Political Peerages May 2026 - Citations

Peers Nominated by the Leader of the Labour Party

1. Stephen Benn, Viscount Stansgate - Labour Peer, Deputy Speaker of the House of

Lords

Dr Stephen Benn is a Labour member of the House of Lords. He is currently a member of

the Numeracy for Life Committee, and has previously served on the UK Engagement with

Space Committee, the Joint Committee for National Security Strategy and the Science and

Technology Committee (among several other committees). A Deputy Chairman of

Committees from 2023 he has since April 2024 sat on the Woolsack as a Deputy Speaker.

Stephen entered the Lords in July 2021 as an elected hereditary peer. A graduate of the

University of Keele (where he received his Doctorate) Dr Benn served on ILEA from 1981-

1990 and between 1986 and 1990 was an elected member of the Inner London Education

Authority chairing its General Purposes Committee. He was Director of Parliamentary

Affairs for the Royal Society of Biology from 2011-2021 and from 1988-2011 held the

similar role at the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is President of the Parliamentary and

Scientific Committee (2021-date) and chairs its Advisory Board. He is a Member of the

Council and a Trustee of the Parliamentary Science and Technology Foundation (2022-date)

and a Trustee and of the Parliamentary Science & Technology Information Foundation.

2. Christopher John Suenson-Taylor (known as John), Lord Grantchester

John Suenson-Taylor is a Labour member of the House of Lords. He is currently a member

of the European Affairs Committee. Between 2010 and 2022 he was a member of the

opposition frontbench, as a whip and then shadow minister for the Department of

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs; the Department of Energy and Climate Change (later

the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy); and the Department for

International Trade. Since 2022, John has served on Lords committees relating to the Future

of Land Use; Statutory Inquiries; and Environment and Climate Change. John entered the

Lords in 2003 as an elected hereditary peer. Prior to entering the Lords he was a director of

Littlewoods, between 1993 and 1997, and of Everton Football Club from 1994 to 2000, and

was a trustee for the charity, Foundation of Sports and the Arts (1997 - 2019). John is a dairy

farmer and has served as a council member for the Royal Agricultural Society and otherbodies representative of the rural economy. He has recently been appointed as a trustee of

National Museums Liverpool.

Crossbench Peers

3. Charles Wellesley, Duke of Wellington.

Charles Wellington was elected to the House of Lords in 2015, and since 2019 has sat as a

Crossbench peer. He is a member of the Select Committee on European Affairs and

previously was a member of the Environment and Climate Change Committee. During the

passage of the Environment Act in 2021, he secured Government agreement to a reduction in

pollution of rivers and beaches by the Water Companies. Since 2016, he has been a trustee of

the Royal United Services Institute and since 2025 is its Chairman. Elected to the European

Parliament in 1979, he served two terms. He was Chairman of King's College London from

2007-2016. He is Patron of the King's Maths School and a Governor of Wellington

College. He is the guardian of art collections, at Apsley House and Stratfield Saye. He

farms in Great Britain and abroad.

4. Nicholas le Poer Trench, Earl of Clancarty

Nick Clancarty has been a prominent and experienced voice for the arts, culture and

education since joining the House of Lords in 2010. Nick has been instrumental in informing

government policy including that which led to free entry to the national museums, and the

ratification of the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of

Armed Conflict. He regularly participates in legislation, drawing attention recently to the

rights of freelance workers during the passage of the Employment Rights Act. Nick has been

an officer for numerous all-party parliamentary groups and believes passionately in their

importance as a bridge between the public and Parliament. He is a member of the Lord

Speaker's Advisory Panel on Works of Art. Outside the House he is a trustee on the board of

the Council for Dance, Drama and Musical Theatre. He is a practising visual artist, painter

and writer.

5. Charles Colville, Viscount Colville of CulrossCharles Colville was elected to the House of Lords in 2011, and has been a deputy speaker

since 2023. He has twice sat on the House of Lords Communications and Digital Select

Committee whose reports have investigated regulation for tech companies and recently AI

and copyright. He speaks on media, digital and cultural issues. He is also a Television

Producer. He worked for 27 years at the BBC. On BBC Newsnight he was the Moscow

Producer, during the fall of the Soviet Union, and On-the-day editor. He became the BBC's

New York producer before work on BBC Science series ‘Horizon' and history series. Since

2016 he has been freelance Series Producer working for UK and American broadcasters. He

is a trustee of the Museum of the Home.

6. Richard Denison, Lord Londesborough

Richard Londesborough became a Crossbench member of the House of Lords in 2021,

winning a whole-house by-election. He has served on the Economic Affairs Committee since

2023 and speaks regularly on the economy, business (especially SMEs), international affairs,

health, media and sport. He worked as a journalist in Iran (1978) and Mexico (1982), before

setting up Latin America Monitor, in 1984, which grew and developed into Business Monitor

International, covering political and economic risk across global emerging markets. His

company won the Queen's Award for Exports in 1997 and grew from two co-founders to 300

staff, with clients in over 100 countries before being acquired by Fitch Ratings in

2014. Since then, Richard has advised and invested in a wide range of start-ups, and is Chair

of Tussell, the market intelligence platform.

7. Simon Russell, Lord Russell of Liverpool

Simon Russell was elected to the House of Lords in December 2014. Simon was previously

a head-hunter for 31 years, principally as a Partner at Spencer Stuart, retiring in 2017. He is

now dedicated fully to his work in the House of Lords, focusing on legislation affecting

children and young people across adoption, fostering and the care system; violence against

women and girls and stalking; and online safety. He was the crossbench Member of the

Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe 2018-2024. He was appointed a Deputy

Speaker in 2020. He is currently a member of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Committee, an

alternate member of the Procedure and Privileges Committee, and previously served on the

Secondary Legislation Scrutiny, EU Internal Market and EU Goods Committees. He is aTrustee of the Foundling Museum, a Governor of Coram and is a Patron of Cavell and The

Place.

8. Daniel Mosley, Lord Ravensdale

Daniel Ravensdale is a Crossbench member of the House of Lords. He entered the Lords in

April 2019 and has served on three Committees including the Environment and Climate

Change Committee. Daniel led the successful proposal for a special inquiry into social

mobility in 2024. This led to the formation of the Social Mobility Policy Committee which

reported in 2025. He has achieved a wide range of successful amendments to legislation,

including implementing climate duties into the Levelling up and Regeneration Act and

enabling access to renewable fuel obligation schemes for additional clean energy sources

through the Energy Act 2023. Daniel is the vice chair of the board of the Parliamentary

Office of Science and Technology and a Director of Peers for the Planet, an environmental

non-profit. He is a Chief Engineer at AtkinsRéalis, a leading international engineering

consultancy with 20 years of experience in the nuclear and defence industries.

9. Godfrey Bewicke-Copley, Lord Cromwell

Godfrey Cromwell is a Crossbench member of the House of Lords. He rejoined the House in

2014, and since then has served on the Industry and Regulators, EU, EU Justice, Finance and

Audit and Risk Committees. He successfully proposed a special inquiry into the UK's

engagement with space in 2025. In the House his work covers a wide range of issues

including anti-SLAPPs legislation, whistleblowing, international aid, digital asset regulation

and rural crime. He is member of the Executive Committee of the British Group of the

Interparliamentary Union. Outside the House, he was executive chair of Baking Competition

Remedies, which placed £750m into challenger banks and financial technology, has lived

and worked and Asia, has 30+ years business experience in UK agriculture and

environmental programmes, and has 20 years experience providing election observer teams

for OSCE.

10. Richard Gilbey, Lord Vaux of Harrowden.

Richard Vaux has been a crossbench member of the House of Lords since 2017. He has

served on multiple select committees, including the EU Financial Affairs Committee, the EU

Services Committee, the Fraud Act 2006 and Digital Fraud Committee (which he wasinstrumental in creating), and the House of Lords Commission. He was Chairman of the

House of Lords Finance Committee from 2021 to 2024. He is currently deputy chair of the

bicameral Restoration & Renewal Programme Board, and a member of the Financial

Services Regulation Committee. Working across the House, he has been influential in

improving many Bills, notably two Economic Crime Bills, the Public Authorities (Fraud,

Error and Recovery) Bill and the Financial Services and Markets Bill. A Chartered

Accountant, he has had an international business career in the software and technology

industry. A farmer in Galloway, he is active in environmental matters, particularly river and

peatland restoration.

11. John Pakington, Lord Hampton

John Hampton is a Crossbench member of the House of Lords. He is on the Numeracy for

Life Committee and was formally on the Social Mobility Policy and Pre Term Birth

Committees. He joined the House of Lords in October 2022 whilst head of Design and

Technology at Mossbourne Community Academy in East London, where he still teaches one

day a week. He uses that experience in the House, speaking on education and all issues

related to children and young adults. A keen member of the Lords & Commons Cricket Club,

he is also a graduate of the Army and Navy sections of the Armed Forces Parliamentary

Scheme and belongs to various APPGs dealing with education, children's social care and the

arts. He is a trustee of the Elephant Group, an educational charity aiming to get students from

disadvantaged backgrounds into top universities.

Peers Nominated by the Leader of the Conservative Party

12. Edward Grigg, Lord Altrincham

Lord Altrincham has been a member of the House of Lords since 2021. He served on the

House of Lords Finance Committee (2022 – 2024), Integration of Primary and Community

Care Committee (2023), Finance Bill Sub-Committee (2023-2024 and 2025-26), Industry

and Regulators Committee (2024 – 2025) and now serves as a shadow Treasury Minister. He

was educated at Oxford University and worked for Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse.He advised HM Treasury on the recapitalisation of the Royal Bank of Scotland in 2008 and

was a non-executive director of the Co-Operative Bank (2020-24).

13. Mark Cubitt, Lord Ashcombe

Lord Ashcombe has been a member of the House since 2022. He currently sits on the

Environment and Climate Change Committee. His background is in civil

engineering, having got a degree in Civil Engineering from Imperial College London. Lord

Ashcombe now works as a managing director of Marsh Ltd, the leading insurance broking

and risk management firm, in the Energy and Power Division. He is an associate of the

Chartered Insurance Institute.

14. Ralph Stonor, Lord Camoys

Lord Camoys joined the House of Lords in 2023. He started his career at Andersen

Consulting, moved into private equity with 3i plc, then served with the Foreign and

Commonwealth Office. He worked on Afghanistan and Iran in the Middle East Department,

was posted to India and lastly worked in the Counter Terrorism Policy Department. He lived

in Beijing from 2010 to 2015 and established Quercus Associates Limited and Ilex Partners

Limited, businesses advising global investors in Asian Markets. In 2021 he co-founded

Marlow Studios, a new 18 sound stage film studio in Buckinghamshire. He has been

involved with nature conservation and development in the Himalayas for over 30 years and

is Chairman of Nepal Nature Trust, a UK registered Charity, and is an International Member

of the Governing Board of Trustees of Nepal's National Trust for Nature Conservation.

15. Jonathan Berry, Viscount Camrose

Viscount Camrose is the Shadow Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology in the

House of Lords. He has been a member of the House of Lords since 2022 and formerly

served as Minister for Science, Innovation and Technology (2023 – 2024) and on the AI in

Weapon Systems Committee (2023). His background is in business and communications,

having previously worked as the Lead for Change Management of Digital Transformations at

BP and Shell, and European Practice Director for Expressworks Consulting Ltd.

16. Patrick Courtown, Earl of CourtownThe Earl of Courtown is the Deputy Chief Whip of the Opposition in the House of Lords and

a member of the House of Lords Finance Committee. He has been a member of the House of

Lords since 1979 and formerly served as the Government Deputy Chief Whip (2016 – 2024),

Government Whip (1995 – 1997 and 2015 – 2016), and as a member of the Hybrid

Instruments Committee (1999 – 2001), Inheritance and Trustees' Powers Bill Committee

(2013), and Digital Skills Committee (2014 – 2015). The Earl of Courtown is also a patron

of the Stroud Court Community Trust, a home providing long term support for autistic

adults.

17. Rupert Ponsonby, Lord De Mauley

Lord De Mauley has been a member of the House of Lords since 2005. He is currently a

member of the International Relations and Defence Committee, having recently finished a

term as its Chairman. He also sits on the Lord Speaker's Advisory Panel on Works of Art. He

has previously served as a Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (2012 – 2015)

and a Government Whip (2010 – 2012). He has also previously been a member of the

Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee (2022 – 2025), the EU Financial Affairs Sub-

Committee (2016 – 2019), the Trade Union Political Funds and Political Party Funding

Committee (2016), the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Bill

Committee (2011) and the Joint Committee on Security (2010 – 2012). Lord De Mauley is a

retired Reserve Army Officer who served as Master of the Horse to Queen Elizabeth II and

for the coronation of King Charles III.

18. Edward Howard, Earl of Effingham

The Earl of Effingham is one of the most active members of the House of Lords. He serves

as an Opposition Whip who regularly steps in as a relief shadow minister across all

departments. He has been a member of the House of Lords since 2022 and prior to that he

worked for 23 years in finance at ANZ Investment Bank, Barclays Investment Bank and

Mizuho Bank.

19. Giles Goschen, Viscount Goschen

Viscount Goschen has been a member of the House of Lords since 1988. Between 1994 and

1997 he served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, and Minister for

Aviation and Shipping. He had previously served as a Government Whip (1992 – 1994),acting as a spokesman in the House of Lords for a number of government departments. He is

currently a member of the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, and the

Procedure and Privileges Committee. Since leaving government in 1997, his career has

encompassed investment banking, philanthropy, executive search and business consulting.

Between 2005 and 2025 he worked with Korn Ferry, concentrating on senior executive and

non-executive appointments. Since 2025 he has worked with Westbury Partners, a strategic

advisory consultancy. In his early career, he was involved with wildlife conservation, rural

development and tourism organisations in Zambia, and subsequently served on the board of a

charity supporting these goals.

20. Jasset Gore, Lord Harlech

Lord Harlech entered the House of Lords in 2021. He currently serves on the House of

Lords Procedure and Privileges Committee and Social Mobility Policy Committee.

He previously served as a Government Whip (2022 – 2024) covering business for the

Ministry of Defence, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Foreign,

Commonwealth and Development Office, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport,

His Majesty's Treasury and the Wales Office. He has previously served on the House of

Lords Land Use in England Committee (2022) and Electronic Trade Documents Bill

Committee (2022 – 2023). Lord Harlech has been an active and serving Army Reserve

Officer since 2019 with 1st Battalion London Guards. This has included a secondment to the

Directorate of Personnel in Army Headquarters, focusing on retention initiatives in the Army

Reserve. He is a director of Historic Houses and was formerly a Historic Houses Wales

Committee Member from 2020 to 2022.

21. Frederick Curzon, Earl Howe

Earl Howe is the longest continuously serving Conservative frontbencher, amassing 35 years

of service on the frontbench in the House of Lords. He is currently the Deputy Leader of the

Opposition in the House of Lords and a member of the Liaison Committee and the

Procedures and Privileges Committee. He has been a member of the House of Lords since

1984 and has formerly served as the Deputy Leader of the House of Lords (2015 –

2024), Minister of State for Defence (2015 – 2019), Parliamentary Under Secretary of State

for Quality, Department of Health (2010 – 2015); Opposition Spokesman for Health andSocial Care (1997-2010); Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence (1995-97);

Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (1992-95); and

Government Whip (1991-92).

22. Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, Earl of Minto

The Earl of Minto is the Shadow Defence Minister in the House of Lords. He has been a

member of the House of Lords since 2022 and formerly served as a Minister of State for

Business and Trade (2023) and Minister of State for Defence (2023-2024). His background

is in business, and he was previously the chief executive of Paperchase.

23. Colin Moynihan, Lord Moynihan

Lord Moynihan is the Shadow Minister for Energy and Net Zero in the Lords. He was

formerly MP for Lewisham East (1983-1992), when he was Minister for Sport (1987-1990)

and for Energy (1990-1992). In the Lords, he has been a Shadow Senior Foreign Affairs

Spokesman and Shadow Sports Minister. He has served on the Delegated Powers and

Regulatory Reform Committee, Arctic Committee and Olympic and Paralympic Legacy

Committee. Lord Moynihan was President of the Oxford Union, Chair of the World Youth

Summit, Patron of the British Wind Energy Association, Chair of the UK Renewable Energy

Group, Chair of the British Olympic Association and a Board member for the London

Olympic and Paralympic Games. He is a recipient of the Olympic Order. He was a Rowing

Silver Medallist at the 1980 Olympic Games. Lord Moynihan is also Chair of Amey and the

Acteon Group.

24. Aeneas MacKay, Lord Reay

Lord Reay has been a member of the House of Lords since 2019. He is a long-serving

Conservative Party Whip, a role he fulfilled when we were in Government as well as now in

Opposition. He has previously been a member of the House of Lords Finance Committee

(2023 - 2026), Industry and Regulators Committee (2021 – 2024) and the Bishops Stortford

Cemetery Bill Committee (2023). His career outside of Parliament has been in investment

banking at Robert Fleming & Co and JP Morgan in London and New York, following which

he co-founded the boutique corporate finance firm Montrose Partners LLP (now Merlin

Partners). He is also the Chair of the not-for-profit Fashion Minority Alliance.25. Massey Lopes, Lord Roborough

Lord Roborough has been a Shadow Minister for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since

July 2024. He formerly served as a Government Whip (2023 – 2024) and as a member on the

Finance Bill Sub-Committee (2023) and Arbitration Bill Committee (2024). He entered the

House in October 2022. He previously worked for 17 years as a technology, industrials and

energy investment analyst and manager at London based asset management companies. Prior

to that he spent 10 years as an investment analyst at a number of investment banks focusing

mostly on technology and medical technology companies. He is also a livestock and dairy

farmer, forester, and has significant experience in energy transition technologies and natural

capital markets.

26. Thomas Galbraith, Lord Strathclyde

Lord Strathclyde is a former Leader of the Conservative Party in the House of Lords,

a position he held for fifteen years from 1998 to 2013. He is currently Chairman of the

House of Lords Constitution Committee and a member of the Retirement and Participation

Committee. He has served in a number of Government roles, including Leader of the

House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (2010 – 2013), Chief Whip (1994

- 1997), Minister for Trade (1993 – 1994), Minister for the Environment (1992 – 1993),

Minister for Scotland (1990 – 1992), Minister for Employment (1989 - 1990) and

Government Whip (1988 – 1989). He is currently Chair of Hampden Agencies in Lloyd's of

London and its parent company Hampden Holdings. He has formerly been a Senior Strategic

Advisor to the Battersea Power Station Development Co, Chair of Raytheon UK, and an

advisor to the boards of JCB, PWC, and Ferrero.