Krish Raval, a prominent London-based professional, was nominated on Friday by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for a life peerage in the House of Lords. Raval, who chairs the Labour Party’s diaspora group, Labour Indians, is set to join the Labour benches in the Upper House, pending approval by King Charles III.
The nomination, one of 30 political peerages selected by Starmer, is seen as part of a broader effort to balance political representation in the Lords. Along with Raval, other notable figures nominated for the prestigious titles include Starmer’s former chief of staff Sue Gray and Thangam Debbonnaire, a former Labour shadow minister of Sri Lankan heritage.
In recognition of his significant contributions to inter-faith relations and leadership education, Raval was awarded an OBE in 2018 by Queen Elizabeth II. He is also the Founder-Director of Faith in Leadership, an Oxford University-based organization dedicated to promoting inter-faith dialogue and understanding.
The nomination process for new peers involves a thorough vetting by the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission (HOLAC), followed by formal recommendations to the monarch. Once King Charles III formally approves the nominations, legal documents are issued, and new peers are granted the right to take their seats in the Lords and participate in parliamentary voting.
The Labour Party’s nominations, including Raval’s, are part of a wider strategy to address the current party imbalance in the Lords. At present, the Conservative Party holds the largest number of peers, with the Tories at 279, Labour at 187, and the Liberal Democrats at 80. The House of Lords also features over 180 crossbench peers who are unaffiliated with any party, resulting in no party holding a clear majority in the Upper Chamber.
The upcoming appointments reflect ongoing political maneuvers in the UK’s legislative system, with the Labour Party and other political factions, including the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats, making their own peerage nominations.
Reports indicate that former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s nominations for the House of Lords are expected to be announced at a later date.