A journalist and community leader has made British political history.

Dr Indarjit Singh, who lives in Merton Park, has been made a life peer – and will be the first turban-wearing Sikh to take a place in the House of Lords, where he will sit as an independent.

The illustrious appointment is the second peerage given to a Merton resident in the space of a year, after Councillor Tariq Ahmad (Conservative) was ennobled as Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon in January.

Before that, the borough's only peer was Margaret McDonagh, the sister of Siobhain McDonagh MP (Labour), who became Baroness McDonagh of Mitcham and Morden in 2004.

Dr Singh was born in Rawalpindi, India, but moved to Britain to study engineering.

He later wrote for national newspapers and has appeared on Radio 4’s Thought for the Day.

He is the director of the Network of Sikh Organisations (UK), and earlier this year attended the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge as a representative of the Sikh community.

He was made a CBE in January 2009.

Got a story for us? Call 020 8722 6333, tweet @WimbledonNews or email: newsdesk@wimbledonguardian.co.uk.