Baroness Helen Newlove, the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales, has died at the age of 63 following a brief illness, her office has announced.
The Conservative peer held the role twice, having become a prominent campaigner and activist after the tragic death of her husband, Garry, who was killed confronting a group of youths outside their family home.
In a statement, her office said: “Helen was a committed and passionate advocate for victims.” The statement added that she was a “dear friend and a respected colleague” who “transformed” the Victims’ Commissioner role.
Tributes have been offered in the House of Lords, with Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy praising her “unparalleled experience and dedication” to the role.
Baroness Newlove was most recently appointed to the position in 2023, with her term due to continue until the end of the year. She previously served as Commissioner from 2012 to 2019.
Describing her as an “extraordinary public servant”, Mr. Lammy stated: “Her leadership shaped the Victims’ Code, strengthened victims’ voices in the criminal justice system, and ensured that the Victims and Prisoners Act progressed with victims’ interests at its heart.”
He further added, “She championed the rights of victims and witnesses and held agencies to account.”
Her office stated that Baroness Newlove “consistently led by example” and that she “reshaped the office into a trusted voice and genuine force for victims.”
The office emphasized that she was deeply motivated by her personal experience with the criminal justice system.
In August 2007, her 47-year-old husband was killed in Warrington, Cheshire, while confronting a gang of youths who had vandalized their car.
The court heard that during the attack, he was kicked “like a football” in front of his daughters.
Three teenagers were convicted of his murder in January 2008. Lady Newlove was subsequently made a life peer in 2010 for her work on youth crime.
“She was determined that all victims should be treated with compassion, decency and respect – and she consistently led by example,” her office affirmed.
Liberal Democrat peer Baroness Barker described her dedication to defending victims, regardless of the government in power at the time, as “a very laudable thing to witness.”
Conservative frontbencher Lord Kamall remembered her as a “fierce campaigner,” while independent crossbencher Baroness O’Loan hailed her as a “very lovely person.”
The former police ombudsman for Northern Ireland added that she was “so brave and effective in all that she did.”
He added: “She will be sorely missed, not only by her family, to whom I’m sure we all send great sympathy, but also by so many of us in this House and in the world beyond.”
Lord Sahota blames a “toxic political environment” for a spate of crimes in the West Midlands.
Baroness D’Souza sought to influence Met chief Sir Mark Rowley, a Lords report found.
The project to rebuild an entrance into Parliament ran over budget and over time by 100 weeks.
Andrew Lynas’ comments come as a House of Lords committee finds the Windsor Framework is “impossible to navigate”.
Ex-Lords speaker Baroness D’Souza complained to Sir Mark Rowley she could lose her licence after a speeding fine.