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Sharron Davies, the Olympic medalist and prominent campaigner, has been appointed as one of three new Conservative peers.
Ms. Davies, known for her vocal stance on the inclusion of transgender women in women’s sports, was nominated by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.
The Conservative Party cited her sporting achievements and advocacy for women’s rights as the basis for her nomination.
In addition to Ms. Davies’ appointment, Richard Walker, chairman of Iceland supermarket, and Matthew Doyle, former communications director for Number 10, are among 25 new Labour peers nominated by Sir Keir Starmer. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey nominated five new peers.
Ms. Davies will join former Tory cabinet minister John Redwood and journalist and historian Simon Heffer, who have also been granted peerages.
She has been an outspoken advocate for the exclusion of transgender athletes from female competitions, citing the need to “protect women’s sport.”
The swimmer, who secured a silver medal at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and two Commonwealth gold medals, has refuted accusations of transphobia, asserting that numerous other female athletes “feel the same way as me.”
Following her nomination, Ms. Davies expressed her enthusiasm to “carry on fighting for women’s rights and safeguarding as well as trying to get as many kids, in particular, doing sport as possible.”
Meanwhile, a Labour spokesperson stated that the 25 new peers would enable the government to “deliver on our mandate from the British people” and “correct” the under-representation of Labour in the House of Lords, where the Conservatives currently hold a majority.
Despite holding a majority in the House of Commons, Labour is currently outnumbered in the Lords, with 209 peers compared to the Tories’ 282.
Mr. Walker’s nomination confirms earlier reports from Labour sources identifying him as “a committed champion of families dealing with the cost of living.”
The 45-year-old left the Conservative Party in 2023 and was later observed at the launch of Labour’s manifesto for the 2024 general election.
In February of this year, he awarded the new government a score of “six out of 10” in comments to the Financial Times, criticizing the increase in employer national insurance contributions but commending efforts to improve relations with the EU.
A Labour spokesperson said: “The Tories stuffed the House of Lords, creating a serious imbalance that has allowed them to frustrate our plans to make working families better off.
“We will continue to progress our programme of reform, which includes removing the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the Lords.”
Labour is currently in the process of abolishing 92 seats reserved for hereditary peers, who inherit their titles through family lineage.
Sir Keir Starmer has previously expressed support for abolishing the House of Lords and replacing it with an elected Assembly of the Nations and Regions, but has not proposed comprehensive reforms ahead of the upcoming election.
Labour’s election manifesto described House of Lords reform as “long overdue” and “essential,” arguing that the chamber is excessively large and that many peers fail to adequately serve democracy.
Among the new Labour peers are Mr. Doyle, a veteran of the Tony Blair government, who resigned in March after nine months leading Downing Street’s press operations.
Rachel Reeves’s former chief of staff, Katie Martin, has also been granted a peerage.
Labour nominated several senior London-based political figures, including Len Duvall, chair of the London Assembly, Mayor of Lewisham Brenda Dacres, and former leader of Southwark Council Peter John.
The Lib Dems nominated Lord Addington and Earl Russell, both hereditary peers, allowing them to remain in the House of Lords after those seats are abolished.
The Earl of Kinnoull, one of the deputy speakers of the House of Lords, has also been awarded a peerage to remain as an independent crossbencher.
Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey stated that his party had appointed members who will work to “deliver the change our country desperately needs, including reform of the House of Lords.”
They include ex-Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather, who served as children’s minister between 2010 and 2012, and Rhiannon Leaman, who has been Sir Ed’s chief of staff since 2019.
No other party received new peers.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he had written to the prime minister in the summer requesting that his party, which has five MPs and one Lord but regularly leads national voting intention polls, “have some representation in the House of Lords”.
Most Lords are entitled to a £371 daily allowance for each sitting day they attend, although they can choose not to claim it.
Like MPs, they scrutinise the work of government and recommend changes to proposed legislation. Unlike MPs, however, peers are not elected.
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