# List of British Punjabis

This is a list of prominent Punjabi people from the United Kingdom who may follow a variety of beliefs including Sikhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity or atheism.

## Academia and education

* Harminder Dua – discovered a previously unknown layer lurking in the human eye named the "dua's layer".
* Humayon Dar – director general of Islamic Research & Training Institute (IRTI)
* Jagjit Chadha – professor and chair in Money and Banking in the Department of Economics at the University of Kent
* Kalwant Bhopal – Professor of Education and Social Justice and Deputy Director of the Centre for Research in Race & Education at the University of Birmingham
* Max Arthur Macauliffe (1841–1913) – senior administrator of the British Raj who was posted in the Punjab; prolific scholar and author; converted to Sikhism in the 1860s
* Peter Bance – historian, author and Maharaja Duleep Singh archivist
* Simon Singh – mathematician and author
* Sukhbir Singh Kapoor – vice chancellor of The International School of Sikh Studies and Khalsa College London
* Tejinder Virdee – experimental particle physicist and professor of physics at Imperial College London

## Business and the professions

* Avtar Lit – former owner and chairman of Sunrise Radio Group
* Emran Mian – author and civil servant
* Aneel Mussarat – ranked the 466th richest person in the United Kingdom and 21st richest Asian in the UK in 2007 by the Sunday Times
* Sir Anwar Pervez – founder and chairman of Bestway
* Dabinderjit Singh – director at the National Audit Office
* Gulu Lalvani – founder and chairman of Binatone
* Hasnat Khan – heart and lung surgeon; he was in a romantic relationship with Diana, Princess of Wales
* James Caan – entrepreneur and Dragon's Den personality
* Jasminder Singh – chairman of the Radisson Edwardian hotel empire
* Jaz Rai – aerospace engineer and chairman of the Sikh Recovery Network
* Kamel Hothi – former banker at Lloyds Bank
* Karamjit Singh – chair of the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust
* Kulveer Ranger – management consultant; former London Transport Minister and Mayor's Director of Environment and Digital London
* Mo Chaudry – chairman of WaterWorld aqua park
* Mohammad Naseem – GP
* Osama Saeed – Scottish communications professional
* Param Singh – business professional and entrepreneur
* Rami Ranger – founder of Sun Mark, an international marketing and distribution company
* Ranjit Singh Boparan – founder and owner of 2 Sisters Food Group
* Reuben Singh – CEO of contact centre company alldayPA
* Reena Ranger – director at Sun Mark and founder of Women Empowered Network
* Simon Arora – billionaire businessman, CEO of the retail chain B & M
* Surinder Arora – hotelier
* Tom Singh – founder of the high street fashion chain New Look
* Zameer Choudrey

## Charity, community and non-profit

* Balwant Kaur – founder and chairperson of Mata Nanki Foundation
* Daljit Singh Shergill – president of Guru Nanak Gurdwara Smethwick
* Harpal Kumar – chief executive of Cancer Research UK
* Imandeep Kaur – director of Impact Hub: Birmingham
* Mohinder Singh Ahluwalia (Bhai Sahib) – chairman of the Nishkam Group
* Nidar Singh Nihang – scholar and grandmaster of Shastar Vidya
* Ravi Singh – CEO of Khalsa Aid

## Film, drama and entertainment

* Abdullah Afzal – comedian
* Adeel Akhtar – actor
* Ameet Chana – actor
* Amrit Maghera – professional model turned actress
* Archie Renaux – actor and model
* Art Malik – actor
* Asim Chaudhry - actor and comedian
* Balvinder Sopal - actor
* Chandeep Uppal – actor, best known for her critically acclaimed starring role as Meena Kumar in the film Anita and Me.
* Danny Bhoy – comedian
* Gurinder Chadha – film director
* Guz Khan – comedian
* Harnaam Kaur – model, anti-bullying activist, body positive activist
* Humza Arshad – comedian
* Jas Binag – actor/model
* Jassa Ahluwalia – actor and presenter
* Jay Shareef – comedian
* Jimi Mistry – actor
* Kulvinder Ghir – actor, comedian and writer
* Lena Kaur – actor, best known for her role as Leila Roy in Channel 4
* Mandy Takhar – actor
* Meera Syal – comedian
* Navin Chowdhry - actor
* Neelam Gill – known for her work with Burberry, Abercrombie & Fitch and appearing in Vogue
* Nitin Kundra – actor
* Nitin Sawhney – musician, producer and composer
* Paul Chowdhry – comedian and actor
* Parminder Nagra – actor
* Parvez Qadir – actor
* Perry Bhandal – film director, screenwriter
* Saeed Jaffrey – actor
* Sair Khan – actor
* Saira Choudhry – actor
* Saira Khan – television presenter
* Samir Bhamra – playwright, designer, producer, director
* Sanjeev Bhaskar – comedian
* Sanjeev Kohli – comedian
* Shabana Bakhsh – actor
* Shiv Jalota - actor
* Simon Rivers – English actor who played the role of Kevin Tyler in Doctors
* Stephen Uppal – actor, known for playing Ravi Roy in the long-running British soap Hollyoaks
* Tahirah Sharif – actor
* Zia Mohyeddin – actor

## Law and justice

* Anup Singh Choudry – retired High Court judge
* Bobbie Cheema-Grubb (The Hon. Mrs Justice Cheema-Grubb) – judge of the Queen's Bench Division of the High Court of Justice of England and Wales
* Jasvir Singh – family law barrister
* Jo Sidhu QC – criminal law barrister
* Mota Singh QC – retired circuit judge England
* Nazir Afzal – lawyer
* Rabinder Singh (The Rt. Hon. Lord Justice) – English Court of Appeal judge, formerly a High Court judge of the Queen's Bench Division
* Tarique Ghaffur – former high ranking police officer

## Journalism, writers, creatives and media

* Aatish Taseer – writer-journalist, son of Indian journalist Tavleen Singh
* Adil Ray – actor, comedian and radio and television presenter
* Atta Yaqub – model
* Anita Rani – radio and television presenter
* Chila Kumari Burman – artist
* Bobby Friction – DJ, television presenter and radio presenter
* Daljit Nagra – poet
* Gurpreet Kaur Bhatti – writer
* Hardeep Singh Kohli – radio and television presenter
* Hassan Ghani – Scottish broadcast journalist
* Imtiaz Dharke – poet, artist and documentary filmmaker
* Martin Bashir – journalist
* Mishal Husain – British news presenter
* Mo Dutta – television and radio presenter
* Mohsin Hamid – novelist, writer and brand consultant
* Moniza Alvi – poet and writer
* Nirpal Singh Dhaliwal – journalist and writer
* Omar Mansoor – designer
* Priya Kaur-Jones – newsreader
* Qaisra Shahraz – novelist, scriptwriter, college inspector, teacher trainer, education consultant
* Raman Mundair – poet, writer, artist and playwright
* Ranvir Singh – English television presenter and journalist
* Razia Iqbal – journalist employed by BBC News
* Rizwan Khan – broadcaster
* Sangita Myska – television presenter and journalist
* Sarfraz Manzoor – journalist, documentary maker, and broadcaster
* Sathnam Sanghera – British journalist and author
* Sonia Deol – English radio and television presenter
* Sunny Hundal – journalist, blogger and academic
* Sunny and Shay – husband and wife radio presenters
* Tariq Ali – writer, journalist
* Ziauddin Sardar – scholar, award-winning writer, cultural critic

## Music

* Aman Hayer – bhangra producer and singer
* Bally Sagoo – record producer
* Channi Singh – bhangra musician, known as the "godfather" of bhangra in the West
* Diamond Duggal – music producer, DJ, songwriter and guitarist
* Dr Zeus – Punjabi singer and music producer
* Gurdeep Samra – music producer and DJ
* Hard Kaur – rapper and hip hop singer
* Indy Sagu – bhangra and hip hop musician
* Jas Mann – songwriter, musician, singer, record producer and film producer
* Jassi Sidhu – bhangra singer and the former lead singer of British Indian bhangra band B21
* Jay Sean – R&B artist
* Juggy D – bhangra, Punjabi music, R&B
* Malkit Singh – Punjabi bhangra]] singer
* Manj Musik – music composer, singer
* Manni Sandhu – music director
* Ms Scandalous – bhangra/rap artist
* Naughty Boy – rapper, musician and DJ
* Panjabi MC – rapper, musician and DJ
* Rishi Rich – music producer
* Silinder Pardesi – bhangra singer-songwriter, lyricist, and composer
* Sukshinder Shinda – bhangra record producer and singer–songwriter
* Prof Surinder Singh Matharu – founder of the Raj Academy Conservatoire
* Surjit Khan – record producer, musician and singer-songwriter
* Tarsame Singh Saini – singer, composer and actor
* Talvin Singh – producer, composer and tabla player
* Tigerstyle – folkhop group
* Tjinder Singh – lead singer of British indie rock band Cornershop
* Zack Knight – singer-songwriter, music composer and producer
* Zayn Malik – singer

## Politics

* Atma Singh – policy advisor to the Mayor of London on Asian Affairs in the Greater London Authority, under Ken Livingstone
* Afzal Khan – British Labour Party politician who serves as a member of parliament for the Manchester Gorton constituency
* Anas Sarwar – Scottish Labour Party politician
* Bashir Ahmad – SNP Politician
* Bashir Khanbhai – former MEP for East of England and Conservative Party politician.
* Bashir Maan – Pakistani-Scottish politician, businessman, judge, community worker and writer
* Diljit Rana – member of the House of Lords
* Gurinder Josan – Labour party activist
* Hanzala Malik – Scottish Labour Party politician
* Humza Yousaf – SNP politician and current first Minister of Scotland
* Rishi Sunak – former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
* Hardyal Dhindsa – Derbyshire police and crime commissioner
* Indarjit Singh (The Lord Singh of Wimbledon CBE) – member of House of Lords
* Marsha Singh – British Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bradford West from 1997 to 2012
* Mohammad Sarwar – former Pakistani Senator
* Neena Gill – Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands
* Nosheena Mobarik – life peer
* Onkar Sahota – Member of the London Assembly for Ealing and Hillingdon
* Parmjit Dhanda – British Labour Party politician, Member of Parliament (MP) for Gloucester from 2001 until the 2010 general election
* Parmjit Singh Gill – Member of Parliament for Leicester South from July 2004 to May 2005, he was the first ethnic-minority Liberal Democrat MP
* Paul Uppal – small business commissioner
* Piara Khabra – Labour Member of Parliament (MP) for Ealing Southall from 1992 until his death
* Preet Gill – Member of Parliament (MP) for Birmingham Edgbaston since the 2017 general election, first female British Sikh MP.
* Ranbir Singh Suri, Baron Suri – member of the House of Lords
* Sajid Javid – former Home Secretary
* Seema Malhotra – Labour MP for Feltham
* Shas Sheehan – life peer
* Sonika Nirwal – senior Ealing Southall constituency Labour politician representing the Greenford Broadway ward
* Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi – British Labour Party politician, MP for Slough since 2017
* Virendra Sharma – Labour Party politician
* Yasmin Qureshi – Labour Party politician
* Zahida Manzoor – Conservative member of the House of Lords
* Chaman Lal - First British Indian Lord Mayor of Europe's largest council, Birmingham City Council.
* Ram Parkash Lakha - Former Lord Mayor of Coventry.
* Mohinder Kaur Midha - Former Mayor of the London Borough of Ealing.
* Bishan Dass - Elected as first British Asian Lord Mayor of Wolverhampton in 1986.

## Royalty and revolutionaries

* Frederick Duleep Singh – younger son of Duleep Singh, the last Maharaja of the Sikh Empire
* Maharaja Duleep Singh – last Maharaja of the Sikh Kingdom, exiled in 1849 during the British Raj and possibly the first permanent Sikh resident in England
* Princess Sophia Alexandra Duleep Singh – prominent suffragette and accredited nurse
* Udham Singh – Punjab revolutionary and freedom fighter belonging to the Ghadar Party

## Sports

* Ajmal Shahzad – cricketer
* Akaash Bhatia – boxer
* Aman Dosanj – first British South Asian footballer to represent England at any level (under-16)
* Amir Khan – boxer
* Arjan Raikhy - footballer
* Asim Butt – cricketer
* Danny Batth – footballer and captain of Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.
* Fauja Singh – British Sikh centenarian marathon runner
* Hamzah Sheeraz – boxer
* Harpal Singh – footballer
* Imran Jamshed – cricketer
* Imran Majid – pool player
* Kabir Ali – cricketer
* Kadeer Ali – cricketer
* Kamran Afzaal – cricketer
* Kash Gill – former kickboxing world champion
* Michael Chopra – footballer
* Mohammad Akhtar – cricketer
* Monty Panesar – England cricketer
* Ravi Bopara – England cricketer
* Saqlain Mushtaq – cricketer
* Shaftab Khalid – cricketer
* Usman Afzaal – cricketer
* Zafar Ansari – cricketer
* Zesh Rehman – footballer
* Zidane Iqbal – footballer

## Causes célèbres

* Jagtar Singh Johal
* Lakhvir Kaur Singh