No peerage for Sikh state activist

A LEADING Sikh independence supporter has been blocked from receiving a peerage amid reports of his “extremist” links.

Dabinderjit Singh Sidhu, 55, was allegedly denied the peerage by Sir Keir Starmer, after the Labour leader withdrew his nomination last weekend amid concerns about Sidhu’s links to extremism groups.

According to the Mail on Sunday, Sidhu was allegedly part of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) which was banned in the UK in 2001.

However, Sidhu insisted the claims were “complete nonsense”, while his friends denied he had ever been part of the ISYF group.

The Sikh Federation UK has criticised the move as a “hate campaign” against Sidhu, known for his campaign to create a sovereign Sikh state in Punjab, India.

Acknowledging the peerage withdrawal, Labour sources said they had made been “aware of new information regarding (Sidhu’s) background”.