Lord Singh of Wimbledon Portrait

Lord Singh of Wimbledon

Crossbench - Life peer

Became Member: 12th October 2011


Human Rights (Joint Committee)
1st Jul 2019 - 31st Jan 2023


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Lord Singh of Wimbledon has voted in 85 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
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Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Conservative)
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
(53 debate interactions)
Baroness Williams of Trafford (Conservative)
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
(33 debate interactions)
Lord Bethell (Conservative)
(18 debate interactions)
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Department Debates
Home Office
(28 debate contributions)
Cabinet Office
(16 debate contributions)
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Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Lord Singh of Wimbledon, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


Lord Singh of Wimbledon has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Lord Singh of Wimbledon has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 22 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
29th Jan 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the sanctioning of Mian Abdul Haq as a human rights violator on 9 December 2022, what assessment they have made of whether that sanctioning has been successful in preventing the forced conversion and abduction of women and girls from minority communities, and what further representations they have made to the government of Pakistan in this regard.

The UK Government strongly condemns the forced marriage and forced conversion of women and girls in Pakistan. Designating Mian Abdul Haq sent a clear message to those responsible that the UK considers this behaviour unacceptable. We regularly raise our concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), women and girls' rights and gender equality at a senior level with the Government of Pakistan. Through our Aawaz programme, we continue to tackle issues of gender-based violence and work directly with communities to raise their awareness of the harms of early and forced marriages.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
10th Jan 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there were grounds for Hugh Powell to recuse himself from the Heywood Review into allegations of UK involvement in the Indian Army's operation against the Golden Temple considering his father's position as the Prime Minister's private secretary at the time of the operation.

The Heywood review of 2014 worked specifically to establish facts about the UK advice and assistance to the Indian Government during Operation Blue Star 1984. It concluded that UK assistance was advisory, ended several months before the operation and had limited impact on the tragic events that followed. The UK Government has concluded that there is no basis to challenge the conclusions of the 2014 review or to review the broader decisions of the government of the day.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
10th Jan 2024
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what basis the Sikh community was not informed in 2014 that Hugh Powell was conducting the Heywood Review into allegations of UK involvement in the Indian Army's operation against the Golden Temple, with particular regard to the fact that his father was the Prime Minister's private secretary at the time of the operation.

The Heywood review of 2014 worked specifically to establish facts about the UK advice and assistance to the Indian Government during Operation Blue Star 1984. It concluded that UK assistance was advisory, ended several months before the operation and had limited impact on the tragic events that followed. The UK Government has concluded that there is no basis to challenge the conclusions of the 2014 review or to review the broader decisions of the government of the day.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
4th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impartiality of the Heywood review into allegations of UK involvement in the Indian Army's operation against the Golden Temple in the light of reports that the father of a senior member of that review was the Prime Minister's private secretary at the time of the operation.

The Heywood review of 2014 worked specifically to establish facts about the UK advice and assistance to the Indian Government during Operation Blue Star 1984. It concluded that UK assistance was advisory, ended several months before the operation and had limited impact on the tragic events that followed. The UK Government has concluded that there is no basis to challenge the conclusions of the 2014 review or to review the broader decisions of the government of the day.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
21st Mar 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) discrimination against religious minorities and women, (2) the use of the death penalty, and (3) reports of extrajudicial killings, in Saudi Arabia; and on what basis they describe Saudi Arabia as a strategic partner.

The UK and Saudi Arabia have a longstanding bilateral relationship based on trade; investment; defence; security; energy and shared concerns about regional issues. We have vital national security and economic interests in maintaining and developing our relationship with Saudi Arabia, including in how we work together to tackle regional threats. No aspect of our relationship with Saudi Arabia prevents us from speaking frankly about human rights. We monitor a range of human rights issues in the Kingdom, including those pertaining to women, religious minorities and the continued use of the death penalty in the Kingdom.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
5th Sep 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of hosting the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in July; and whether any binding commitments were made by participating countries to prohibit discrimination against minority faiths and beliefs.

We anticipate that the total budget for the Conference will be in the region of £3.3million. The Conference explored the many facets of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) through seventeen themed panel sessions and gave a platform to those persecuted for their religion or belief. Forty-seven governments, international organisations and other entities made pledges to take action in support of FoRB. Thirty-four countries joined the UK in signing up to one or more of a set of non-legally binding statements protecting and promoting FoRB for all. The statements and co-signatories are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/international-ministerial-conference-on-freedom-of-religion-or-belief-2022-conference-statements

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
5th Sep 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in July resulted in any consensus of action to address the root causes of discrimination against and persecution of those holding different faiths and beliefs.

The Conference explored the many facets of freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) through seventeen themed panel sessions and gave a platform to those persecuted for their religion or belief. Forty-seven governments, international organisations and other entities made pledges to take action in support of FoRB. Thirty-four countries joined the UK in signing up to one or more of a set of non-legally binding statements protecting and promoting FoRB for all. The statements and co-signatories are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/international-ministerial-Conference-on-freedom-of-religion-or-belief-2022-Conference-statements

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
5th Sep 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they invited Pakistani clerics Hassan Haseeb-ur-Rehman and Muhammad Naqib-ur-Rahmam to the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in July; and what assessment they made of the effect those invitations would have on religious harmony and social cohesion in the UK and beyond.

The UK Government consulted with international and domestic partners and set up a Conference Advisory Committee (CAC) with representatives from a range of religion or belief communities, academia and human rights groups to consider invitees to the UK-hosted Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB).

In the spirit of fostering a healthy dialogue and promoting open societies, we invited a wide and diverse range of participants from over 120 countries. We successfully brought together over 800 faith and belief leaders, human rights actors, civil society and 100 government delegations to agree and work towards joint action on promoting FoRB for all.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
5th Sep 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any working group was set up at the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief in July to address cultural practices that stigmatise other faiths and beliefs.

The UK Government is committed to defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for all and promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities. As part of our ongoing commitment to promoting FoRB, we hosted an International Ministerial Conference on FoRB on 5-6 July 2022.

No specific working groups were set up during the Conference, however, we worked closely with our international and domestic partners in the run up to the Conference and set up a Conference Advisory Committee with representatives from a range of religion or belief communities, academia and human rights groups. We successfully brought together over 800 faith and belief leaders, human rights actors, civil society and 100 government delegations to agree and work towards joint action on promoting FoRB for all. As outlined in our Written Ministerial Statement following the Conference ( https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2022-07-15/hlws204), we will continue to build coalitions of government and civil society actors focussed on key themes from the Conference, drawing on the convening power of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance to promote FoRB for all.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
20th Jun 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in preparation for the International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief, what steps they will take to help protect the lives of Sikh families remaining in Afghanistan.

We continue to raise human rights, including rights of religious and ethnic minorities, in our meetings with the Taliban, including in visits of senior officials to Kabul in October 2021 and February 2022. We call on them to respect international law and uphold human rights of all Afghans. We are also encouraging them to engage in dialogue with a range of Afghans and to establish inclusive governance which better represents Afghanistan's diverse ethnic and religious groups. We continue to work closely with international partners to hold those responsible for human rights abuses to account. We supported a UN Human Rights Council resolution to establish a Special Rapporteur for Afghanistan (appointed April 2022) and worked through the UN Security Council to strengthen human rights reporting and monitoring in the new mandate for the UN Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA).

The International Ministerial Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) will bring together key members of the international FoRB community, in a programme that is themed around preventing FoRB violations and abuses and protecting and promoting FoRB for all.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
8th Dec 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the government of India's response to the protests against the proposed reforms on the sale, pricing and storage of farm produce; and what representations they have made to that government about its response.

The Government is conscious of concerns in India, and from communities in the UK, about India's agricultural reforms. The Foreign Secretary discussed protests on this issue with his counterpart, Minister of Exterior Affairs Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, during his visit to India 14-17 December.

Our position is that the right to gather lawfully and demonstrate a point of view is common to all democracies. Democratic governments also have the power to enforce law and order if a protest crosses the line into illegality.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
7th Jan 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they intend to make to the government of India about the proposed National Register of Citizens; and in particular reports (1) that the Register may leave more than two million Muslims in Assam without citizenship and stateless, and (2) that detention camps are being constructed for such stateless persons.

The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India are following reports on the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens, as well as the Government of India’s response. We raise our concerns with the Government of India where appropriate. I discussed the Government of India’s intent with, and popular response to, the CAA with India’s Minister of State for External Affairs on 19 December 2019. The British High Commissioner in New Delhi also raised this issue with the Indian Government on 6 January.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
7th Jan 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the comments by the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 is fundamentally discriminatory against Muslims, what representations they are making to the government of India about ensuring equal treatment of people of all faiths when granting citizenship.

The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India are following reports on the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens, as well as the Government of India’s response. We raise our concerns with the Government of India where appropriate. I discussed the Government of India’s intent with, and popular response to, the CAA with India’s Minister of State for External Affairs on 19 December 2019. The British High Commissioner in New Delhi also raised this issue with the Indian Government on 6 January.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon
Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
6th Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for the UK's commitment to human rights of their support for the extradition of Julian Assange to the United States, to face a prison term potentially in excess of 50 years.

This specific case is subject to ongoing court proceedings, so we are unable to comment further.

Further information on the UK’s extradition processes can be found on www.gov.uk: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/extradition-processes-and-review

Lord Sharpe of Epsom
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
24th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the article by Dr Richard Norrie and Hardeep Singh 'Meet the SAGE of hate crime', published in The Critic on 13 January, and (2) the transparency and impartiality of their Independent Advisory Group on hate crime.

In April 2020, the Home Office briefly took over full responsibility from the Ministry of Justice for the oversight of the Independent Advisory Group on hate crime.

The Home Office had some concerns about the transparency and impartiality of the IAG, and planned to work with the group to resolve these issues. However, during the summer of 2021, the IAG moved under the oversight of the NPCC and is consequently no longer a Government-affiliated body. The IAG now serves as a body solely to inform and support policing requirements on hate crime.

The minutes of the meetings have been made available in response to a freedom of information request. I will send a copy to the Noble Lord.

Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
24th Jan 2022
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the full details and minutes of the meetings of the Independent Advisory Group on hate crime held on (1) 17 September 2019, and (2) 17 January 2020, including the details already disclosed in response to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

In April 2020, the Home Office briefly took over full responsibility from the Ministry of Justice for the oversight of the Independent Advisory Group on hate crime.

The Home Office had some concerns about the transparency and impartiality of the IAG, and planned to work with the group to resolve these issues. However, during the summer of 2021, the IAG moved under the oversight of the NPCC and is consequently no longer a Government-affiliated body. The IAG now serves as a body solely to inform and support policing requirements on hate crime.

The minutes of the meetings have been made available in response to a freedom of information request. I will send a copy to the Noble Lord.

Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
4th Oct 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the collapse of the case against Piara Singh Gill, Amritivir Singh Wahiwala and Gursharanvir Singh Wahiwala, why they certified an extradition request from the Indian authorities for these individuals.

Extradition requests from outside the European Union are governed by Part 2 of the Extradition Act 2003 (‘the Act’). Under section 70 of the Act, if the UK has formal extradition relations with such a territory – as it does with India – and receives a valid extradition request from it, the Secretary of State must certify the request unless certain narrow exceptions in the Act apply. In this case, none of those exceptions applied and, by law, the Secretary of State was obliged to certify the extradition requests.

Certification of extradition requests by the Secretary of State is only one step in the extradition process. Requests are subsequently subject to the full scrutiny of the Court and the safeguards contained within the Extradition Act 2003.

Having considered these cases, the Court discharged the three individuals wanted by India on the grounds that a prima facie case could not be established.

Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
27th Jul 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they undertook a formal investigation into the conduct of those implicated in racism against former Metropolitan Police officer Gurpal Virdi; and if not, why not.

Investigations into the conduct of police officers are the responsibility of the professional standards departments of police forces and, where appropriate, the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC). Such decision-making is independent of government. Complaints received from Mr Virdi were assessed by the IOPC as suitable for local investigation by the Metropolitan Police Service.

Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
7th Jul 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their paper on group-based child sexual exploitation due to be published this year will include consideration of any (1) racial, and (2) religious, characteristics of group offenders.

The Government is determined to ensure failures of the past are not repeated and to do all we can to bear down on offenders and support victims. That is why on 19th May the Government announced its intention to publish a paper on group-based child sexual exploitation by the end of the year, following consultation with subject matter experts.

We intend this paper to present the best available evidence on this form of offending, bringing together all of the insights gathered in the course of the Home Office’s work on this issue. The paper will consider the extent to which conclusions can be drawn from available data about the characteristics of offenders and victims, including ethnicity, and the context in which these crimes are committed.

Details of the membership to the external reference group, which will be asked to review the paper before its publication, will be made public in due course.

Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)
7th Jul 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government who will be the members of the Home Office's External Reference Group of experts which will review the research on group-based child sexual exploitation prior to its publication.

The Government is determined to ensure failures of the past are not repeated and to do all we can to bear down on offenders and support victims. That is why on 19th May the Government announced its intention to publish a paper on group-based child sexual exploitation by the end of the year, following consultation with subject matter experts.

We intend this paper to present the best available evidence on this form of offending, bringing together all of the insights gathered in the course of the Home Office’s work on this issue. The paper will consider the extent to which conclusions can be drawn from available data about the characteristics of offenders and victims, including ethnicity, and the context in which these crimes are committed.

Details of the membership to the external reference group, which will be asked to review the paper before its publication, will be made public in due course.

Baroness Williams of Trafford
Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms (HM Household) (Chief Whip, House of Lords)