A previous joint general secretary of the UK’s biggest teaching union, the former children’s commissioner for England and a leading figure in the free school movement have been given peerages today.
The King confirmed these and other peerages this afternoon, which have been put forward by Labour, the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats.
Mary Bousted jointly led the NEU teaching union from 2017 to 2023 with Kevin Courtney, after the merger of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers - of which she had been general secretary - and the National Union of Teachers.
Anne Longfield served as children’s commissioner for England from 2015 to 2021. She is now the executive chair of the Centre for Young Lives.
Both she and Dr Bousted were announced in Labour’s peerages list today.
On the Conservatives’ list was Toby Young, founder and director of the Free Speech Union, who also founded the West London Free School and was a director of the New Schools Network.
Former union leader Sir Brendan Barber also becomes a Labour peer as part of prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s first round of political honours. He was the general secretary of the Trades Union Congress for over a decade until 2012.
Other Labour nominations include Kevin Brennan, who was a minister in the Department for Children, Schools and Families (which became the Department for Education) and later a shadow education minister.
Carwyn Jones, formerly first minister of Wales and Welsh education minister, was also nominated by Labour, as was Dinah Caine, chair of Camden STEAM, which supports young people to go into science and maths.
Teacher supply a key issue for new peer
Dr Bousted said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to the House of Lords. My priority will be to support a successful Labour government in its reforms and to stand up and speak out for education.”
She said a key policy issue she had been focused on since leaving her role as joint NEU general secretary was teacher supply.
“This affects the most disadvantaged young people,” said Dr Bousted, who added: “I see teacher supply and the challenges we have with it as a social justice issue.”
Ms Longfield said she was “deeply honoured” to serve in the House of Lords, and confirmed she would continue her work with the Centre for Young Lives, which she founded and now chairs.
“It is the greatest privilege of my life, after 40 years working to improve the life chances of children and to provide support to families, to have been given this incredible opportunity to continue that work in Parliament,” she said.
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