Telford MP Lucy Allan is made deputy of all party group for Sikhs

Ms Allan was appointed to the post during the first meeting for the APPG for British Sikhs since the election.

An APPG is an informal group of cross-party MPs who join together to pursue a particular topic or interest. APPGs have no formal place in the legislature, but are an effective way of bringing together parliamentarians and interested parties to lobby government.

The APPG for British Sikhs was established twelve years ago by the Sikh Federation UK.

During the AGM the group also set out their main objectives for the course of the current Parliament which included, a campaign for a Sikh war memorial in central London to honour the 130,000 Sikh men who served in World War One; human rights for Sikhs, to stop discrimination against turban wearing Sikhs in Europe; establishing a separate tick box for Sikhs for the Census in 2021 and establishing statutory protection for Sikhs who observe the code of practice.

Ms Allan said: “I am absolutely delighted to be elected as vice chair for the APPG for British Sikhs.

"Telford has a vibrant Sikh community who do a great deal of good for the area. I hope to use my position on the APPG to raise the concerns of Sikhs in Telford. I am particularly interested in campaigning to ensure that the Sikh men who fought in World War One are honoured by a permanent memorial in central London.

"I hope to promote the Three Pillars of Sikhism which involve living a life of decency, working hard and sharing wealth within the community. Many of my constituents in Telford adopt this way of life and I hope to champion this practice.”