Sunder Katwala is a British writer and thinker. He is the director of British Future, a UK-based think tank,[1] and former general secretary[2] of the Fabian Society.

Katwala in Berlin, 2014

British Future, which also addresses issues of migration and opportunity, launched[3] in January 2012. The think-tank's[4] call for the adoption of an English national anthem, backed by MPs from different UK political parties, won the support of Prime Minister David Cameron, according to reports on the website ConservativeHome[5] and in The Sunday Telegraph.[6]

He was previously with The Observer newspaper, as a leader writer and internet editor, and was Research Director of The Foreign Policy Centre think-tank from 1999 to 2001. He became Fabian general secretary in October 2003, and held the position until July 2011.

Katwala also writes for The Guardian[7] newspaper, for the New Statesman, The Spectator Coffee House blog, and for Liberal Conspiracy[8] blog.

In 2010 the Daily Telegraph included Katwala at number 32 in its list of the '100 most influential left-wingers[9]' in British politics, while he was Fabian General Secretary. British Future claims to be a non-partisan group which engages across the political spectrum, and to have staff and trustees with backgrounds across the major political parties.

Early life

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Katwala was born in Doncaster, South Yorkshire to an Irish Catholic mother from Cork and an Indian father who converted to Catholicism.[10][11] He moved to Ellesmere Port, Cheshire at age five and then Essex in his teens.[12] He graduated from Jesus College, Oxford in 1991 with a degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE).[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Homepage". British Future. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  2. ^ "Sunder Katwala General Secretary of the Fabian Society". Fabian Society. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  3. ^ Helm, Toby (7 January 2012). "We're proud to be British – but just a little bit anxious, too". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  4. ^ "An English anthem would give us pride without prejudice". The Daily Telegraph. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  5. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: As the Olympics loom, "Jerusalem" is David Cameron's choice as England's sporting national anthem The Tory Diary". Conservativehome.blogs.com. 14 July 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  6. ^ Patrick Hennessy (14 July 2012). "David Cameron backs Jerusalem as English national anthem". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Sunder Katwala". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  8. ^ "Sunder Katwala". Liberal Conspiracy. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  9. ^ "Top 100 most influential Left-wingers: 50-26". The Daily Telegraph. 29 September 2010. Retrieved 15 July 2017.
  10. ^ biography on British Future website
  11. ^ Silvers, Isabella (22 May 2023). "Sunder Katwala: "There's a fluidity to mixedness that I think is underestimated"". Mixed Messages. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  12. ^ Oldfield, Elizabeth (20 March 2024). "Sunder Katwala on Race, Identity and Reimagining Patriotism". Theos. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
  13. ^ "Alumnus Sunder Katwala to give talk on patriotism and inclusivity". Jesus College, Oxford. 2 November 2023. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
Party political offices
Preceded by
Michael Jacobs
General Secretary of the Fabian Society
2003 – 2011
Succeeded by
Andrew Harrop