Piara Khabra
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Piara Khabra MP | |
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Member of Parliament
for Ealing Southall |
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| In office 9 April 1992 – 19 June 2007 |
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| Preceded by | Syd Bidwell |
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| Succeeded by | Virendra Sharma |
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| Born | 20 November 1921 Punjab, India |
| Died | 19 June 2007 (aged 85) Hammersmith Hospital, London |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | 2nd, Beulah Khabra |
| Alma mater | Punjab University |
| Religion | Sikh |
Piara Singh Khabra (20 November 1921[1] – 19 June 2007) was a British politician who served as the Labour Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall from 1992 until his death. He was the fifth Asian, and the first Sikh, to become a British MP. From the retirement of Sir Edward Heath in 2001 until his death, Khabra was the oldest MP sitting in the House of Commons, and the only sitting MP to have served in the forces during the Second World War.[2]
Khabra was born into a well-off Sikh farming family in the Punjab, then part of British India. [3] Khabra gave his year of birth as 1924, but his marriage certificate dated it as 1921.[1]
He attended Khalsa High School and Punjab University, but his education was interrupted by the Second World War, and he served in the Indian Army between 1942 and 1946. He returned to university after the war, earning a degree in social services. He joined the Communist Party of India, and became a teacher in an elementary school.[4] Refused a visa to emigrate to the US, he moved to the United Kingdom in 1959 with his wife and baby.[3][5]
Lacking qualifications to teach in the UK, he worked in factories. He requalified in 1964, becoming an elementary teacher and then a social worker.[4] He became a leading member of the Asian community in Southall, west London. He also became the President of the Indian Workers' Association, which assisted Indian immigrants to establish themselves and find jobs, and was active in opposition to the far right.[6] He left the Communist Party of Great Britain in the 1960s, and joined the Labour Party in 1972.[5] He became a Justice of the Peace in 1977, and was elected as a member of Ealing Borough Council in 1978. He briefly joined the Social Democratic Party in 1981, leaving two years later and returning to Labour in 1988.[1]
He entered Parliament at the 1992 election, the fifth Asian MP[1] and inherited a large majority in the safe Labour seat of Ealing Southall, following the deselection of the long-serving sitting MP Sydney Bidwell.[3] He claimed to have the largest caseload of immigration and asylum cases of any MP.[3] He maintained good attendance and voting records, but rarely spoke in the chamber. He said he was proud to speak on the report into the murder of Stephen Lawrence, and on the Race Relations Amendment Bill.[5]
Khabra was known to face controversy. In the run-up to the 2001 UK general election, he suggested that Avtar Lit, chairman of Sunrise Radio and an independent challenger for his seat, should be "sent back to India".[5] In 2002, he criticised the Somali population in relation to street crime.The police confirmed that this increase was due to the insurance claims for mobile theft.[7]
Khabra was a firm supporter of people with autism and Asperger's Syndrome.[8] He sponsored one of the most successful early day motions on autism in the 2002 Autism Awareness Year - it was supported by 153 Parliamentarians of all parties. Khabra personally backed the work of the Autism Awareness Campaign UK.[9]
In late 2006, Khabra announced that he would be standing down at the next UK general election.[10]
Khabra died as a result of liver problems on the night of 19 June 2007 at Hammersmith Hospital, where he had been being treated for abscesses on the liver since April.[11] He customarily gave his year of birth as 1924; birth registration was not compulsory in the Punjab until 1970 and so no birth certificate exists, but on his marriage certificate his year of birth was 1921.[1]
He was married twice. His first wife died in 1978, and he remarried in 1990. He was survived by his second wife, Beulah Marian, and a son from his first marriage.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d e Obituary, The Guardian, 21 June 2007
- ^ Statement by Jack Straw in Hansard, 21 June 2007.
- ^ a b c d Obituary, The Times, 21 June 2007
- ^ a b Obituary, The Independent, 21 June 2007
- ^ a b c d e Obituary, The Daily Telegraph, 21 June 2007
- ^ Hélène Mulholland and agencies, Labour MP Piara Khabra dies, Guardian Unlimited, 20 June 2007
- ^ "MP in race row over crime", BBC News, 3 September 2002
- ^ "Lives Remembered: Piara Khabra MP", Ivan and Charika Corea, The Times, 25 June 2007
- ^ "Autism Campaign's tribute to Piara Khabra MP", BUSINESSPORTAL24.COM, 21 June 2007
- ^ "Slaughter will stand in new constituency", Ealing Gazette, 11 December 2006
- ^ David Doyle, "Piara Khabra dies", Ealing Times, 20 June 2007
[edit] External links
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Piara Khabra MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Piara S Khabra MP
- BBC News - Piara Khabra profile, 8 March 2005
- Obituary and public tribute - Piara Khabra MP
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Syd Bidwell |
Member of Parliament for Ealing Southall 1992–2007 |
Succeeded by Virendra Sharma |
| Honorary titles | ||
| Preceded by Edward Heath |
Oldest sitting Member of Parliament 2001 - 19 June 2007 |
Succeeded by Ian Paisley |
