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Political&
Public Life Awards
Rt Hon Keith Vaz, MP Chair, Home Affairs Committee
Outstanding Achievers
O
n behalf of the panel of judges, I am delighted to welcome you to the seventh annual Asian Voice Political and Public Life Awards at the House of Commons.
Founded decades ago by the doyen of British Asian Publishing, the legendary CB Patel, the Asian Voice newspaper has the largest readership amongst the Asian community in Britain. It has been at the forefront of ensuring that the issues of concern to Britain’s glorious ethnic minority communities are brought into the public domain. The paper is one of a number of outlets that bridge the gap between communities in Britain. At least 5 million BME people reads one of these newspapers each week. The British Asian community has made a great contribution to our country. We are key stakeholders in politics, industry, business and even showbusiness. Tonight we celebrate the accomplishments of a few of them. The uniqueness of these awards is that they are held in the mother of Parliaments and that they honour and recognise political figures who have really impressed the British Asian community. They also celebrate Asian talent of those in the public and political sphere outside of Westminster. This year’s rollcall of senior political figures include the Rt Hon Theresa May MP, who as Home Secretary, has capably managed what is perhaps the most difficult position in politics; Chuka Umunna MP, who on his appointment as Shadow Secretary of State for Business Innovation and Skills in 2011 had only been an MP for 18 months, a remarkable achievement; and Ed Davey, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, who has just launched the Green Deal, helping you to save money and energy on your home or business. These awards also celebrate new political talent, such as Anna Soubry MP, made Minister for Public Health in September, who has championed diabetes in her few months in office. We will also recognise the public figures who have made this Diamond Jubilee and Olympic year special. Including Lakshmi Mittal, Chairman and CEO of ArcelorMittal, who constructed the Orbit, the largest public artwork in Britain, at the Olympic Park in Stratford. I hope the evening will be remembered as one where we celebrated achievement but also looked to the future. We remain citizens of the most multicultural country in the world and you tonight are a mirror of that world. Rt. Hon Keith Vaz MP
Asian Voice & Gujarat Samachar 2013
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