Angie Bray Made a Baroness in Latest Honours List |
|
Peerage confirmed for former Ealing Central and Acton MP
Reports that Angie Bray was on a list of people to be given a peerage have proven accurate. Her elevation was officially announced on 14 October when she was made a life peer and becomes Baroness Bray. The honour was given as a part of a series of political appointments which included other former MPs such as Nicholas Soames and Hugo Swire and Conservative party donor, Michael Hintze. Labour nominations include former deputy leader Tom Watson and Frances O’Grady, the outgoing head of the TUC. Arlene Foster, the former DUP leader and first minister of Northern Ireland, has become a non-affiliated peer. These awards are understood not to be part of Boris Johnson’s much heralded resignation honours list although it is thought likely that the former Prime Minister did nominate Angie Bray. They worked closely together when he was Mayor of London and she was a member of the Greater London Assembly and he supported her unsuccessful attempt to defend her Ealing Central and Acton seat in 2015 which she lost to the current MP Rupa Huq. There are reports that Johnson wants to give peerages to others who may prove more controversial including 8 sitting MPs who were his allies as well as the editor of the Daily Mail, Paul Dacre. Some newspapers have claimed that the Liz Truss has made representations to the King not to approve some of the names on the list and the House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac), which vets appointments, is also believed to have reservations. The recent resignation of close Johnson associate, Harry Mount, from the commission has led some to believe that it is intended to block a significant number of the nominations. Chris Bryant, the Labour MP and chair of the Commons standards committee, has said that it would be inappropriate at this time to give a peerage to Dacre after a number of prominent people including Doreen Lawrence, Prince Harry and Elton John began action against the Mail group over alleged misuse of their private information.
October 18, 2022
|