BIRMINGHAM, UK  (TIP): The Conservative Friends of India and the Indian High Commission jointly hosted a Reception at the annual Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham, October 6.The Reception attended by over 400 guests received rave reviews, being complimented as highlight of the Conference. The Reception celebrated the importance of the strong ties between the UK and India and the contribution of the Indian diaspora in Britain. CF India was delighted to welcome the new High Commissioner of India, HE Vikram Doraiswami. The august gathering of special guest speakers who specially attended to welcome H.E Vikram Doraswami, included the Home Secretary The Rt Hon. Suella Braverman MP, Foreign Secretary The Rt Hon James Cleverly MP, International Trade Secretary The Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary The Rt Hon Ranil Jayawardena MP, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary The Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP, Digital, Culture, Media and Sports Secretary The Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, CF India Patron Lord Rami Ranger CBE , Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street, Minister for Skills, Further and Higher Education Andrea Jenkyns MP, Exchequer Secretary Felicity Buchan MP, Minister for London and Small Business Paul Scully MP , The Rt Hon Theresa Villiers MP, Foreign Secretary PPS Gagan Mohindra MP, The Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, Pam Gosal MSP, Dr Sandesh Gulhane MSP, The Bangladesh High Commissioner, HE Saida Muna Tasneem, The Maldives High Commissioner HE Dr Farah Faizal , Heather Wheeler MP, Dean Russell MP with Team CF India, Co-Chair Cllr Reena Ranger OBE, Cllr Ameet Jogia MBE and Director Nayaz Qazi.

Co-Chair Cllr Reena Ranger paid tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen and delivered the proclamation “ God Save the King”, Reena also highlighted the rich secular values of the Indian community and how CF India is led by British Indians who are Sikh, Hindu and Muslim, all working in harmony and promoting the secular and meritocratic values of India and the Conservative Party. Introducing the Guests was Co-Chair Cllr Ameet Jogia. The host for the Conference, the Conservative Mayor for the West Midlands Andy Street spoke of how proud he was to be Mayor of the Region, which the diaspora has enriched and how he was delighted to meet the New High Commissioner HE Vikram Doraiswami and looked forward to continuing the strong engagement the region has with Indian businesses. In closing Mayor Andy Street paid tribute to Team CF India, Reena Ameet and Nayaz.

H.E. Vikram Doraswami, the High Commissioner of India, greeted Birmingham and the guests. Welcoming the Lords & Ladies, Secretaries of State, Ministers, Members of Parliament, the Mayor of the West Midlands and members of the Conservative Party present. The High Commissioner paid tribute to Her late Majesty the Queen, who he said would be remembered forever. In celebrating the India and UK friendship, the High Commissioner lauded The United Kingdom, as the oldest partner of India. The people and the living bridge are important to the relationship. The finalizing of the Trade Arrangement, the Defense and the Strategic Partnership, coupled with the mobility of the brightest talent between both countries, will provide many opportunities for both countries.

The Home Secretary, The Rt Hon. Suella Braverman, MP, welcomed the High Commissioner and members. Stating she would “like to put on record and thank Rami Uncle (Lord Ranger), Reena, Ameet and Nayaz for all the work they do for CF India and the Conservative Party. CF India plays a crucial role in helping to win elections and bring the Indian community closer to the Party”. The Home Secretary in closing said, “The Conservative Party is a Party of meritocracy &talent, which has the most diverse cabinet in history, and we look forward to the start of the Free Trade Agreement between UK and India”. The Foreign Secretary, The Rt Hon James Cleverly MP, spoke of how he enjoyed the Reception, “You can tell it is an Indian event; it is noisy, busy and with so much energy in the room”. The Foreign Secretary also conveyed his special thanks and said, “The British Indian community and the links with India are hugely important to the United Kingdom; India is one of our closest friends in the world. The UK-India relationship has gone from strength to strength. Two countries bound by heritage and family, I could not be more proud to work with Kemi to make the Free Trade Agreement happen quickly. The Foreign Secretary, in closing, thanked Team CF India and the CF India Members for all their hard work”.

CF India Patron Lord Rami Ranger CBE welcomed the new High Commissioner and guests and acknowledged the great work of Team CF India Reena Ameet and Nayaz. “We are delighted that our new High Commissioner HE Vikram Doraswami is here with us, witnessing the vibration of India outside India. Britain is a vibrant economy because we are both secular democracies, and our respect for the rule of law and women. The free trade agreement between the 5 & 6th largest economies will be the mother of all Free Trade Agreements”.

The Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary, The Rt Hon Brandon Lewis MP, spoke of the importance of the British Indian community and how it brings the UK and India closer together and how The Free Trade Agreement will create many new opportunities, including that in legal services. Celebrating our common values, the Lord Chancellor spoke about how the UK and India value democracy and the rule of law. In closing, the Lord Chancellor thanked CF India for what it does for the Party, and work at elections to get more Conservatives elected.

The Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, the Rt Hon Ranil Jayawardena MP, welcomed the New High Commissioner and how proud he was to have worked on building the Enhanced Trade with India and the soon to be announced Free Trade Agreement, which will allow greater trade between both countries in many areas including food, as well as helping to work more closely on the environment strategy.

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sports the Rt Hon Michelle Donelan MP, spoke of the closeness between both countries and how the soon-to-be-announced Free Trade Agreement will help to bring greater opportunities in I.T. and Digital, which are key technologies for now and the future.

In closing the Reception, the vote of Thanks was given by Director Nayaz Qazi with Co-Chairs Reena and Ameet, inviting the special guest speakers and members to the upcoming CF India Diwali Reception.