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Neil Basu, Sir Rabinder Singh among most influential Asians in UK in 2019

Neil Basu, the Indian-origin counter-terrorism chief in the Metropolitan Police, and Britain's first Sikh judge Sir Rabinder Singh are among the most influential Asians in the UK in 2019, next only to Home Secretary Sajid Javid and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, both with Pakistani roots.

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Neil Basu, the Indian-origin counter-terrorism chief in the Metropolitan Police, and Britain's first Sikh judge Sir Rabinder Singh are among the most influential Asians in the UK in 2019, next only to Home Secretary Sajid Javid and London Mayor Sadiq Khan, both with Pakistani roots.

The names were revealed in the Eastern Eye GG2 Power List released at the GG2 Leadership Awards organised by the Asian Media Group, publishers of the Garavi Gujarat (GG2) and Eastern Eye publications, here Wednesday night.

After the commissioner and the deputy commissioner at Scotland Yard, 50-year old Basu is now a familiar figure on television every time there is a terrorist attack in the UK.
Basu, who is also the national lead for counter-terrorism policing, a position he has held since March 2018, is responsible to keep the nation safe.

His portfolio, a mixed bag, "also includes responsibility for the investigation of war crimes, Official Secrets Act offences and protection of VIPs, royals, embassies, parliament and aviation policing." At just 39, Singh became the youngest judge to sit in the high court in the UK.

His rise to the top of the judiciary continued last year when he was sworn in as a court of appeal judge - the first non-white person to occupy such a position and appointed by the Queen to the Privy Council.

Born in 1964 in Delhi, Singh's parents came to Britain with little more than the contents of their suitcases. Raised in a poor neighbourhood, his academic ability was recognised early on, which led to him winning a local authority scholarship to Bristol Grammar School.

Other prominent Indian-origin personalities figuring in the 101-strong power list include Chairman of Santander UK Baroness Shriti Vadera, the only woman to be head of a major British Bank, Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan, winner of the 2009 Nobel Prize for chemistry and president of the Royal Society and the Hinduja family.
Headquartered in London, Hinduja group is run by four second-generation brothers - Srichand Hinduja, Gopichand Hinduja, Prakash Hinduja and Ashok Hinduja.

Next in the power list is Indian-origin steel baron Lakshmi Mittal.

Arcelor-Mittal, headed by Mittal employs nearly 200,000 people across 60 countries in the world.

Rishi Sunak, son-in-law of Infosys' founder N R Narayana Murthy, is 45th in the list.

Rami Ranger, Chairman of export powerhouse Sun Mark Ltd, a high-profile supporter of the Tory party, is 55th in the list.
In June this year he was named co-chairman along with Zac Goldsmith of Conservative Friends of India, a group dedicated to cementing ties between the UK and India.

Also in the power list is Lord Swraj Paul, Chairman of the Caparo Group who at 87 shows no signs of slowing down.

Kartar Lalvani, founder chairman of Vitabiotics, Britain's largest producer of Vitamins, along with his son Tej Lalvani, is 69th in the Power List. Lord Karan Bilimoria, Founder Chairman of Cobra Beers, is 83rd in the list. Anoushka Shankar, daughter of legendary Sitar maestro late Pandit Ravi Shankar, is 84th in the list. 

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