| Lord Patel was born in 1940 in Gujarat and studied business management and accountancy at the University of Baroda. Arriving in the UK in 1966, he worked as an accountant for 10 years and also spent two years pursuing the same career in Zambia. In 1977 he started his own business in the UK, Comet Cash & Carry, and retired in 1997. In 2000 he was elevated to the House of Lords.
Having joined the Labour Party in 1966, Lord Patel has been involved in community and social work all his life, with a special interest in education and training, community relations, regeneration and ethnic minority health concerns. His long career in the community sector has included roles in the Blackburn Community Relations Council (founder member), Lancashire Council of Mosques (former president), Heart of Lancashire Trust (NHS), East Lancashire Racial Harassment Partnership, Muslim Council of Britain (one of five national counsellors), Asian Business Federation (current president), Christian/Muslim Inter-Faith Forum and Blackburn Indian Workers’ Association (president since 1977).
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