In the first of two debates Lord Bilimoria participated in regarding Health and Social Care he discusses the NHS and asks why it received no mention in the Autumn Statement. He also focuses on the impact of Medical personnel from the EU on the NHS. He stresses that this debate is also about immigration and lowering it will be harmful to the country. The impact of brexit will not just be on research funding but also on the ability to collaborate with others.
In this speech Lord Bilimoria discusses the Armed Forces and the effect of claims made against soldiers and the Armed Forces as well as the European Court of Human Rights and the influence it currently plays in this area. He concludes that we should support soldiers and we cannot let them down.
In this debate Lord Bilimoria discusses Parliament, Parliamentary supremacy and executive power and the nature of the unwritten UK constitution in light of the High Court decision around the triggering of Article 50. He stresses the value of Parliament and the expertise present in the House of Lords.
In this speech Lord Bilimoria discusses the importance of Higher Education to the UK economy and the vital role that foreign born students play. He states that the Government’s refusal to remove international students from the net migration figures is based on a mistaken belief that the British people want to reduce all immigration. This makes employment within the UK for foreign students after graduation more difficult in comparison to the United States or Canada. He concludes that the Government need to change their attitude towards international students as it is harmful and undermining. With a change of attitude the UK can remain an educational superpower.
Speaking in the House of Lords debate on currency fluctuations and the effect that this will have on the consumer in price hikes. Lord Bilimoria notes that the value of the pound has dropped against other currencies since June 2016. He further notes the effect that this is having on British firms who import from outside the UK and discusses the commentary on this by various sources. He also notes that there is a lack of confidence in the UK economy following the referendum vote and argues for encouraging a global economy and giving confidence in UK institutions and infrastructure to those outside of the country.
Lord Bilimoria recently took part in an interview with The Telegraph to discuss the way in which he grew Cobra Beer from a small craft beer to the premium world beer it is today. In the interview, Lord Bilimoria talks about the inception of Cobra Beer, the challenges that he faced while building a successful brand, and the pitfalls that entrepreneurs experience.
Indian independence day saw Lord Bilimoria speak to the business focused broadsheet City AM about India – UK relations and the opportunities for further integration between India and the UK.
Lord Bilimoria recently discussed the fortunes of the UK’s curry industry with the financial newspaper City AM. In his article, he pinpoints the main challenges facing the industry and explains the reasons why the unreasonably high barriers preventing skilled South Asian chefs from plying their trade in the UK should be relaxed.
As President of the UK Council for International Student Affairs (UKCISA), Lord Bilimoria gave the opening keynote speech at the UKCISA Annual Conference 2016 on 29th June. In his speech he highlighted the benefits that international students bring to the UK, from economic prosperity, to soft power, to international competitiveness, and reflected on the current political narrative on international students relating to visas, net migration targets, access to work, skills and talent. The potential future development of these policies – especially considering the EU Referendum result – were considered, as was the burning question of the day, where next for the UK’s international student strategy?
A video of his speech is available here
In an exclusive with IBTimes UK, the online business and commerce publication, Lord Karan Bilimoria discusses his early life and arrival to the UK. He also talks about the challenges associated with setting up Cobra, and his hopes for future UK-India trade and business relations.