Famous British Hindus 2026: Politicians, Peers, Business Leaders, Artists, Swamis and Community Leaders

Quick answer: Famous British Hindus in 2026 include former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, AI minister Kanishka Narayan, MP Shivani Raja, peers Lord Sharma, Lord Gadhia, Lord Raval and Lord Nagaraju, actor Himesh Patel, Grammy-nominated kirtan artist Jahnavi Harrison, and temple leaders Yogvivekdas Swami (Neasden) and Visakha Dasi (Bhaktivedanta Manor). Below, 16 people are grouped by field, each with a sourced note on their Hindu connection.

British Hindus are found at every level of national life: in Downing Street and the Cabinet, on the red benches of the House of Lords, on cinema screens, on Grammy shortlists and at the head of two of Europe's best-known Hindu temples. This guide is not a ranking. It introduces each person by what they do now, what they are known for, and how they have publicly expressed their faith.

How Hindus came to Britain

Hindu families began settling in Britain in significant numbers after the Second World War, as people from India came to work and study in the 1950s and 1960s. A second large wave came from East Africa: Hindus of Indian, and especially Gujarati, heritage arrived from Kenya in the late 1960s and from Uganda after the 1972 expulsion. Lord Gadhia's family was among those who came from Uganda in 1972. Others came from the Caribbean, Sri Lanka, Mauritius and Fiji.

Those families built temples in converted houses and churches before larger landmarks arrived, such as Neasden Temple, which opened in 1995 as Europe's first traditional Hindu stone temple. Today Hindus are well established in London, Leicester, Birmingham and beyond, and the generation raised in those temples is now visible in Parliament, business and the arts.

Politics: the House of Commons

Rishi Sunak is Conservative MP for Richmond and Northallerton (MP since 2015), a senior adviser to Goldman Sachs (since 2025), and a paid senior adviser to Microsoft and Anthropic (announced October 2025); he says that pay goes to The Richmond Project, a numeracy charity he co-founded. He was Prime Minister from 2022 to 2024, the first British Asian and first Hindu in the role, and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 2020 to 2022. He took his Commons oath on the Bhagavad Gita in 2019 and again in July 2024, and told ANI in 2023 that he is a proud Hindu. Source: Business Standard (ANI)

Kanishka Narayan has been Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, attending Cabinet, since July 2026 — the UK's first cabinet-level AI minister. He previously served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary for AI and Online Safety (September 2025-July 2026) and has been Labour MP for Vale of Glamorgan since 2024, reported as the first ethnic-minority MP for a Welsh constituency at Westminster. Born in Bihar and educated at Eton, Oxford and Stanford, he chose to swear his Commons oath on the Bhagavad Gita in July 2024. Source: Siasat (PTI)

Shivani Raja has been Conservative MP for Leicester East since 2024, the first Conservative to hold the seat in 37 years and her party's only gain at that election. Of Gujarati heritage and a De Montfort University graduate, she swore her oath on the Bhagavad Gita in July 2024 and wrote that she was truly proud to do so. Source: WION

Politics: the House of Lords

Alok Sharma (Lord Sharma) has been a Conservative life peer since August 2024. As President of COP26 (2021-2022) he presided over the Glasgow climate summit, and he was knighted (KCMG) in 2023 for services to tackling climate change. He was MP for Reading West (2010-2024), Business Secretary and International Development Secretary. He took his Commons oath holding the Bhagavad Gita in December 2019. Source: Swarajya (citing Hindustan Times)

Jitesh Gadhia (Lord Gadhia) has been a non-affiliated life peer since 2016 and was appointed to the Court of Directors of the Bank of England in 2022. An investment banker born in Uganda, he swore his Lords oath on the Rig Veda in 2016, reportedly the first peer to do so. Source: Hindu Press International

Krish Raval (Lord Raval) has been a Labour life peer since January 2025, chairs Labour Indians, and has led Faith in Leadership since founding it in 2007. A Cambridge law graduate, he received an OBE in 2018 for leadership education and inter-faith cohesion. He took his Lords oath holding the Bhagavad Gita; Eastern Eye says Hinduism has shaped his life since childhood visits to Bhaktivedanta Manor. Source: Eastern Eye

Uday Nagaraju (Lord Nagaraju) became a Labour life peer on 29 January 2026 and founded AI Policy Labs. Born in Siddipet, Telangana, he is reported as the first Telugu-origin member of the Lords, and took his oath on the Bhagavad Gita on 10 February 2026. Source: ETV Bharat

Business and enterprise

Akshata Murty is an investor and businesswoman, the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and author Sudha Murty. With Rishi Sunak she gave the 2026 commencement address at Claremont McKenna College. She sang a bhajan with him at a Diwali puja in 2023 and joined him in prayers at Neasden Temple in 2024. Source: Business Today

The late Gopichand P. Hinduja was chairman of the Hinduja Group from 2023, after the death of his elder brother Srichand, until he died in London on 4 November 2025. Eastern Eye reported that his funeral included recitation of Bhagavad Gita verses. Source: Eastern Eye

The late Lord Swraj Paul, founder of the Caparo Group and a life peer, was a Jalandhar-born industrialist and philanthropist who died in London on 21 August 2025, aged 94. Eastern Eye described his funeral as a Hindu service, with his portrait set against the Om symbol and a notice quoting the Gita. Source: Eastern Eye

Actors and musicians

Himesh Patel appears in Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey (2026), plays Dr John Watson in Netflix's Enola Holmes 3 (2026), and was reported by Deadline in March 2026 as the lead in Ryan Coogler's X-Files reboot. Viewers first knew him as Tamwar Masood in EastEnders (2007-2016); he starred in Yesterday (2019) and was Emmy-nominated for Station Eleven. In 2019 he told NBC News that, as an Indian Hindu, he related to his Yesterday character's family. Source: NBC News

Jahnavi Harrison is a kirtan singer, violinist and songwriter and co-founder of Kirtan London. Her album Into the Forest was nominated at the 68th Grammy Awards (2026). She grew up around Bhaktivedanta Manor, contributes to BBC Radio 4 and Radio 2, and has said japa meditation on the Hare Krishna maha-mantra is the cornerstone of her daily practice. Source: Hindu American Foundation

Swamis and temple leaders

Yogvivekdas Swami is Head Swami and Head Priest of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir, Neasden. He welcomed King Charles III and Queen Camilla for the temple's 30th anniversary in October 2025 and received Rishi Sunak there in June 2024. The Royal Family's website names him as Head Priest when describing the Abhishek ceremony. Source: Royal Family

Visakha Dasi has been Temple President of ISKCON Bhaktivedanta Manor, Watford, since January 2020. She was recognised by Rishi Sunak at the 2023 Downing Street Diwali reception in the Manor's 50th anniversary year and has signed a Hertfordshire interfaith covenant. India Inc profiled her path to Krishna Consciousness. Source: ISKCON News

Shaunaka Rishi Das has directed the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies since 1997 and serves as Hindu Chaplain to Oxford University. A broadcaster and lecturer on Hindu thought, he sat on the Woolf Institute's Commission on Religion and Belief in British Public Life. ISKCON News describes him as an ISKCON member. Source: OCHS

Community organisations

Trupti Patel is President of the Hindu Forum of Britain, the national Hindu umbrella body, which describes her as the first Hindu woman in the UK appointed its president. She signed the forum's letter to Prime Minister Keir Starmer in July 2024. Source: Hindu Forum of Britain

At a glance: famous British Hindus

Frequently asked questions

Who was the first Hindu Prime Minister of the UK?

Rishi Sunak, Prime Minister from 2022 to 2024, was the first British Asian and first Hindu to hold the office. He told ANI in September 2023 that he is a proud Hindu. He remains MP for Richmond and Northallerton.

Which British MPs and peers took their oath on the Bhagavad Gita?

Among those on this page: Rishi Sunak and Alok Sharma (2019), Sunak again in July 2024 alongside Kanishka Narayan and Shivani Raja, Lord Raval (February 2025) and Lord Nagaraju (February 2026). Lord Gadhia swore his oath on the Rig Veda in 2016.

Who is the UK's AI minister?

Kanishka Narayan, Labour MP for Vale of Glamorgan, was appointed Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, attending Cabinet, on 20 July 2026. He swore his Commons oath on the Bhagavad Gita in 2024.

Who leads Neasden Temple and Bhaktivedanta Manor?

Yogvivekdas Swami is Head Swami (Head Priest) of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Neasden, and Visakha Dasi has been Temple President of ISKCON's Bhaktivedanta Manor in Watford since January 2020.

Which British Hindu musician was nominated for a Grammy?

Kirtan singer and violinist Jahnavi Harrison. Her album Into the Forest was nominated for Best New Age, Ambient or Chant Album at the 68th Grammy Awards (2026).

How did you choose the people on this list?

Each person has publicly spoken about or practised their Hindu faith, for example through an oath on a Hindu scripture, or is described as Hindu by a reputable source we link to. The list is grouped by field, not ranked.

Editor's note

Editor's note (9 October 2026): This guide has been restored at its original address. Inclusion is based on each person's public statements or on reputable reports of their Hindu faith, linked beside each profile. Roles and titles are as of 9 October 2026 and may change. We do not comment on anyone's politics, and the order within each section is not a ranking.

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