Dame Gail Rebuck, the widow of Labour peer Philip Gould, has been selected by Labour to become a working peer.
The chair of Penguin Random House UK, Dame Gail was voted the 10th most powerful woman in the UK by Radio 4’s Woman’s House last year. Made a dame in 2009, she will now join the Lords, to which her late husband was elevated in 2004.
Gould, who died in 2011, was an aide to Tony Blair and one of the principle architects of the New Labour political project.
Michael Cashman, a former Eastenders actor, has also been nominated by Labour for a peerage.
The announcement today of the latest round of working peers sees 22 titles bestowed by the Queen.
Twelve peers have been appointed by the Tories, six by the Lib Dems, three by Labour and one by the Democratic Unionist Party.
Accusations of cronyism have already been thrown at the Conservatives, as details of the plan to ennoble key donor Michael Farmer, a City financier, were leaked last week. Former M&S boss Sir Stuart Rose and football executive Karren Brady have also been nominated.
Before today, David Cameron had already named 161 new peers since 2010. The new appointments have come amid a row that the House of Lords is becoming over crowded and too expensive.
New figures revealed earlier this week showed that expenses claimed by members of the Lords have risen by more than £4 million since the government came to power. Peers’ allowances have increased from £17.2m before the 2010 election to £21.6m.
Former Commons Speaker Baroness Boothroyd complained this week that the Lords was becoming overcrowded and urged older peers to bow out.
New rules passed this year allow peers to retire permanently from the House for the first time.
Boothroyd said: “It is so overcrowded that there is enough space for only about two thirds of us in the chamber itself.”
Speaking on Radio 4’s World at One on Monday, she added: “It is appalling. All prime ministers are very keen to put a lot of new members in here so that they can get their legislation through.”
The full list of new working peers is below.
Conservative Party
Karren Brady CBE – Vice-Chairman of West Ham FC; Senior Non-Executive Director of the Syco and Arcadia Brands; Small Business Ambassador for the Conservative Party; and member of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s Women in Sport Advisory Board.
Martin Callanan – former Conservative Member of the European Parliament for the North East of England; former Leader of the Conservative MEPs and of the European Conservatives and Reformists group.
Carlyn Chisholm – Senior volunteer in the Conservative Party; Co-Chairman of the Conservative Candidate’s Committee; former nurse.
Andrew Cooper – Former Director of Political Operations to the Conservative Party; founder and Board Director of Populus.
Natalie Evans – Director of New Schools Network, an independent educational charity established to provide free advice and support for groups wanting to set up free schools.
Michael Farmer – Founding Partner of RK Mine Finance Group; Trustee of the Kingham Hill Trust; Treasurer of the Conservative Party.
Dido Harding – Chief Executive of TalkTalk Telecom Group PLC.
Arminka Helic – Government Special Adviser; leading adviser to Government on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Nosheena Mobarik CBE – Businesswomen; former Chairman of CBI Scotland; founder and Convener of the Scotland Pakistan Network; Chairman of the Pakistan Britain Trade and Investment Forum.
Sir Stuart Rose – Former Chief Executive and Chairman of Marks and Spencer PLC.
Joanna Shields OBE – leading technology industry executive and entrepreneur; the Prime Minister’s Digital Adviser; Chair of Tech City UK; and Non-Executive Director of the London Stock Exchange.
Ranbir Suri – businessman; former General Secretary of the Board of British Sikhs.
Labour Party
Michael Cashman CBE – Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands constituency; equality rights campaigner; former actor.
Chris Lennie – political strategist; former Deputy Secretary General of the Labour Party.
Dame Gail Rebuck – businesswoman, publisher, chairman of Penguin Random House UK
Liberal Democrat Party
Chris Fox – Director of Group Communications for GKN; former Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats.
Cllr David Goddard – elected Member of Stockport Metropolitan Council; former Leader of Stockport Council; former Member of the Greater Manchester Police Authority; former Non-Executive Director of Manchester International Airport.
Cllr Barbara Janke – elected Member and former Leader of Bristol City Council; former teacher.
Cllr Kath Pinnock – elected Member and former Leader of Kirklees Council.
Paul Scriven – managing partner for Scriven Consulting; former elected Member and Leader of Sheffield City Council; former senior NHS manager.
Cllr Dr Julie Smith – elected Member of Newnham City Council; Senior Lecturer in International Relations in the Department of Politics and International Studies (POLIS) at Cambridge University; Fellow of Robinson College.
Democratic Unionist Party
William Hay MLA – Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, who has elected to sit on the crossbenches.
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