Queen’s envoy resigns after saying British Pakistanis need to learn civility

One of the Queen’s personal representatives has resigned after leaked e-mails showed him saying British Pakistanis must be taught “basic common courtesy and civility.”

Paul Sabapathy, CBE, Her Majesty’s lord lieutenant of the West Midlands, made the remarks in an e-mail after attending an event at the Pakistan consulate in Birmingham on August 15 to commemorate Pakistan’s Independence Day.

Apparently unhappy about the lack of respect he and colleagues were shown as the Queen’s representatives, he said: “Pakistanis are lovely people individually but there is a lot of work to do to teach them basic common courtesy and civility.” He went on: “They talk to themselves and do not engage with the wider community. They are living in the U.K. not Pakistan. Whilst being rightly proud of their Pakistani culture and heritage they need to explain better and engage more with their non-Pakistani brothers and sisters if they want their children to succeed as British Pakistani citizens.”

Mr. Sabapathy, who was born in Chennai in India and moved to the U.K. in 1964, was the first non-white lord lieutenant. Her Majesty’s lord lieutenants are the representatives of the crown for each county in the United Kingdom. Men or women of all backgrounds, they are appointed by the Queen on the advice of the prime minister.

Ceremonial role

Lord lieutenants were originally appointed in Henry VIII’s reign to take over the military duties of the sheriff and control the military forces of the crown. Nowadays they perform a largely ceremonial function but are nonetheless expected to uphold the same standards as the reigning monarch.

Sabapathy’s remarks were seemingly prompted by a group of 20-25 Pakistani men talking as he tried to address the Independence Day event. When The Guardian contacted him on Friday morning to ask for clarification on his remarks, he asked for time to comment. In the meantime a growing number of MPs spoke out about his remarks, with one Pakistani-origin MP saying the lord lieutenant had been offensive and must apologise.

At 5.30 p.m. on Friday he issued a statement saying he had decided to stand down and wanted to offer an unreserved apology. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2015

Paul Sabapathy, the Queen’s first non-white lord lieutenant, made the remark at an event at a Pakistan consulate on Aug. 15