Chaman Lal (politician)

Vidya Wati

​

(m. 1971)​

Chaman Lal
Chaman Lal as the Lord Mayor of Birmingham
113th Lord Mayor of Birmingham
In office 23 May 2023 –22 May 2024

Chaman Lal is a British Labour Party politician and former Lord Mayor of Birmingham.

He took the oath for the role of Birmingham Lord Mayor on 23 May 2023.

He is the first person of British Indian origin to be elected for this designation. ^{[1] [2]}

Early life

Chaman Lal was born in a Ravidassia Sikh ^{[3] [4]} family in village Pakhowal in Hoshiarpur district as a son of Sardar Harnam Singh, a British Indian army officer who served in Italy during the Second World War and his mother Sardarni Jai Kaur. His uncle, Sardar Ram Singh was also a British Indian army officer who was killed in the Burma campaign. ^{[1] [5]}

Political life

He has been a councillor for the ward of Soho & Jewellery Quarter since 1994. ^[6] He joined the Labour Party in 1989. ^[5]

In December 2023, during his time as Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Lal attended the opening of Elec Training, a new electrical training centre in Wolverhampton. He joined the Mayor of Wolverhampton, Councillor Dr. Michael Hardacre, to support local skills development in the region. ^[7]

In July 2025, Lal was one of many Labour councillors in the city that were axed by the Party and told that they were not allowed to stand again in the next election.

Personal life

Lal married his wife Vidya in 1971, and they had three daughters and two sons. ^[5]

References

1. Storer, Rhi (13 January 2023). "New Birmingham lord mayor named for 2023 after secret ballot". BirminghamLive.
2. "City's first British-Indian Lord Mayor takes up office". Birmingham City Council. 23 May 2023. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
3. "Two Punjab born create history by becoming Lord Mayors of Birmingham and Central England City". 30 May 2023.
4. https://www.birmingham.gov.uk/news/article/1338/citys_first_british-indian_lord_mayor_takes_up_office#:~:text=Birmingham's%20new%20Lord%20Mayor%2C%20Cllr,become%20the%20city's%20Lord%20Mayor.
5. "Lord Mayor of Birmingham, Councillor Chaman Lal". Birmingham City Council.
6. Council, Birmingham City. "Councillor Chaman Lal | Soho & Jewellery Quarter Ward | Labour Party | Birmingham City Council". www.birmingham.gov.uk.
7. "Mayor opens training centre". Express & Star. 1 December 2023. Retrieved 19 April 2025.