London, Former Conservative Party Member of Parliament of Indian origin, Alok Sharma, who had decided not to seek re-election in this week's general election, will now take his seat in the House of Lords after King Charles III conferred a noble title.
The 56-year-old Agra-born MP, who was knighted as Sir Alok in the King's New Year's Honors list last year for his contribution to the fight against climate change through his leadership as summit president climate COP26 more than two years ago, now becomes Mr. Sharma.
Sharma was among seven nominations made by outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his usual “Dissolution Peerages”, which also saw former Prime Minister Theresa May become a member of the Upper House of the UK Parliament.
"It is an honor to have been appointed to the House of Lords, but I am very sorry to see many excellent Conservative candidates lose, including in Reading West and Mid Berkshire," Sharma said in a post on X on Friday, as the disastrous results of his party's general elections became evident. .
His previous constituency was won by Labor's Olivia Bailey, who Sharma described as a “decent person who I believe will serve the area diligently”.
Sharma's Reading West constituency, like many others across the United Kingdom, had undergone a boundary change to become Reading West & Mid Berkshire.
“This has not been an easy decision for me. “It has been the honor of my life to serve as an MP for a constituency in the city where I grew up and a privilege to serve in government and represent the United Kingdom on the international stage,” Sharma said when he announced his decision in September. last year to not participate in the next general elections.
“I will continue to support my Conservative colleagues and diligently serve my constituents for the remainder of my time as an MP, as well as champion in Parliament the causes I care deeply about, especially climate action,” he added.
Sharma was selected as a parliamentary candidate in 2006 and has been a Conservative MP since 2010. In his role as a cabinet minister since then, he has been appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy, Industrial Strategy and International Development until he was given a role to cabinet level as President of COP26 by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in January 2021.
Under Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, he stood on the backbenches of the House of Commons and often spoke to voice his concerns about the government's delay in certain targets to meet the country's commitment to Net Zero climate action by 2050.
“Cutting and changing policies creates uncertainty for businesses and the public. Ultimately, this makes it more difficult to attract investment and raises costs for consumers,” he stated.
Sharma was among a number of high-profile Conservative colleagues, including former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who had decided not to seek re-election in the 2024 election.
The 56-year-old Agra-born MP, who was knighted as Sir Alok in the King's New Year's Honors list last year for his contribution to the fight against climate change through his leadership as summit president climate COP26 more than two years ago, now becomes Mr. Sharma.
Sharma was among seven nominations made by outgoing Prime Minister Rishi Sunak for his usual “Dissolution Peerages”, which also saw former Prime Minister Theresa May become a member of the Upper House of the UK Parliament.
"It is an honor to have been appointed to the House of Lords, but I am very sorry to see many excellent Conservative candidates lose, including in Reading West and Mid Berkshire," Sharma said in a post on X on Friday, as the disastrous results of his party's general elections became evident. .
His previous constituency was won by Labor's Olivia Bailey, who Sharma described as a “decent person who I believe will serve the area diligently”.
Sharma's Reading West constituency, like many others across the United Kingdom, had undergone a boundary change to become Reading West & Mid Berkshire.
“This has not been an easy decision for me. “It has been the honor of my life to serve as an MP for a constituency in the city where I grew up and a privilege to serve in government and represent the United Kingdom on the international stage,” Sharma said when he announced his decision in September. last year to not participate in the next general elections.
“I will continue to support my Conservative colleagues and diligently serve my constituents for the remainder of my time as an MP, as well as champion in Parliament the causes I care deeply about, especially climate action,” he added.
Sharma was selected as a parliamentary candidate in 2006 and has been a Conservative MP since 2010. In his role as a cabinet minister since then, he has been appointed Secretary of State for Business, Energy, Industrial Strategy and International Development until he was given a role to cabinet level as President of COP26 by former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in January 2021.
Under Rishi Sunak as Prime Minister, he stood on the backbenches of the House of Commons and often spoke to voice his concerns about the government's delay in certain targets to meet the country's commitment to Net Zero climate action by 2050.
“Cutting and changing policies creates uncertainty for businesses and the public. Ultimately, this makes it more difficult to attract investment and raises costs for consumers,” he stated.
Sharma was among a number of high-profile Conservative colleagues, including former Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, who had decided not to seek re-election in the 2024 election.
