Abhijit Pandya
Encyclopedia
Abhijit Pandya is a far-right British
politician, international lawyer and blogger for the Daily Mail
. Formerly Deputy Chairman of Hackney Conservative Association, he most recently represented the UK Independence Party. He was a candidate for UKIP in the Harrow East
constituency at the 2010 general election. Pandya came fourth and took 896 votes in a contest won by Bob Blackman of the Conservative Party
. In 2011 Pandya stood as a candidate in the Leicester South By-election, coming fourth with 994 votes. He was the Head of Research for the UK Independence Party having been appointed to that post on the 8th November 2010 by the National Executive Council of UKIP, until resigning in July 2011. Pandya rejoined the UK's Conservative Party in early Autumn 2011, when hearing that UKIP had plans to destroy the Union of the UK and set-up an English Parliament.
, after President Idi Amin
expelled the Asian population of Uganda. He was born in Harrow
, and educated at Mill Hill School
and read law at the University of Leicester
, before taking his LLM with Distinction in International Law at the London School of Economics
.
Since 2007, Pandya has worked as a Research Affiliate in International Law in the Department of Law at the LSE, and is a member of Gray's Inn
. Pandya's research at the LSE is supervised by Jan Kleinheisterstamp and Andrew Land , and previously by Sir Christopher Greenwood QC CMG before he left to become the UK's Judge on the International Court of Justice.
Pandya is chairman of the Birkenhead Society, a libertarian debating society which successfully fought to overturn the UK Government's ban on Geert Wilders
from entering Britain, an issue extensively covered in the Dutch media. He has worked as a research associate with Lord Justice Sedley, the Centre for European and Comparative Law at the University of Oxford
, the Redress Trust and various diplomatic missions within the UK.
. His close links with Lord Pearson of Rannoch led him to defect from the Conservative Party and join the UKIP in 2009, and he was a guest speaker at the 2010 Party Conference in Milton Keynes
.. He was then selected to contest Harrow East at the 2010 General Election. The seat, one of the most marginal in London, had a notional Labour majority of 2647, based on results in 2005 and amended boundary changes. Pandya took 896 votes in a contest won by Bob Blackman of the Conservative Party
.
During the 2010 general election, Pandya made headlines for criticising multicultural policy and defending the right of protest of the English Defence League
, after which his rival, Labour politician Tony McNulty
, described him as 'a BNP
man in a suit'. Mr Pandya later defended his views, arguing that 'a strict immigration
cap in fact can ensure social cohesion and improve toleration'.
In the 2010 UKIP Leadership Contest he emerged as a prominent supporter of Nigel Farage
, and was rewarded by being made Head of Research for the campaign.. He later described Farage as 'the Churchill of our times'.
In November 2010 Pandya started a campaign to overturn far-right commentator Michael Savage
's ban from entry into Britain imposed by the former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith
, on the ground of freedom of speech and toleration.
In May 2011, Pandya stood as the UKIP candidate in the Leicester South by-election, 2011
. During the campaign he received criticsm from the Leicester Mercury
when he wrote in his blog that Islam is "flawed and degenerate". He made references to Geert Wilders by stating "Why should Britain, the country that fathered the modern world, put up with this, as Wilder's put it, retarded ideology". He then proposed "forced repatriation" of Muslims on benefits. . Pandya came fourth in the election ahead of the Monster Raving Looney Party with 994 votes.. The campaign received criticism from UKIP members and was described by them as 'an unmitigated disaster'.
British people
The British are citizens of the United Kingdom, of the Isle of Man, any of the Channel Islands, or of any of the British overseas territories, and their descendants...
politician, international lawyer and blogger for the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
. Formerly Deputy Chairman of Hackney Conservative Association, he most recently represented the UK Independence Party. He was a candidate for UKIP in the Harrow East
Harrow East
Harrow East is a Harrow, London constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
constituency at the 2010 general election. Pandya came fourth and took 896 votes in a contest won by Bob Blackman of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
. In 2011 Pandya stood as a candidate in the Leicester South By-election, coming fourth with 994 votes. He was the Head of Research for the UK Independence Party having been appointed to that post on the 8th November 2010 by the National Executive Council of UKIP, until resigning in July 2011. Pandya rejoined the UK's Conservative Party in early Autumn 2011, when hearing that UKIP had plans to destroy the Union of the UK and set-up an English Parliament.
Background
Pandya's father migrated to the United Kingdom as a refugee from UgandaUganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
, after President Idi Amin
Idi Amin
Idi Amin Dada was a military leader and President of Uganda from 1971 to 1979. Amin joined the British colonial regiment, the King's African Rifles in 1946. Eventually he held the rank of Major General in the post-colonial Ugandan Army and became its Commander before seizing power in the military...
expelled the Asian population of Uganda. He was born in Harrow
London Borough of Harrow
The London Borough of Harrow is a London borough of north-west London. It borders Hertfordshire to the north and other London boroughs: Hillingdon to the west, Ealing to the south, Brent to the south-east and Barnet to the east.-History:...
, and educated at Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School
Mill Hill School, in Mill Hill, London, is a coeducational independent school for boarding and day pupils aged 13–18. It is a member of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference, an organisation of public schools in the United Kingdom....
and read law at the University of Leicester
University of Leicester
The University of Leicester is a research-led university based in Leicester, England. The main campus is a mile south of the city centre, adjacent to Victoria Park and Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth I College....
, before taking his LLM with Distinction in International Law at the London School of Economics
London School of Economics
The London School of Economics and Political Science is a public research university specialised in the social sciences located in London, United Kingdom, and a constituent college of the federal University of London...
.
Since 2007, Pandya has worked as a Research Affiliate in International Law in the Department of Law at the LSE, and is a member of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
. Pandya's research at the LSE is supervised by Jan Kleinheisterstamp and Andrew Land , and previously by Sir Christopher Greenwood QC CMG before he left to become the UK's Judge on the International Court of Justice.
Pandya is chairman of the Birkenhead Society, a libertarian debating society which successfully fought to overturn the UK Government's ban on Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders
Geert Wilders is a Dutch right-wing politician and leader of the Party for Freedom , the third-largest political party in the Netherlands. He is the Parliamentary group leader of his party in the Dutch House of Representatives...
from entering Britain, an issue extensively covered in the Dutch media. He has worked as a research associate with Lord Justice Sedley, the Centre for European and Comparative Law at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, the Redress Trust and various diplomatic missions within the UK.
Political career
After being appointed Deputy Chairman of Hackney Conservative Association, he wrote Conservatism for the Future, a book exploring the way in which future policy should be shaped around right wing principles. During this period he founded in 2009 Action Against Violence, a blog which campaigned against knife culture in HackneyLondon Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
. His close links with Lord Pearson of Rannoch led him to defect from the Conservative Party and join the UKIP in 2009, and he was a guest speaker at the 2010 Party Conference in Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes , sometimes abbreviated MK, is a large town in Buckinghamshire, in the south east of England, about north-west of London. It is the administrative centre of the Borough of Milton Keynes...
.. He was then selected to contest Harrow East at the 2010 General Election. The seat, one of the most marginal in London, had a notional Labour majority of 2647, based on results in 2005 and amended boundary changes. Pandya took 896 votes in a contest won by Bob Blackman of the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
.
During the 2010 general election, Pandya made headlines for criticising multicultural policy and defending the right of protest of the English Defence League
English Defence League
The English Defence League is a far-right street protest movement which opposes what it considers to be a spread of Islamism, Sharia law and Islamic extremism in the UK. The EDL uses street marches to protest against Islamic extremism...
, after which his rival, Labour politician Tony McNulty
Tony McNulty
Anthony "Tony" James McNulty is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Harrow East from 1997 to 2010 and was a government minister from 2002 to 2009. He was Minister for London and Minister of State for Employment and Welfare Reform at the Department for...
, described him as 'a BNP
British National Party
The British National Party is a British far-right political party formed as a splinter group from the National Front by John Tyndall in 1982...
man in a suit'. Mr Pandya later defended his views, arguing that 'a strict immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
cap in fact can ensure social cohesion and improve toleration'.
In the 2010 UKIP Leadership Contest he emerged as a prominent supporter of Nigel Farage
Nigel Farage
Nigel Paul Farage MEP , a position he previously held from September 2006 to November 2009. He is a current Member of the European Parliament for South East England and co-chairs the Eurosceptic Europe of Freedom and Democracy group....
, and was rewarded by being made Head of Research for the campaign.. He later described Farage as 'the Churchill of our times'.
In November 2010 Pandya started a campaign to overturn far-right commentator Michael Savage
Michael Savage (commentator)
Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
's ban from entry into Britain imposed by the former Home Secretary Jacqui Smith
Jacqui Smith
Jacqueline Jill "Jacqui" Smith is a member of the British Labour Party. She served as the Member of Parliament for Redditch from 1997 until 2010 and was the first ever female Home Secretary, thus making her the third woman to hold one of the Great Offices of State — after Margaret Thatcher and...
, on the ground of freedom of speech and toleration.
In May 2011, Pandya stood as the UKIP candidate in the Leicester South by-election, 2011
Leicester South by-election, 2011
The Leicester South by-election was held to elect a Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom for the Leicester South constituency on 5 May 2011. It was prompted by the resignation of Sir Peter Soulsby of the Labour Party, who stood down from Parliament to contest the election for Mayor of...
. During the campaign he received criticsm from the Leicester Mercury
Leicester Mercury
The Leicester Mercury is a British regional newspaper, owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust, for the city of Leicester and the counties of Leicestershire and Rutland...
when he wrote in his blog that Islam is "flawed and degenerate". He made references to Geert Wilders by stating "Why should Britain, the country that fathered the modern world, put up with this, as Wilder's put it, retarded ideology". He then proposed "forced repatriation" of Muslims on benefits. . Pandya came fourth in the election ahead of the Monster Raving Looney Party with 994 votes.. The campaign received criticism from UKIP members and was described by them as 'an unmitigated disaster'.