"The acceptable face of Spin" David Cameron welcomes Monty Panesar to last night's celebration

Last night I was amongst more than 700 people including England cricket hero Monty Panesar who joined David Cameron in London to celebrate 60 years of independence for India and Pakistan. The guests included the High Commissioners for both Pakistan and India, together with some of the most successful British Asians, all of whom were keen to meet and hear David Cameron.

David spoke with real passion about his recent visit to India, he acknowledged the special relationship that Britain has with the sub continent, and he celebrated the economic vibrancy that the Asian community brings to the United Kingdom.

Stressing the strength of the traditional links the three countries have and the high level of shared business David once again spoke of the importance of a stable society in helping create economic prosperity. Referring to his recent stay here in Birmingham with a family from Balsall Heath he emphasised the common values that unite responsible citizens of tolerance, decency and family. But he also recognised the need for there to be clearer understanding on what integration meant for individuals coming to Britain and to challenged everyone to get involved in British life.
David particularly welcomed cricketing heroes Kapil Dev and Monty Panesar to the event, and hailed Panesar, who had raced down from the Test Match in Manchester for this event, as "the acceptable face of spin".