Swaraj Paul
Encyclopedia
Swraj Paul, Baron Paul, PC
(born 18 February 1931) is an Indian-born
, British
-based business magnate, philanthropist
, and Labour
politician. In 1996 he became a life peer
, sitting in the House of Lords
with the title Baron Paul, of Marylebone
in the City of Westminster
. In December 2008 he was appointed deputy speaker of the Lords
; in October 2009 he was appointed to the Privy Council; shortly thereafter he was required to step down from the former position due to allegations of financial impropriety, in the context of the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
, and was eventually censured by the Committee for Privileges and Conduct. He is close to Gordon Brown
and his wife Sarah
.
, Punjab
in 1931. His father ran a small foundry
, making steel buckets and farming equipment. Paul was educated at Forman Christian College
in Lahore
and later obtained a master's degree in mechanical engineering
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT) in the US
, which was being managed by his elder brother Stya Paul. He took over the operations of Apeejay Overseas.
In 1966 he relocated to the United Kingdom to get medical treatment
for his young daughter, who had leukemia. He spent a year getting over her death, after which he founded Natural Gas Tubes From acquiring one steel unit, he went on to acquire more and founded the Caparo Group
in 1968, which developed into one of the leading producers of welded steel tube and spiral welded pipe in the United Kingdom. He stepped down from the management of the Caparo Group in 1996; his youngest son Angad became CEO.
Lord Paul is on the Sunday Times Rich List
as the 88th richest person in Britain, although he claims to take public transport in London
"like everybody else". Since the 1960s he has lived in Portland Place
, opposite the BBC's Broadcasting House
in central London
. He and his family own a dozen flats in the block, each one worth close to a million pounds. He also has a 250 acres (1 km²) country estate, The Grange, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.
of Thames Valley University
(1998) and its governorship (1992–97). He has been the chancellor
of the University of Wolverhampton
since 1998 and of the University of Westminster
, to which his family trust has given £300,000.
He was a member of the Foreign Policy Centre
Advisory Council and MIT's Mechanical Engineering Visiting Committee. He was the chairman of the Olympic Delivery Committee, a sub group of the London Development Agency
. He contested for the chairmanship of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
(CPA), with an agenda to reduce the gap between the West
and the East
.
He was the first person of Indian origin to hold the post of deputy speaker of the House of Lords
, one of twelve people in that post. He was sworn of the Privy Council
on 15 October 2009.
Through the Ambika Paul Foundation, which Paul set up in memory of his daughter, profits from Caparo are channelled into charitable endeavours For example,
Paul is an honorary patron of the Zoological Society of London
and has funded major projects at the Regent's Park
site, including its children's zoo.
He has donated £500 000 to the Labour Party, and is a strong backer of Gordon Brown
, being the largest donor to his leadership campaign and offering in 2007 to give "as much as [he] can afford" in the case of an early election. He is also close to the former UK Prime Minister's wife, Sarah Brown
, for whom he shows paternal concern
by Indira Gandhi
, the Prime Minister of India
, in 1983 and the Bharat Gaurav award by the Indian Merchants' Chamber
. In Britain he was given the Asian Woman Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
, The Sunday Times
reported in October 2009 that Paul had been unable satisfactorily to explain claiming expenses of £38 000, though by his own admission he had never spent a night at the place he claimed as his main home, a one-bedroom staff flat. He was forced to stand down as deputy speaker of the House of Lords while his expenses claims were investigated, and said he was considering leaving the Lords. He faced possible criminal charges but the police decided to discontinue their investigations after the House of Lords changed the rules to allow its members to "designate a property as their primary residence even if they only visited once a month".
The Committee for Privileges and Conduct, a select committee with the remit of making recommendations to the House of Lords on complaints of breach of parliamentary privilege
, investigated his case. On 18 October 2010 they published their report, recommending that he, along with Lady Uddin
and Lord Bhatia
, be suspended from parliament and repay the contested expenses, in his case £41,982. The committee concluded: "We do not feel justified in finding, on the balance of probabilities, that Lord Paul acted dishonestly or in bad faith. However, his actions were utterly unreasonable, and demonstrated gross irresponsibility and negligence. They therefore render him liable to sanction by the House." Lord Paul's suspension was for four months; he also resigned from the Labour Party.
Lord Paul is not domiciled in the UK for tax purposes. (Non-dom status is a tax avoidance
arrangement used in the United Kingdom that enables the holder to pay less tax than domiciled Britons
.) When Lord Ashcroft, a wealthy senior Conservative, was pressured into confirming his "non-dom" status, he took the opportunity to point out that the same was true of Lord Paul (and another major Labour donor, Sir Ronald Cohen
). On 9 March 2010 Lord Paul announced he would give up his non-dom tax status.
As long ago as 2003, Lord Paul had blamed difficulties in the world of business on "greed, coupled with the abdication of personal responsibility" He called for high standards of accountability and transparency in political and business life, acknowledging that "a little bit of scandal can put you behind"
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
(born 18 February 1931) is an Indian-born
Non-resident Indian and Person of Indian Origin
A Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
, British
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
-based business magnate, philanthropist
Philanthropist
A philanthropist is someone who engages in philanthropy; that is, someone who donates his or her time, money, and/or reputation to charitable causes...
, and Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician. In 1996 he became a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
, sitting in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
with the title Baron Paul, of Marylebone
Marylebone
Marylebone is an affluent inner-city area of central London, located within the City of Westminster. It is sometimes written as St. Marylebone or Mary-le-bone....
in the City of Westminster
City of Westminster
The City of Westminster is a London borough occupying much of the central area of London, England, including most of the West End. It is located to the west of and adjoining the ancient City of London, directly to the east of the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, and its southern boundary...
. In December 2008 he was appointed deputy speaker of the Lords
Lord Speaker
The Lord Speaker is the speaker of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the members of the House of Lords and is expected to be politically impartial.Until July 2006, the role of...
; in October 2009 he was appointed to the Privy Council; shortly thereafter he was required to step down from the former position due to allegations of financial impropriety, in the context of the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
, and was eventually censured by the Committee for Privileges and Conduct. He is close to Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
and his wife Sarah
Sarah Brown
Sarah Joy Brown is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Carly Corinthos, which she portrayed on the American daytime drama General Hospital from 1996 to 2001, and which earned her three Daytime Emmy Awards. In 2008, she returned to General Hospital in a...
.
Early life
According to his official biography, Swraj Paul was born in JalandharJalandhar
Jalandhar is a city in Jalandhar District in the state of Punjab, India. It is located 144 km northwest of the state capital, Chandigarh...
, Punjab
Punjab (India)
Punjab ) is a state in the northwest of the Republic of India, forming part of the larger Punjab region. The state is bordered by the Indian states of Himachal Pradesh to the east, Haryana to the south and southeast and Rajasthan to the southwest as well as the Pakistani province of Punjab to the...
in 1931. His father ran a small foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
, making steel buckets and farming equipment. Paul was educated at Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College
Forman Christian College University, or FCCU, is a chartered university in Lahore, Pakistan, named after its American-born founder, Dr. Charles William Forman.- History :...
in Lahore
Lahore
Lahore is the capital of the Pakistani province of Punjab and the second largest city in the country. With a rich and fabulous history dating back to over a thousand years ago, Lahore is no doubt Pakistan's cultural capital. One of the most densely populated cities in the world, Lahore remains a...
and later obtained a master's degree in mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering
Mechanical engineering is a discipline of engineering that applies the principles of physics and materials science for analysis, design, manufacturing, and maintenance of mechanical systems. It is the branch of engineering that involves the production and usage of heat and mechanical power for the...
from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
(MIT) in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Business career
He worked for the Apeejay Group in IndiaIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, which was being managed by his elder brother Stya Paul. He took over the operations of Apeejay Overseas.
In 1966 he relocated to the United Kingdom to get medical treatment
Medical tourism
Medical tourism is a term initially coined by travel agencies and the mass media to describe the rapidly-growing practice of travelling across international borders to obtain health care...
for his young daughter, who had leukemia. He spent a year getting over her death, after which he founded Natural Gas Tubes From acquiring one steel unit, he went on to acquire more and founded the Caparo Group
Caparo
Caparo is a British-based company founded by Lord Paul, with business interests predominantly in the manufacture of steel, automotive and general engineering products, materials testing services, hotels, film distribution, and private equity investment....
in 1968, which developed into one of the leading producers of welded steel tube and spiral welded pipe in the United Kingdom. He stepped down from the management of the Caparo Group in 1996; his youngest son Angad became CEO.
Lord Paul is on the Sunday Times Rich List
Sunday Times Rich List
The Sunday Times Rich List is a list of the 1,000 wealthiest people or families in the United Kingdom, updated annually in April and published as a magazine supplement by British national Sunday newspaper The Sunday Times since 1989...
as the 88th richest person in Britain, although he claims to take public transport in London
London Transport
London Transport could refer to:*London Transport Transport authorities that operated services under the brand:*London Passenger Transport Board *London Transport Executive *London Transport Board...
"like everybody else". Since the 1960s he has lived in Portland Place
Portland Place
Portland Place is a street in the Marylebone district of central London, England.-History and topography:The street was laid out by the brothers Robert and James Adam for the Duke of Portland in the late 18th century and originally ran north from the gardens of a detached mansion called Foley House...
, opposite the BBC's Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House
Broadcasting House is the headquarters and registered office of the BBC in Portland Place and Langham Place, London.The building includes the BBC Radio Theatre from where music and speech programmes are recorded in front of a studio audience...
in central London
Central London
Central London is the innermost part of London, England. There is no official or commonly accepted definition of its area, but its characteristics are understood to include a high density built environment, high land values, an elevated daytime population and a concentration of regionally,...
. He and his family own a dozen flats in the block, each one worth close to a million pounds. He also has a 250 acres (1 km²) country estate, The Grange, in Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire.
Public role
Lord Paul held the pro-chancellorshipPro-Chancellor
A Pro-Chancellor is an officer of some universities in Commonwealth countries. The Pro-Chancellor acts as a deputy to the Chancellor and as practical chairman of the University Council...
of Thames Valley University
Thames Valley University
The University of West London is a public university based in London, United Kingdom, with campuses in Ealing and Brentford, London, and Reading, Berkshire....
(1998) and its governorship (1992–97). He has been the chancellor
Chancellor
Chancellor is the title of various official positions in the governments of many nations. The original chancellors were the Cancellarii of Roman courts of justice—ushers who sat at the cancelli or lattice work screens of a basilica or law court, which separated the judge and counsel from the...
of the University of Wolverhampton
University of Wolverhampton
The University of Wolverhampton is a British university located on four campuses across the West Midlands and Shropshire. The city campus is located in Wolverhampton city centre with a second campus at Compton Park, Wolverhampton; a third in Walsall and a fourth in Telford...
since 1998 and of the University of Westminster
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
, to which his family trust has given £300,000.
He was a member of the Foreign Policy Centre
Foreign Policy Centre
The Foreign Policy Centre is a British think tank specialising in foreign policy. It was formed in 1998 and launched by Tony Blair with the aim of developing a "vision of a fair and rule-based world order". It is pro-European. It has its origins on the centre-left of British politics, but works...
Advisory Council and MIT's Mechanical Engineering Visiting Committee. He was the chairman of the Olympic Delivery Committee, a sub group of the London Development Agency
London Development Agency
The London Development Agency is the Regional Development Agency for Greater London, England. It is a functional body of the Greater London Authority...
. He contested for the chairmanship of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
Commonwealth Parliamentary Association
The Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, previously known as the Empire Parliamentary Association, is an organisation, of British origin, which works to support good governance, democracy and human rights...
(CPA), with an agenda to reduce the gap between the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
and the East
Eastern world
__FORCETOC__The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures or social structures and philosophical systems of Eastern Asia or geographically the Eastern Culture...
.
He was the first person of Indian origin to hold the post of deputy speaker of the House of Lords
Lord Speaker
The Lord Speaker is the speaker of the House of Lords in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The office is analogous to the Speaker of the House of Commons: the Lord Speaker is elected by the members of the House of Lords and is expected to be politically impartial.Until July 2006, the role of...
, one of twelve people in that post. He was sworn of the Privy Council
Privy council
A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a nation, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the monarch's closest advisors to give confidential advice on...
on 15 October 2009.
Through the Ambika Paul Foundation, which Paul set up in memory of his daughter, profits from Caparo are channelled into charitable endeavours For example,
Paul is an honorary patron of the Zoological Society of London
Zoological Society of London
The Zoological Society of London is a charity devoted to the worldwide conservation of animals and their habitats...
and has funded major projects at the Regent's Park
Regent's Park
Regent's Park is one of the Royal Parks of London. It is in the north-western part of central London, partly in the City of Westminster and partly in the London Borough of Camden...
site, including its children's zoo.
He has donated £500 000 to the Labour Party, and is a strong backer of Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
, being the largest donor to his leadership campaign and offering in 2007 to give "as much as [he] can afford" in the case of an early election. He is also close to the former UK Prime Minister's wife, Sarah Brown
Sarah Brown
Sarah Joy Brown is an American actress. She is perhaps best known for originating the role of Carly Corinthos, which she portrayed on the American daytime drama General Hospital from 1996 to 2001, and which earned her three Daytime Emmy Awards. In 2008, she returned to General Hospital in a...
, for whom he shows paternal concern
Awards and honours
Lord Paul has received various awards and honours. He was awarded the Padma BhushanPadma Bhushan
The Padma Bhushan is the third highest civilian award in the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan, but comes before the Padma Shri. It is awarded by the Government of India.-History:...
by Indira Gandhi
Indira Gandhi
Indira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...
, the Prime Minister of India
Prime Minister of India
The Prime Minister of India , as addressed to in the Constitution of India — Prime Minister for the Union, is the chief of government, head of the Council of Ministers and the leader of the majority party in parliament...
, in 1983 and the Bharat Gaurav award by the Indian Merchants' Chamber
Indian Merchants' Chamber
Indian Merchants’ Chamber, established on 7 September 1907 in Mumbai, is an organization of India, representing interests of Indian trade, commerce, and industry...
. In Britain he was given the Asian Woman Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
Controversy
In the context of the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandalUnited Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal
The United Kingdom parliamentary expenses scandal was a major political scandal triggered by the leak and subsequent publication by the Telegraph Group in 2009 of expense claims made by members of the United Kingdom Parliament over several years...
, The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
reported in October 2009 that Paul had been unable satisfactorily to explain claiming expenses of £38 000, though by his own admission he had never spent a night at the place he claimed as his main home, a one-bedroom staff flat. He was forced to stand down as deputy speaker of the House of Lords while his expenses claims were investigated, and said he was considering leaving the Lords. He faced possible criminal charges but the police decided to discontinue their investigations after the House of Lords changed the rules to allow its members to "designate a property as their primary residence even if they only visited once a month".
The Committee for Privileges and Conduct, a select committee with the remit of making recommendations to the House of Lords on complaints of breach of parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege
Parliamentary privilege is a legal immunity enjoyed by members of certain legislatures, in which legislators are granted protection against civil or criminal liability for actions done or statements made related to one's duties as a legislator. It is common in countries whose constitutions are...
, investigated his case. On 18 October 2010 they published their report, recommending that he, along with Lady Uddin
Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin
Manzila Pola Uddin, Baroness Uddin is a British Labour politician, and community activist.-Background:Uddin was born in a village in Bangladesh. She moved with her parents to the United Kingdom in 1973, when she was 13 years of age, and she grew up in the East End of London...
and Lord Bhatia
Amir Bhatia, Baron Bhatia
Amirali Alibhai "Amir" Bhatia, Baron Bhatia, OBE is a British businessman and politician.An Ismaili Muslim born in East Africa, Bhatia was educated in schools in Tanzania and India. He is married to Nurnamu Amersi and has three daughters. He moved to the United Kingdom in 1972.Bhatia was Chairman...
, be suspended from parliament and repay the contested expenses, in his case £41,982. The committee concluded: "We do not feel justified in finding, on the balance of probabilities, that Lord Paul acted dishonestly or in bad faith. However, his actions were utterly unreasonable, and demonstrated gross irresponsibility and negligence. They therefore render him liable to sanction by the House." Lord Paul's suspension was for four months; he also resigned from the Labour Party.
Lord Paul is not domiciled in the UK for tax purposes. (Non-dom status is a tax avoidance
Tax avoidance
Tax avoidance is the legal utilization of the tax regime to one's own advantage, to reduce the amount of tax that is payable by means that are within the law. The term tax mitigation is a synonym for tax avoidance. Its original use was by tax advisors as an alternative to the pejorative term tax...
arrangement used in the United Kingdom that enables the holder to pay less tax than domiciled Britons
British nationality law
British nationality law is the law of the United Kingdom that concerns citizenship and other categories of British nationality. The law is complex because of the United Kingdom's former status as an imperial power.-History:...
.) When Lord Ashcroft, a wealthy senior Conservative, was pressured into confirming his "non-dom" status, he took the opportunity to point out that the same was true of Lord Paul (and another major Labour donor, Sir Ronald Cohen
Ronald Cohen
Sir Ronald Cohen is an Egyptian-born British businessman and political figure, known as "the father of British venture capital" and "the father of social investment".-Early life:...
). On 9 March 2010 Lord Paul announced he would give up his non-dom tax status.
As long ago as 2003, Lord Paul had blamed difficulties in the world of business on "greed, coupled with the abdication of personal responsibility" He called for high standards of accountability and transparency in political and business life, acknowledging that "a little bit of scandal can put you behind"
Publications
- Beyond Boundaries: A Memoir, Viking PressViking PressViking Press is an American publishing company owned by the Penguin Group, which has owned the company since 1975. It was founded in New York City on March 1, 1925, by Harold K. Guinzburg and George S. Oppenheim...
, 1998 - Indira Gandhi, Heron Press, 1984 - a biography of Indira GandhiIndira GandhiIndira Priyadarshini Gandhara was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms and a fourth term . She was assassinated by Sikh extremists...