Parmjit Dhanda
| Parmjit Singh Dhanda | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government | |
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In office 29 June 2007 – 4 October 2008 |
|
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Angela Smith |
| Succeeded by | Sadiq Khan |
|
Member of Parliament for Gloucester |
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In office 8 June 2001 – 12 April 2010 |
|
| Preceded by | Tess Kingham |
| Succeeded by | Richard Graham |
| Majority | 4,271 (8.2%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
17 September 1971 Hillingdon, London, UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse(s) | Rupi Dhanda |
| Alma mater | University of Nottingham |
| Religion | Sikhism |
Parmjit Singh Dhanda (born 17 September 1971) is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Gloucester from the 2001 to 2010 general elections, succeeding Tess Kingham as the Labour MP for the seat.
Dhanda was born in London to Indian immigrants of Sikh Punjabi background, and brought up in Southall. His mother was a cleaner at a local hospital, whilst his father was a lorry driver. He was educated at Mellow Lane School, a state Comprehensive School in Hayes, Middlesex, before attending the University of Nottingham, where he received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in 1993, and a MA in information technology in 1995.
Dhanda was the first ever Minister to serve in the UK Government of Indian Heritage and remains the only Sikh Minister to date.
Dhanda is married with two children. He has been a member of the Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers (USDAW) since 1999. He speaks Punjabi and French, in addition to English.
Dhanda became a Labour Party organiser in West London, Hampshire and Wiltshire in 1996, then went on to be assistant national organiser with Connect in 1998 where he remained until he was elected to Westminster. He was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Hillingdon in 1998 and served on the council until 2002. As a member of Labour's list for the 1999 European Parliament election, he became the country's youngest Euro Candidate, aged 27.
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