Peerages, honours and appointments
The previous Prime Minister (the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP) undertook a process to recommend to the Queen new party-political life peerages. This consisted of working peers from each party and, as is customary at the end of a Parliament, a dissolution list for former MPs.
The Queen has been graciously pleased to signify Her intention of conferring Peerages of the United Kingdom for Life upon the undermentioned:
Working Peers List
Conservative Party
- Guy Vaughan Black - former Director Press Complaints Commission, Executive Director Telegraph Media Group
- Dame Margaret Eaton OBE - Chairman of Local Government Association
- Edward Peter Lawless Faulks QC - barrister, leading practitioner, crime and personal injuries practice
- John Gardiner - Deputy Chief Executive of Countryside Alliance
- Helen Margaret Newlove - campaigner against anti-social behaviour
- Dolar Amarshi Popat - businessman, Chief Executive of TLC Group, specialising in healthcare and hospitality
- Shireen Olive Ritchie - Local Government Councillor, specialises in areas of adult and children’s social care
- Deborah Stedman-Scott OBE, DL, FRSA - Chief Executive of Tomorrow’s People, national employment charity working in deprived areas of UK
- Nat Wei - a member of Teach First’s founding team and also a founder of Future Leaders
- Hon Simon Adam Wolfson - Chief Executive of NEXT plc
Liberal Democrat Party
- Floella Benjamin OBE DL - actor, presenter and campaigner for children’s issues
- Mike German OBE AM - former Deputy First Minister (Wales)
- Meral Hussein Ece OBE - Local Government Councillor in Islington, advocate of equality issues
- Sir Kenneth (Ken) Macdonald QC - former Director of Public Prosecutions
- Kathryn (Kate) Jane Parminter - former Chief Executive of Campaign to Protect Rural England
- John Shipley OBE - leading Local Government Councillor in Newcastle upon Tyne
Labour Party
- Sir Jeremy Hugh Beecham DL - senior figure in English local government and first Chairman of the Local Government Association
- Rt Hon Paul Boateng - former Government Minister and MP for Brent South
- Rita Margaret Donaghy CBE - former Chair Conciliation and Arbitration Service
- Jeannie Drake - former Deputy General Secretary of the Communication Workers Union
- Dr Dianne Hayter - Chair of Legal Services Consumer Panel
- Anna Healy - former Government and political adviser, serving in numerous government departments
- Roy Kennedy - Labour Party’s Director of Finance and Compliance, long serving member of the Labour Party
- Rt Hon Helen Lawrie Liddell - former Secretary State of Scotland
- Roger John Liddle - former Special Adviser on Europe
- Rt Hon Dr Jack Wilson McConnell - former First Minister of Scotland
- John Stephen Monks - General Secretary, European Trades Union Confederation
- Sue Nye - former Director of Government Relations, Prime Minister’s Office
- Maeve Sherlock OBE - former Chief Executive of the Refugee Council and Former Special Advisor to Chancellor
- Robert Wilfrid (Wilf) Stevenson - former Director of the Smith Institute and Special Adviser to the PM
- Margaret Wheeler MBE - Director of Organisation and Staff Development for the public service union UNISON
- Michael Williams - former Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs
Dissolution List
Conservative party
- Timothy Eric Boswell - former Whip and Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
- Angela Frances Browning - former Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
- Rt Hon John Selwyn Gummer - former Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and held other senior posts in government and opposition
- Rt Hon Michael Howard QC - former Home Secretary, and held other senior posts in government and opposition
- John Craddock Maples - former Economic Secretary, and held other senior posts in government and opposition
- Sir Michael Spicer - former Government Minister for Housing and Chairman of Parliamentary and Scientific Committee
Liberal Democrat Party
- Richard Allan - former MP for Sheffield Hallam and Chair of the Information Select Committee
- Matthew Owen John Taylor - former MP for Truro and St Austell, Chair of National Housing Federation
- George Philip (Phil) Willis - former MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Former Chair of Science and Technology Select Committee
Labour Party
- Rt Hon Hillary Jane Armstrong - former Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for Social Exclusion, and held other senior posts in government
- Rt Hon Desmond (Des) Henry Browne - former Secretary of State for Defence and held other senior posts in government
- Quentin Davies - former Government Minister, Defence
- Rt Hon Beverley Hughes - former Minister of State, Children, Schools and Families
- Rt Hon John Hutton - former Secretary of State for Business, and held other senior posts in government
- Rt Hon James (Jim) Philip Knight, Former Minister of State
- Rt Hon Tommy McAvoy - former Government Deputy Chief Whip
- Rt Hon John McFall - former Chair of Treasury Select Committee and MP for West Dunbartonshire
- Rt Hon John Leslie Prescott - former Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State, and held other senior posts in government
- Rt Hon Dr John Reid - former Home Secretary, and held other senior posts in government
- Rt Hon Angela Evans Smith - former Minister of State, Cabinet Office
- Rt Hon James Donnelly (Don) Touhig - former Parliamentary under Secretary of State (Minister for Veterans), Ministry of Defence
- Rt Hon Michael David Wills - former Minister of State, Ministry of Justice
Democratic Unionist Party
- Rt Hon Ian R K Paisley - former First Minister and DUP Leader
Crossbenchers
The Queen has also been graciously pleased to signify Her intention of conferring a Peerage of the United Kingdom for Life upon Sir Ian Blair, Former Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.
Knighthoods
The Queen has also been graciously pleased to signify Her intention of conferring a Knight Bachelor upon the undermentioned:
- Mr William (Bill) O’Brien - former MP for Normanton 1983-2005
- Rt Hon Ian McCartney - former Minister of State, FCO and DTI and held other senior posts in government
Privy Council Appointments
The Queen has also been graciously pleased to approve that the undermentioned be sworn of Her Majesty’s most honourable Privy Council:
- Dominic Grieve QC MP - Attorney-General
- Greg Clark MP - Minister of State, Department of Communities and Local Government
- Alan Duncan MP - Minister of State, Department for International Development
- Chris Grayling MP - Minister of State, Department of Work and Pensions
- Nick Herbert MP - Minister of State, Ministry of Justice and the Home Office
- Baroness Neville-Jones of Hutton Roof DCMG - Minister of State, Home Office
- Grant Shapps MP - Minister of State, Department of Communities and Local Government
- Theresa Villiers MP - Minister of State, Department for Transport
- David Willetts MP - Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
- David Mundell MP - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Scotland Office
- John Randall MP - Deputy Chief Whip (Treasurer of Her Majesty’s Household)
- Mark Francois MP - Government Whip (Vice Chamberlain of Her Majesty’s Household)
- Nigel Dodds OBE MP
- Joan Ruddock MP
- Baron West of Spithead GCB
- Carwyn Jones - First Minister for Wales
- Alex Fergusson MSP
Notes for editors:
The House of Lords Appointments Commission has vetted all nominations for peerages announced today. The Commission is a non-statutory advisory body with responsibility for vetting nominations for life peers, including those nominated by the UK political parties, to ensure the highest standards of propriety. The Commission plays no part in assessing the suitability of those nominated by the political parties, which is a matter for the parties themselves. Its role is to advise the Prime Minister, having carried out a range of checks, if it has any concerns about the propriety of an individual.
The Commission also makes recommendations for non-party-political peerages. Further information on the work of the House of Lords Appointments Commission is available on http://lordsappointments.independent.gov.uk
Nat Wei has recently been appointed as the Government’s Adviser on the Big Society. He was a member of Teach First’s founding staff team. Teach First was founded in 2002 by Brett Wigdortz to recruit exceptional graduates into challenging schools.
Jeannie Drake will be standing down from her position as Deputy Chair of the National Employment Savings Trust and Michael Williams will be standing down from his role as the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon in order to take on the responsibilities of a seat in the House of Lords.
Sir Ian Blair was nominated for a crossbench peerage by the former Prime Minster as one of his nominations of distinguished public servants.
The announcement of Knights Bachelor for Bill O’Brien and Ian McCartney completes a process begun under the previous Prime Minister.