Praful Patel

Praful Patel has been one of Britain's most dedicated workers for the protection of minority rights. He acted as an advocate for minorities who were wrongly being denied access to Britain by this country's unjust immigration laws. He handled some 300-400 cases a year, in a voluntary advisory service built up since he played a crucial role in protecting and assisting the British Asian communities in East Africa.

He has been active at all levels in the Labour Party, from ward secretary and delegate to the GMC, to parliamentary candidate in Brent North in 1987. He was a vigorous and hard working candidate in an unwinnable seat. Pete Toms, his former agent, pays tribute to his organising skills and energy. Together they ran an effective election campaign which raised Labour's share of the vote by more than 2 per cent, even though the Labour vote was falling generally all over London. He also did much to help fellow candidates Ken Livingstone and Paul Boateng win over the minority Asian communities in the other two Brent constituencies.

Praful Patel joined the Labour Party in 1958 when he arrived in Britain as a young man committed to colonial freedom and nuclear disarmament (he was one of the first Aldermaston marchers). Since then he has helped organise, canvass and mobilize support for Labour candidates in many local and parliamentary elections. He was born in Uganda where he founded the Ugandan Students Union and was Uganda's representative at the first International Youth Assembly in Delhi. He actively campaigned for self-rule prior to independence. In 1968, he resigned from the party to help lead the opposition to Callaghan's racist Kenyan Asians Bill. Then, and especially following the Ugandan Asian crisis in 1972, he became involved at an individual level, helping thousands of families to mend separated and broken lives. He served on the Ugandan Resettlement Board and the UK Immigrants Advisory Service. After Labour revised its policies, Praful rejoined the party in 1976.