Louise Ellman: My wonderful friend and colleague Meta Ramsay

Jewish Labour veteran Dame Louise Ellman has paid a touching tribute to Baroness Meta Ramsay, describing the late peer as “warm, knowledgeable and wonderful,” following her death earlier this week at the age of 89.

Baroness Ramsay, a hugely influential politician, MI6 operative, diplomat, and Labour Friends of Israel chair, passed away on May 28.

Speaking to Jewish News, Ellman shared that the Scottish-born peer had given her “terrific support and friendship over many years,” and explained that the two would often meet in London in recent years after Ellman left parliament to discuss the Labour Party and the situation in Israel.

Ellman,  joint Independent Chair of the Board of Deputies, recalled one poignant memory from 20 years ago, when she and Ramsay travelled on a Labour Friends of Israel trip to Ramallah to discuss peace prospects with Palestinian Authority officials.

“When we left Ramallah, we were held up for several hours at a border crossing together with many Palestinian women,” recalled Ellman.

“The heat was intense. The women told us that arbitrary closures often took place.

“Eventually we were allowed through by an Israeli official as we were designated ‘guests’, but the Palestinian women remained behind.”

“We always remembered this incident as we discussed the need for a peaceful two-state solution to this tragic conflict,” said Ellman.

Ellman also described Ramsay as “a great source of strength” during her battle against antisemitism in Labour under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership.

“The experience of that time remains traumatic,” admitted Ellman. “Meta’s support was invaluable.”

Ellman said the last time she met with Meta, several weeks ago, “we reminisced about these events.”

“She told me she was returning to Glasgow and would not be attending the Lords again,” recalled Ellman.

“She explained that she was considering officially retiring from the Lords on her 90th birthday, in July 2026. Sadly, she did not reach this landmark,” said Ellman.

“Meta was an incredible person. I will always treasure her memory and her friendship,” added Ellman.

Born in Glasgow in 1936 to a working-class family with Jewish and Church of Scotland roots, Ramsay’s mother was Jewish, with family roots tracing to Ukraine—her maternal grandmother had fled Tsarist-era pogroms before settling in Glasgow’s Gorbals district—and had embraced both Zionist and socialist ideologies. Her father, Alexander Ramsay, was a shipyard pattern-maker who was raised in the Protestant Church of Scotland.

She joined the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6) in 1969, shortly after completing her studies. She went on to forge a highly successful career in the Foreign Office and as a Labour politician in the House of Lords.

In October 2019, defending  Ellman’s decision to leave Labour during the Corbyn era, Ramsay wrote: “The hard left have fought a vicious battle against Louise in her constituency for the past four years.

“Any decent leadership of my party would have moved to suspend her constituency party and clear out the antisemites and bullies who dominate it. But these are, of course, the current leadership’s most loyal supporters and they will never move against them.”