Ameetpal Gill, Prime Minister David Cameron’s Indian-origin adviser and speech writer is among two Indians who have been named in the list of Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) released on Thursday.
Gill, 32, the Director of Strategy at 10 Downing Street, has been honoured with an OBE for public service as part of what is referred to as “Dissolution Honours” conferred by Queen Elizabeth II on the advice of the UK government.
Gill, born in the UK to Indian parents, has been a long- serving adviser to the British Prime Minister and started working for him in 2006. The Oxford graduate is believed to be a driving force behind some of Cameron’s recent anti-extremism speeches.
Others of Indian-origin to be named in the latest round of honours include an OBE for Ramesh Chhabra, former media adviser to the Chancellor of the Exchequer and an Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for <g data-gr-id="17">Lalini</g> Phoolchand, deputy head of Direct Communications Unit at 10 Downing Street, also for public service.
The honours coincide with the announcement of 45 new peers to now attend House of Lords, including former foreign secretary William Hague. The majority of the new peers are from the Conservative party, with the Lib Dems getting 11 and Labour eight.
Senior Labour figures to be elevated include former ministers David Blunkett, Alistair Darling and Tessa Jowell.