Professor Swaran Singh/Image: University of Warwick website
An Indian-origin psychiatrist and academic Professor Swaran Singh has been nominated for a life peerage, earning a seat in the House of Lords as part of a new list of political appointments announced ahead of Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s departure from Downing Street next week, PTI reportedSingh, Professor of Social and Community Psychiatry at the University of Warwick and a consultant psychiatrist with the Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, is among three nominees put forward by the Conservative Party. The peerages are expected to be formally conferred by King Charles III following the recommendations submitted through the UK’s resignation honours process.A former commissioner at the Equality and Human Rights Commission, Singh is best known for leading the independent inquiry into discrimination within the Conservative Party, including allegations of Islamophobia, in a review that became known as the “Singh Investigation”.According to his University of Warwick profile, Singh initially trained as a surgeon in New Delhi before switching to psychiatry after witnessing the long-term effects of violent trauma on children and young people. He moved to the UK in 1991 and later built his academic career researching the impact of ethnicity on mental health. He currently directs the University’s Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing Research. London Mayor Sir Sadiq Khan has also been nominated for a life peerage and is set to become Lord Sadiq Khan. The Labour politician, who has served as Mayor of London since 2016, is among 16 nominees put forward by Starmer.Also included among the Labour nominations is Parvais Jabbar, a human rights lawyer of South Asian heritage and co-founder of the Death Penalty Project.Downing Street said the 26 appointments form part of a cross-party list that was already being prepared before Starmer announced last month that he would step down as Labour leader.Starmer is due to meet King Charles III on Monday to formally resign as prime minister, with Andy Burnham set to succeed him. Once nominees complete the required vetting process, life peerages are formally granted by the King on the advice of the prime minister, allowing recipients to take seats in the House of Lords.
