Doctor, techie among new Indian-origin peers in House of Lords

London, Dec 24 (PTI) A well-known fertility doctor, a technology entrepreneur and politicians with a track record at the European and local government level are among four new Indian-origin peers who are set to take their seats in the House of Lords in the New Year.

Professor Geeta Nargund, founder of CREATE fertility; Uday Nagaraju, founder of AI Policy Labs; Neena Gill, former member of the European Parliament (MEP) for the West Midlands region of England; and Shama Tatler, a councillor from Brent in north-west London were nominated as Labour Party peers by Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Downing Street confirmed the latest set of political peerages earlier this month, formally appointed by King Charles III to the Upper House of the British Parliament.

“Professor Geeta Nargund is a women's health expert, academic, founder, diversity champion and a campaigner for gender equality," reads her official citation from the UK Prime Minister’s office.

“She is the Founder of Create Fertility and served as its Medical Director until July 2025. She is the Founder and Trustee of Health Equality Foundation (formerly known as Create Health Foundation). She has dedicated her career to tackling wider health inequalities and improving access to reproductive choices and care globally,” it states.

Uday Nagaraju has been a Labour Party adviser and technology consultant and has been elevated to a peerage for his "strong commitment to artificial intelligence (AI) for societal good”.

“With over two decades of experience in the technology sector, Uday has provided strategic leadership in performance testing and digital transformation, helping organisations deliver reliable, high-performing technology solutions," reads his citation.

“He is the Founder of AI Policy Labs, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to advancing responsible AI. Uday also led the Mahatma Gandhi Future Leaders Programme, a mentorship initiative promoting political leadership among British Indian members of the Labour Party. His latest venture, AIPL Nova, in its early stages, aims to develop tools to help organisations navigate the opportunities and challenges of AI," it notes.

Neena Gill, awarded a CBE honour for services to the community, was born in Ludhiana and moved to the UK aged 10. As an MEP pre-Brexit, she is credited with steering various major pieces of legislation as a rapporteur in the European Parliament – from financial regulations to e-content.

“Since 2013, she has served as the chair of Sikhs for Labour, a national campaigning organisation. She also has extensive experience as a CEO in the housing/not-for-profit sector, as senior executive in a tech multinational and as a non-executive in the charitable arena," reads her official citation for peerage.

Shama Tatler, seen as a rising star among the young crop of British Indian grassroots politicians in the Labour Party, serves as vice-chair of the Labour Indians diaspora group.

“It is an extraordinary honour and a profound privilege to have been asked by the Prime Minister to enter the House of Lords as a Labour peer,” said Tatler.

“My career has been rooted in public service... I am honoured to be the first Jain to serve in the UK Parliament – a moment of great pride for me, my family and the wider Jain community, whose values of compassion, service and non-violence have guided me throughout my life,” she said.

The four Indian-origin peerages are among Labour’s 25 nominations, seen as a move by the Starmer-led government to curb the Conservatives’ majority in the second chamber of Parliament. The Opposition Tories have been given three new peers and Liberal Democrats have five.

It comes as the Labour government moves towards its manifesto promise of scrapping hereditary peers from the House of Lords as part of wider parliamentary reforms. PTI AK AMS