Lord Bilimoria was formally installed of the University of Birmingham on 17th July 2014, becoming the seventh Chancellor of on of the United Kingdom’s leading research universities. He follows a long line of distinguished predecessors including; the great Liberal Unionist statesman, Joseph Chamberlain, who founded the university in 1900; the former Prime Minister, Anthony Eden, Earl of Avon; and Sir Dominic Cadbury, who stepped down last December after 11 years in the role.
Lord Bilimoria was recently interviewed by ‘London Loves Business’ – a leading publication for the financial and commercial community in London – regarding his stance on the government’s immigration policy, his advice for succeeding in business and his thoughts on the future of British politics.
Speaking in response to the Queen’s Speech, Lord Bilimoria strongly criticised the government’s continued failure to reform the immigration system and to support international students and higher education failure to understand the tremendous economic and social values that international students bring to the United Kingdom, citing research by the National Union of Students, the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, and the Judge Business School.
Lord Bilimoria also criticised the failure of the government to introduce exit-checks as British ports of entry, as well as the negative response to the mooted “Visitor Bond” system, which was scrapped last year after public outcry.
Lord Bilimoria was interviewed by Bloomberg’s “The Pulse” television programme regarding the recent landslide election of the BJP in India and examined the potential business and economic impact of opposition leader Narendra Modi’s victory at the polls.
The full video can be found HERE.
Lord Bilimoria was today announced as the 7th Chancellor of the University of Birmingham. He follows in the footsteps of Chancellors including Joseph Chamberlain and Anthony Eden, the Earl of Avon, and succeeds Sir Dominic Cadbury, who stepped down last December after 11 years in the role.
On Sunday 11th May, Lord Bilimoria was interviewed on Sky News’ flagship “Murnaghan” programme regarding the on-going Indian General Election. A transcript of the interview can be seen below.
Speaking in a debate concerning higher education in the United Kingdom, Lord Bilimoria spoke out against a number of restrictions on student numbers, especially those concerning the fall in student numbers as a consequence of immigration policy. He noted the increased competition that British universities face from foreign competitors, as well as the need for the government to increase spending on research and development in order to bring the United Kingdom closer to the OECD average.
On Monday 1st April 2014 the Zoroastrian All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) hosted a celebration of Jamsheedi Nowruz – Zoroastrian Iranian Spring New Year in the Houses of Parliament. The event was the second official event to be held by the Zoroastrian All Party Parliamentary Group, which was formed last October by Lord Bilimoria and Gareth Thomas MP to celebrate the work and history of the Zoroastrian community within the United Kingdom and abroad. Almost half of the audience present were representatives from interfaith communities in the United Kingdom.
Speaking in a debate moved by the former Chief of the General Staff and current Crossbench Peer, General Lord Dannett, Lord Bilimoria spoke out against a number of cuts to the defence budget taken up by the coalition government since 2010. In his speech, Lord Bilimoria warned against the decision to reform the army more heavily towards reserve forces, citing the risks that this could have on the ability of the United Kingdom to project her forces overseas.
Speaking on a debate on the level of employment in the United Kingdom, Lord Bilimoria expressed his continued support for manufacturing concerns outside London and the valuable role that aviation, automobiles and engineering all have to play in re-balancing the British economy. He also commented on the tremendous benefits of immigration to the country and the role that migration has played in numerous businesses at the regional, national and international level.