RIBBLE Valley Tory MP Nigel Evans today welcomed the appointment of Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister of India.

He has signed a Commons Motion noting that the world's largest democracy now has a Sikh Prime Minister, a Muslim President, a Hindu External Affairs Minister and a Christian leader of its largest party.

The Motion, which was signed by eight MPs including Mr Evans, says: "We believe that this is a powerful signal of India's commitment to a secular democracy based on respect for human rights in a multi-faith, multi-ethnic society."