London: Sikhs in the United Kingdom have formed a political party to champion the cause of 700,000 Sikhs in the country.

Announcing the floating of the new party, its spokesman Dabinderjit Singh said the 'Sikh Federation (UK)' would set up branches in each major town and city with a sizeable Sikh population.

"It will not initially put up its own candidates for local, national and European elections, but it intends to back any party that best represents its members," he said.

He said Sikhs were angry that despite promises from the government, they felt consistently let down over issues of identity.

"Although there are 700,000 Sikhs in Britain they are still monitored and categorised as 'Indians'," he said.

PTI