Rami Ranger, Baron Ranger

Raminder Singh Ranger was born on 3 July 1947 in Gujranwala, then in the Punjab Province of British India, as the son of Sardar Nanak Singh and Harbans Kaur. His father, an opponent of the planned partition of India, was assassinated about four months before Ranger was born. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to Patiala in Indian Punjab as refugees of the partition, and Ranger was raised with seven siblings by his widowed mother. Ranger attended Mohindra College in Patiala, and obtained a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from the Government College in Chandigarh. He travelled to London to study law in 1971, but discontinued his studies because of a lack of funds. ==Business career==

Ranger took up odd jobs after migrating to the United Kingdom, including working as a KFC chef in Norbury, south London, before being promoted to district manager. He subsequently operated a Post Office branch and newsagent's shop, and worked at Currys. In 1987, Ranger founded Sea, Air and Land Forwarding, a freight and logistics company, with £2 of capital and a typewriter. He founded Sun Mark, a fast-moving consumer goods export company, in 1995. and Sun Mark won Queen's Awards for Enterprise in international trade from 2009 to 2013, becoming the first company in the UK to win the award in five consecutive years. ==Political career==

Ranger is a major supporter and donor to the Conservative Party. He gave £1.5 million in total to the Conservative Party from 2009 to 2024. In 2018, alongside MP Zac Goldsmith, Ranger was appointed a co-chairman of Conservative Friends of India, linking the party with the British-Indian community and supporting stronger India–United Kingdom relations. Ranger is a founding member of the Pakistan, India and UK Friendship Forum, the Hindu Forum of Britain, and the British Sikh Association.In 2025, Ranger joined the newly formed Conservative India Policy Forum as its Vice-President. May nominated Ranger for a life peerage in her resignation honours list. He was created Baron Ranger, of Mayfair in the City of Westminster, on 11 October 2019, and was introduced to the House of Lords on 29 October. He made his maiden speech in an International Women's Day debate in March 2020. ==Contribution to the Indian diaspora and UK-India relations==

For nearly four decades, Lord Ranger has played a significant role in supporting the Indian diaspora in the United Kingdom, contributing to public affairs, community development, and political participation. He has supported thousands of individuals and organisations, including students, businesses, and community groups, while mentoring many to become involved in politics. He has been instrumental in strengthening the connection between the diaspora and British politics, helping increase the representation of people of Indian origin as councillors and Members of Parliament. He is widely recognised for his contribution across political parties and continues to advocate for the diaspora in the House of Lords. Lord Ranger has also been active in strengthening UK–India relations by facilitating engagement between the Government of India, the Indian High Commission, and the UK Government, and by hosting events to promote the achievements of the diaspora. He is regarded as a pioneering figure in advancing the political inclusion of British Indians. Former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak publicly acknowledged his contribution to enabling greater representation of British Indians in public life. He has also supported parliamentary engagement on UK–India relations and promoted greater understanding of Indian culture, heritage, and faith within British public life. ==Honours==

Ranger was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 2005 Birthday Honours for services to business and the Asian community, and promoted to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 New Year Honours for services to business and community cohesion. He was awarded honorary degrees by the University of West London in 2016, the University of Wolverhampton in 2021, and London South Bank University in 2022. Ranger's CBE appointment was revoked in December 2024 for "bringing the honours system into disrepute". The Honours Forfeiture Committee was understood to have considered Ranger's bullying and harassment of Joshi, as well as derogatory comments about the Pakistani and Sikh communities, in deciding to strip Ranger of the honour.The matter is the subject to an application for Judicial Review made by Ranger. ==Personal life==

Ranger and his wife Renu have three daughters. His eldest daughter, Reena Ranger, is also a Conservative politician, and succeeded him as the co-chairman of Conservative Friends of India. ==References==