Indian-origin Priti Patel appointed as Minister of State for Employment in British Government

Indian-origin Priti Patel on 11 May 2015 was appointed as Minister of State for Employment in British Government.

Prime Minister David Cameron promoted Priti Patel to his Cabinet after his surprise victory in general elections.

As the new minister of state for employment in the Department of Work and Pensions, the 43-year-old will attend Cabinet as the senior-most Indian-origin member of the newly-elected British government.

Priti Patel is a British Conservative Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Witham constituency in Essex since 2010.

Priti Patel is Gujarati by origin. In January 2015, she was awarded the Jewels of Gujarat honour at a reception in Ahmedabad, where she led a British delegation to the Pravasi Bharatiya Divas 2015.

She also played host at the first-ever Gujarat Foundation Day in the House of Commons, celebrating the achievements and contributions of the Gujarati community in the UK and around the world in May 2014.