Parmjit Dhanda

Parmjit Singh Dhanda was born on 17 September 1971 in Hillingdon, West London to immigrant Indian Punjabi Sikh parents, and was brought up in Southall.{{cite news |url=http://www.progressonline.org.uk/2015/06/01/my-political-race/ |title=My Political Race |author=Vijay Riyait |publisher=Progress Online |date=1 June 2015 |access-date=9 July 2016}} His mother was a cleaner at a local hospital, whilst his father was a lorry driver. He was educated at Mellow Lane School,{{cite web|title=Parmjit Dhanda|url=https://www.bitebackpublishing.com/authors/parmit-dhanda|website=Biteback Publishing|access-date=18 September 2017}} a state Comprehensive School in Hayes, Middlesex, before attending the University of Nottingham, where he received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1993, and an MA in information technology in 1995.

Dhanda is a British-Indian, the first Sikh Government Minister, a British-Punjabi and a British-Sikh.

Dhanda is married with two children. He has been a member of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) since 1999. He speaks Punjabi and French, in addition to English.

Dhanda became a Labour Party organiser in West London, Hampshire and Wiltshire in 1996, then went on to be an assistant national organiser with Connect in 1998 where he remained until he was elected to Westminster. He was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Hillingdon in 1998 and served on the council until 2002. As a member of Labour's list for the 1999 European Parliament election, he became the country's youngest European Parliamentary candidate, aged 27.

He was selected to contest the House of Commons constituency of Gloucester at the 2001 general election - the seat Labour required for a parliamentary majority of 1 - following the decision of Tess Kingham to stand down. He made his maiden speech in the Commons on 27 June 2001, in which he made reference to the local newspaper's article stating (upon his selection by the Labour Party) that "the people of Gloucester had not reached a sufficiently advanced state of consciousness to accept a 'foreigner' as the local MP".[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200102/cmhansrd/vo010627/debtext/10627-25.htm#10627-25_spnew0 House of Commons Hansard Debates for 27 Jun 2001 (pt 25)] In parliament, Dhanda became a member of the Science and Technology Select committee from his election until 2003. He helped set up an all-party group on Telecommunications, of which he was Secretary. In December 2004, he was appointed Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Schools Stephen Twigg.

In November 2003, Dhanda was asked by the Prime Minister Tony Blair to second the Loyal Address to the Monarch from the Houses of Commons.

Dhanda retained his seat in 2005 with an increased majority of 4,280 votes. After the election, Dhanda was appointed to the post of Assistant Government Whip.{{citation|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/10852/parmjit_dhanda/gloucester|title=Parmjit Dhanda: Former MP, Gloucester, profile|website=www.theyworkforyou.com|publisher=TheyWorkForYou|access-date=21 May 2017 |df=dmy}} In May 2006, he was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families in the Department for Education and Skills.{{citation|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20061209022643/dfes.gov.uk/aboutus/whoswho/ministersinfo.shtml|url=http://www.dfes.gov.uk/aboutus/whoswho/ministersinfo.shtml|archive-date=9 December 2006|title=Department for Education and Skills Ministerial Team|publisher=Department for Education and Skills|access-date=22 May 2017|url-status=dead |df=dmy}} In this post, he implemented the Green Paper 'Care Matters', introducing radical new measures of support for 30,000 children in the care system.{{citation needed|date=May 2017}} On 28 June 2007, he became Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with responsibility for the fire and rescue service, community cohesion and planning.{{citation|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120919132719/http://www.communities.gov.uk/staging/index.asp?id=1165684 |url=http://www.communities.gov.uk/staging/index.asp?id=1165684 |title=Minister's profiles: Parmjit Dhanda MP|publisher=Department for Communities and Local Government|website=www.communities.gov.uk|archive-date=19 September 2012|url-status=dead |df=dmy}}{{citation|archive-url=http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20120919132719/http://www.communities.gov.uk/staging/index.asp?id=1002882&PressNoticeID=2477|url=http://www.communities.gov.uk/staging/index.asp?id=1002882&PressNoticeID=2477|title=Cohesion Minister outlines priorities on race equality, Communities and Local Government News Release 2007/0148 |date= 7 August 2007|publisher=Department for Communities and Local Government|website=www.communities.gov.uk|archive-date=19 September 2012|url-status=dead |df=dmy}} He was replaced by Sadiq Khan on 6 Oct 2008.{{citation|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/11878/sadiq_khan/tooting#profile |title=Sadiq Khan, Former MP, Tooting, profile |publisher=TheyWorkForYou |website=www.theyworkforyou.com|access-date=21 May 2017 |df=dmy }}

In 2009, he fought a campaign to be Speaker of the House of Commons, obtaining 4.4% of the votes in the first ballot.{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/8092913.stm |title=Labour MP Dhanda in Speaker bid |work=BBC News |date=10 June 2009 |access-date=9 July 2016}}{{cite news |first=Andrew |last=Sparrow |title=Commons Speaker contest: election day blog – live |work=The Guardian |location=UK |date=22 June 2009 |access-date=22 June 2009 |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/blog/2009/jun/22/commons-speaker-contest-election-live}}

At the speaker's conference in October 2009, Dhanda criticised the way that all 23 of Gordon Brown's cabinet were White, whereas Tony Blair's last cabinet had two "ethnic minority" cabinet ministers.{{citation|url= http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/politics/domestic_politics/factcheck%2Ban%2Ballwhite%2Bcabinet/3394202.html |title=FactCheck: an all-white cabinet?|date= 20 October 2009|author=Channel 4 News|publisher=Channel 4|access-date=21 May 2017}} Brown pointed out that he had a Black Attorney General (Baroness Scotland) and an Asian Minister of State for Transport (Sadiq Khan) who sat around the Cabinet table (though only when their ministerial responsibilities are on the agenda).

At the 2010 general election, Dhanda lost his seat to Richard Graham of the Conservative Party.

The Telegraph (Calcutta) reported that in December 2010, Dhanda decided to retire from politics, moving from Gloucester to London. He did not seek election at the 2015 general election.{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150510/jsp/7days/story_19170.jsp |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150514030820/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1150510/jsp/7days/story_19170.jsp |url-status=dead |archive-date=14 May 2015 |title=Journey of a cleaner's son |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Calcutta |date=10 May 2015 |access-date=9 July 2016}}

After the 2010 general election, he became a non-executive director of Hanover Housing Association - an association specialising in housing and support for the elderly and as Parliamentary and Campaigns Officer for the Prospect Trade Union.

In 2014, he commissioned research which was published in The Guardian about the lack of representation of BME communities in the Houses of Parliament.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/datablog/2014/jul/31/parliament-failing-represent-uk-diversity |title=Parliament failing to represent UK's ethnic diversity |author=Rajeev Syal, Ami Sedghi |newspaper=The Guardian |date=31 July 2014 |access-date=9 July 2016}} In 2015, Dhanda published his political memoirs, My Political Race, An Outsider's Journey to the Heart of British Politics.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=k_lgBwAAQBAJ |title=My Political Race: An Outsider's Journey to the Heart of British Politics |author=Parmjit Dhanda |publisher=Biteback Publishing |year=2015 |isbn=978-1849548069}}

Since 2010, Dhanda has run for selection in multiple Labour safe and target seats, including Brent Central (UK Parliament constituency) in 2013,{{cite news |last1=Muir |first1=Hugh |title=Diary: Mission impossible: saving Nick Clegg's reputation |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2013/nov/05/hugh-muirs-diary-nick-cleg-spin-doctor |access-date=14 September 2022 |publisher=The Guardian |date=5 November 2013}} Aberavon in 2014,{{cite news |last1=Shipton |first1=Martin |title=Stephen Kinnock has not yet secured the backing of steelworkers’ union Community |url=https://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/stephen-kinnock-not-yet-secured-6666217 |access-date=14 September 2022 |publisher=WalesOnline |date=3 February 2014}} Ealing North in 2019 and Wycombe in 2022.{{cite news |last1=Neame |first1=Katie |title=Six make longlist in Wycombe parliamentary candidate selection |url=https://labourlist.org/2022/10/six-make-longlist-in-wycombe-parliamentary-candidate-selection |access-date=27 October 2022 |publisher=LabourList |date=27 October 2022}}

Dhanda became Executive Director at Back Heathrow from June 2017, a campaign seeking to highlight the benefits of the Heathrow Airport Expansion.{{Cite web |title=Press Releases |url=https://www.backheathrow.org/press_releases |access-date=2023-03-22 |website=Back Heathrow}}

In 2017 Dhanda became the first non-executive Chair of the Allied Health Professionals Federation, the country's third largest staff representative organisation in the NHS.

He served as a non-executive director of the Milton Keynes University Foundation Trust Hospital, where he chaired the Trust charity, helping to raise £10 million to build its cancer centre.

He is also a non-executive director of the Longhurst Group, a housing association that builds social housing and provides social care on a not-for-profit basis.

{{reflist}}

• [http://www.parmjitdhanda.co.uk/ Parmjit Dhanda] Official site
• [http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/parmjit-dhanda/ Huffington Post Contributor Profile]
• [http://labourlist.org/author/parmjit-dhanda/ labourlist blog]
• [https://www.theguardian.com/politics/datablog/2014/jul/31/parliament-failing-represent-uk-diversity Parliament Failing to Represent UK's Ethnic Diversity]
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140408142710/http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/Gloucester-MP-Parmjit-Dhanda-pig-s-head-driveway/story-19000517-detail/story.html Former MP Found Pig's Head on Driveway]
• [https://www.theyworkforyou.com/mp/parmjit_dhanda/gloucester TheyWorkForYou.com - Parmjit Dhanda]
• [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/person/0,9290,-6372,00.html Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Parmjit Dhanda]
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/gloucestershire/untold_stories/asian/parmjit_dhanda.shtml BBC Gloucestershire : Parmjit Dhanda ]

{{S-start}}

{{s-par|uk}}

{{Succession box

| title = Member of Parliament for Gloucester

| years = 2001–2010

| before = Tess Kingham

| after = Richard Graham

}}

{{S-off}}

{{Succession box

| title = Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Children, Young People and Families

| years = 2006–2007

| before = Maria Eagle

| after = Kevin Brennan

}}

{{Succession box

| title = Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government | years = 2007–2008

| before = Angela Smith

| after = Sadiq Khan

}}

{{S-end}}

{{Speaker of the British House of Commons election, 2009}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhanda, Parmjit}}

Category:1971 births

Category:Living people

Category:English people of Indian descent

Category:English people of Punjabi descent

Category:British people of Punjabi descent

Category:English Sikhs

Category:Alumni of the University of Nottingham

Category:Labour Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies

Category:Councillors in the London Borough of Hillingdon

Category:UK MPs 2001–2005

Category:UK MPs 2005–2010

Category:Members of Parliament for Gloucester