority of 6,917 and a vote share of 55.3% in that constituency.

Sikh Council UK Secretary General Elect Jagtar Singh said “This is a historic development and coming of age for the Sikh community in the UK. We are delighted for Tan and Preet and offer our heartfelt congratulations to both on their successes. We look forward to working with all the successful candidates in the months and years ahead”.

He added “Whilst the results of the General Election are still being counted it appears the country is divided and no party has been able to secure an overall majority. We are monitoring the results closely and will of course look to work closely with whichever party or parties form the next Government”.