''Thakur Artha'' Niranjan Joseph De Silva Deva Aditya, (born 11 May 1948), known as Nirj Deva, is a British politician. A member of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
, he served as a
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
for
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, first level of International Territorial Level, ITL for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of england, ...
from 1999 to 2019. He was a
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members of ...
(MP) in the British
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. ...
from 1992 to 1997, for the seat of
Brentford and Isleworth.
Deva was born in
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
into a politically active family and was raised in Britain. He was the fifth Asian-born person to be elected a Member of the House of Commons, and in 1999 became the second so-born to be elected as a Conservative to the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
which operates via a party list system. In November 2011 Deva became the
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is a soft Eurosceptic, anti- federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party) European pol ...
Group's candidate for
President of the European Parliament
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
, following three UN-related roles, representing the European Union, in the 2005 to 2006 period.
Family background and education
Deva was born in
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
Sri Lanka, to a leading family of
Rajasthan
Rajasthan (; lit. 'Land of Kings') is a state in northern India. It covers or 10.4 per cent of India's total geographical area. It is the largest Indian state by area and the seventh largest by population. It is on India's northwestern si ...
i (
Indian
Indian or Indians may refer to:
Peoples South Asia
* Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor
** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country
* South Asia ...
) descent, and is a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
. His grandfather was a Senator in the first Sri Lankan (Ceylon) Parliament. Deva's father was Dr. Kingsley De Silva Deva Aditya, a prominent eye surgeon in Colombo, Sri Lanka. His mother Zita was the daughter of Dr. M. G. Perera, a member of the
Senate
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
in then Ceylon. He spent his primary and secondary education at
St. Joseph's College, a Catholic school in Colombo. He holds Sri Lankan and British citizenship, and speaks
Sinhala and
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
.
Deva was educated at
Loughborough University
Loughborough University (abbreviated as ''Lough'' or ''Lboro'' for post-nominals) is a public research university in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, England. It has been a university since 1966, but it dates back to 1909, when L ...
, where he completed a degree in
Aeronautical Engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary field of engineering concerned with the development of aircraft and spacecraft. It has two major and overlapping branches: Aeronautics, aeronautical engineering and Astronautics, astronautical engineering. A ...
and was subsequently a
Postgraduate
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree.
The organization and stru ...
Research Fellow
A research fellow is an academic research position at a university or a similar research institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a pr ...
in
Economics
Economics () is the social science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services.
Economics focuses on the behaviour and intera ...
.
British Parliament
Deva stood as the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
candidate in
Hammersmith
Hammersmith is a district of West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It is the administrative centre of the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, and identified in the London Plan as one of 35 major centres in Greater London.
...
at the
1987 general election but lost by 2,415 votes to sitting
Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
MP
Clive Soley
Clive Stafford Soley, Baron Soley (born 7 May 1939) is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 2005, and has since then served as a Member of the House of Lords.
Early life
He w ...
.
At the
1992 general election, Deva was elected to the House of Commons as MP for the
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
constituency of
Brentford and Isleworth with a majority of 2,086. During his time in Parliament, Deva served as a
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) is a Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom who acts as an unpaid assistant to a minister or shadow minister. They are selected from backbench MPs as the 'eyes and ears' of the minister in the H ...
(PPS) at the
Scottish Office
The Scottish Office was a department of the Government of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 1999, exercising a wide range of government functions in relation to Scotland under the control of the Secretary of State for Scotland. Following the es ...
. Deva was only the fifth Asian-born person to be elected a Member of the House of Commons and serve in the British Government.
He was defeated in the
1997 general election, losing to the Labour candidate
Ann Keen
Ann Lloyd Keen (''née'' Fox; born 26 November 1948) is a British Labour Party politician, who served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Brentford and Isleworth from 1997, until she was defeated by Conservative candidate Mary Macleod in 2010. ...
by 14,424 votes.
European Parliament
Deva was chosen by the Conservatives to be one of their candidates for the
South East England
South East England is one of the nine official regions of England at the ITL 1 statistical regions of England, first level of International Territorial Level, ITL for Statistics, statistical purposes. It consists of the counties of england, ...
at the
1999 European Parliament election. This was to be the first European election in the UK to use the
closed party-list proportional representation
Party-list proportional representation (list-PR) is a subset of proportional representation electoral systems in which multiple candidates are elected (e.g., elections to parliament) through their position on an electoral list. They can also be us ...
electoral system and Deva was placed fifth amongst the eleven Conservatives candidates in South East England. After the election the Conservatives were entitled to five MEPs from South East England and therefore Deva was elected to the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
. Deva became the first Asian-born person to be elected as a Conservative member of the European Parliament. At the
2004 European Parliament election Deva was moved up to second place on the Conservatives' list of candidates for South East England. After the election the Conservatives were entitled to four MEPs from South East England and therefore Deva was re-elected to the European Parliament.
In April 2005 he was chairman of the European Parliament's delegation to the
UN Commission on Sustainable Development in New York, and delivered a paper on the future of the
United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
at the
US Council on Foreign Relations. A few months later, he headed the European Parliament's delegation to the UN High-Level Conference on global financing of aid. Also in 2005 he was Co-Chairman (with former
Prime Minister of France
The prime minister of France (french: link=no, Premier ministre français), officially the prime minister of the French Republic, is the head of government of the French Republic and the leader of the Council of Ministers.
The prime minister ...
Michel Rocard
Michel Rocard (; 23 August 1930 – 2 July 2016) was a French politician and a member of the Socialist Party (PS). He served as Prime Minister under François Mitterrand from 1988 to 1991 during which he created the ''Revenu minimum d'ins ...
) of the European Parliaments' Delegation to the
World Summit
The 2005 World Summit, held between 14 and 16 September 2005, was a follow-up summit meeting to the United Nations' 2000 Millennium Summit, which had led to the Millennium Declaration of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Representatives ( ...
at the United Nations 60th
General Assembly
A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company.
Specific examples of general assembly include:
Churches
* General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...
.
At the
2009 European Parliament election Deva was placed third on the Conservatives' list of candidates for South East England. After the election the Conservatives were entitled to four MEPs from South East England and therefore Deva was re-elected to the European Parliament.
In November 2011 it was announced that Deva would be the
European Conservatives and Reformists
The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) is a soft Eurosceptic, anti- federalist political group of the European Parliament. The ECR is the parliamentary group of the European Conservatives and Reformists Party (ECR Party) European pol ...
Group's candidate for
President of the European Parliament
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
.
In the election in January 2012 he was backed by 142 MEPs, compared to the
S&D winning candidate
Martin Schulz
Martin Schulz (born 20 December 1955) is a German politician who served as Leader of the Social Democratic Party from 2017 to 2018, and was a Member of the Bundestag (MdB) from 2017 to 2021. Previously he was President of the European Parliam ...
, backed by 387 MEPs.
At the
2014 European Parliament election Deva was ranked one spot higher for the same EU region. After the election the Conservatives were entitled to three MEPs from South East England and therefore Deva was re-elected to the European Parliament. After the election mainstream Sri Lankan media falsely reported Deva had increased "his share" of the vote: electors vote for the party, not the candidate, and Conservative votes and share of the vote decreased.
Deva serves as co-ordinator on the
Committee on Overseas Development and Cooperation, and is a bureau member of the
ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly. He is also a member of the
Committee on Foreign Affairs of the
European Parliament
The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...
. He has established an online campaign calling for a referendum on the European Constitution (www.giveusareferendum.eu), and launched an online survey asking the views of his constituents on the future of the EU (www.southeastsurvey.eu).
Lobbying
Whilst an MP Deva served as a consultant for tobacco manufacturer
Rothmans Rothmans may refer to:
* Rothmans, Benson & Hedges, a Canadian tobacco company
* Rothmans International, a former British tobacco manufacturer, founded by Louis Rothman
See also
* Rothman, a surname
* Rothmans 12 hours, a series of sports car ra ...
, builders
Laing and power station equipment manufacturer
KHD. Following the
cash-for-questions affair
The "cash-for-questions affair" was a political scandal of the 1990s in the United Kingdom.
It began in October 1994 when ''The Guardian'' newspaper alleged that London's most successful parliamentary lobbyist, Ian Greer of Ian Greer Associates ...
Deva was amongst a number of MPs who were investigated by an official inquiry led by
Gordon Downey
Sir Gordon Stanley Downey (26 April 1928 – 12 April 2022) was Britain's first Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards.
The Office of the Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards was set up by the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in ...
. The inquiry found that Deva had
no case to answer
No case for the defendant to answer (sometimes shortened to no case to answer) is a term in the criminal law of some Commonwealth states, whereby a defendant seeks acquittal without having to present a defence, because of the insufficiency of the ...
.
Deva used an official European Parliament trip to
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate). ...
in 2009 to promote Symphony Environmental Technologies, a company from which he received £33,000 a year for being its chairman.
Deva lobbies extensively for the
Sri Lankan government
The Government of Sri Lanka (GoSL) ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා රජය, Śrī Lankā Rajaya; ta, இலங்கை அரசாங்கம்) is a parliamentary system determined by the Sri Lankan Constitution. It administers the isl ...
and founded the Friends of Sri Lanka group in the European Parliament. He is regarded as an unofficial "Ambassador-at-Large for Sri Lanka".
Business interests
Sri Lanka
Deva's family has extensive business interests in Sri Lanka including tea, rubber and coconut plantations as well as a distillery and residential property. Deva is a director of Waulugalle Distilleries Limited, Serene Residencies (Private) Limited and the
family trust
A discretionary trust, in the trust law of England, Australia, Canada and other common law jurisdictions, is a trust where the beneficiaries and/or their entitlements to the trust fund are not fixed, but are determined by the criteria set out in ...
.
Deva holds directorships of a number of Sri Lanka's largest companies. He is a director of conglomerate
Aitken Spence PLC
Aitken Spence PLC ( si, එයිට්කින් ස්පෙන්ස්; ta, எய்ட்கின் ஸ்பென்ஸ்) is a Sri Lankan blue chip conglomerate with operations in South Asia, the Middle East, Africa and the Pacifi ...
. He was appointed a non-executive director of Aitken Spence Hotel Holdings PLC, a subsidiary of Aitken Spence PLC, with effect from 1 July 2010. He was appointed to the board of directors of MTD Walkers PLC with effect from 29 February 2012. He is a director of
Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka PLC
Distilleries Company of Sri Lanka PLC (DCSL) is a diversified Sri Lankan conglomerate listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange with a market capitalisation of US$600 Million. It was one of the first Sri Lankan companies to be listed in Forbes's Be ...
and its subsidiary Melstacorp Limited. He is also a director of The Kingsbury PLC (formerly Hotel Services (Ceylon) PLC), a subsidiary of
Hayleys PLC.
United Kingdom
Deva is a shareholder, director and chairman of Symphony Environmental Technologies PLC, a company
listed
Listed may refer to:
* Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm
* Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic
* Endangered species in biology
* Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...
on the
Alternative Investment Market
AIM (formerly the Alternative Investment Market) is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange that was launched on 19 June 1995 as a replacement to the previous Unlisted Securities Market (USM) that had been in operation since 1980. It allows ...
. He received a salary of £42,000 in 2013 for being chairman. He is also a director of two of the company's subsidiaries, Symphony Recycling Technologies Limited and Symphony Plastics (2010) Limited. He is also currently director of Deva Imperial Limited, Monte Zita Limited and Stassen Teas Limited. He had previously been director of Airlines of the World Limited, Budget Hotels Limited, CMB Technologies Limited, Corporate and Public Affairs Strategy Limited, First European Communications Corporation Limited, Global Business Link Limited, International Management Consulting Group Limited, P.P.A.I. Limited, Policy Research Centre for Business Limited, Project Management (Balaton) Limited, Serendib Business Investments Limited, Speed Promotions Limited, Winfotech Europe Limited and World Corporate Travel Buyers Club Limited.
Other roles and activities
In 1981, Deva became Chairman of the
Bow Group
The Bow Group is a UK-based think tank promoting conservative opinion. Founded in 1951, it is the oldest group of its kind, counting many senior Conservative Party MPs and peers among its members. It represents a forum for political debate with i ...
(a leading conservative
think tank
A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governmenta ...
in Britain), and initiated the Transatlantic Conferences between the Bow Group and the
Republican Party/
Heritage Foundation
The Heritage Foundation (abbreviated to Heritage) is an American conservative think tank based in Washington, D.C. that is primarily geared toward public policy. The foundation took a leading role in the conservative movement during the preside ...
in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
Deva was appointed Chairman of the Department of Transport/National Consumer Council Committee on De-regulation of Air-Transport, whose Report was published by the UK Government in March 1986. This resulted in the low-fare airlines in Europe.
Deva was a Member of the Council of the
Royal Commonwealth Society
The Royal Commonwealth Society (RCS) is a non-governmental organisation with a mission to promote the value of the Commonwealth and the values upon which it is based. The Society upholds the values of the Commonwealth Charter, promoting conf ...
from 1976 to 1980. In 1985, he became the first Asian-born person to be appointed by
Queen Elizabeth II
Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. She was queen ...
to the office of
Deputy Lieutenant for
Greater London
Greater may refer to:
*Greatness, the state of being great
*Greater than, in inequality (mathematics), inequality
*Greater (film), ''Greater'' (film), a 2016 American film
*Greater (flamingo), the oldest flamingo on record
*Greater (song), "Greate ...
– a position which he holds for life. He is a Fellow of Britain's
Royal Society of Arts
The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (RSA), also known as the Royal Society of Arts, is a London-based organisation committed to finding practical solutions to social challenges. The RSA acronym is used m ...
, President of the EU-India Chamber of Commerce, and a Patron of the
International Monarchist League
The International Monarchist League (known until the mid-1990s as the Monarchist League) is an organisation dedicated to the preservation and promotion of the monarchical system of government and the principle of monarchy worldwide. It has been ...
. Deva has backed many important education and health issues – he is a staunch supporter of the
Autism Awareness Campaign UK
The Autism Awareness Campaign – United Kingdom was launched in 2000 by British parents and carers Ivan Corea and his wife Charika Corea in response to the autism diagnosis of their son, Charin.
Objectives
According to their website, Autism Aw ...
and in Sri Lanka.
In 2006 Deva tried to become a
candidate
A candidate, or nominee, is the prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position; for example:
* to be elected to an office — in this case a candidate selection procedure occurs.
* t ...
for the post of
Secretary-General of the United Nations
The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations.
The role of the secretary-g ...
. Deva claimed to have received the recommendation of
Fijian Foreign Minister Kaliopate Tavola
Kaliopate Tavola (born 1946) is a Fijian Agricultural economist, diplomat, and politician, who was his country's Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2000 to 2006. He was also Minister for External Trade and Minister for Sugar.
Diplomatic caree ...
, a claim refuted by Fiji.
He tried unsuccessfully to receive the endorsement of
Sri Lankan President
The President of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ''Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi''; ta, இலங்கை சனாதிபதி ''Ilankai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of t ...
Mahinda Rajapaksa
Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
.
[ The British government also refused to support Deva. With so little support Deva didn't go forward as an official candidate.
Since 2008 Deva has served as the President of the International Committee on Human Dignity for the Rome-based Dignitatis Humanae Institute, and is also the Vice-President of the European Parliament's Working Group on Human Dignity since its launch in 2009.
]
Family life
Deva is married to Indra – a French-speaking Mauritian
Mauritians (singular Mauritian; french: Mauricien; Creole: ''Morisien'') are nationals or natives of the Republic of Mauritius and their descendants. Mauritius is a multi-ethnic society, with notable groups of people of South Asian (notably ...
. Indra has worked as Deva's personal assistant since he was elected an MP in 1992. As of 2009 Indra was earning a salary of £30,000-£39,999 for working as one of Deva's assistants in the European Parliament.
The couple have one son.
References
External links
*
European Parliament
BBC Democracy Live
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Deva, Nirj
1948 births
Alumni of Loughborough University
British politicians of Indian descent
Conservative Party (UK) MEPs
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Deputy Lieutenants of Greater London
Living people
Members of the Bow Group
MEPs for England 1999–2004
MEPs for England 2004–2009
MEPs for England 2009–2014
MEPs for England 2014–2019
People from Colombo
Sri Lankan emigrants to the United Kingdom
Sri Lankan people of Indian descent
Sri Lankan Roman Catholics
UK MPs 1992–1997
British politicians of Sri Lankan descent
Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom
British monarchists