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National treasurer of the Jewish Labour Movement takes seat in Lords
The former Holocaust Memorial Day Trust chair joins the upper chamber after more than two decades leading a child welfare charity
The national treasurer of the Jewish Labour Movement, Cathy Ashley, has taken her seat in the House of Lords.
Ashley, now known as Baroness Ashley of Lambeth, has been the chief executive of child welfare charity Family Rights Group for 22 years.
Family Rights Group advises and supports families in England when children’s services or family courts become involved in their children’s welfare.
According to the charity’s website, Lady Ashley has helped secure legislative changes, such as the exemption of kinship children from the limiting of child tax credit to two children, and one year work conditionality exemptions for kinship carers claiming benefits.
It also states that she has been at the forefront of designing practice innovations such as the ‘Lifelong Links’ approach for children in care and care leavers, so all children have a support network to turn to in life.
Lady Ashley also served as the chair of trustees for the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust from 2010 to 2016 and is a former Lambeth councillor.
The new Labour peer wore the traditional scarlet robes for her short introduction ceremony in which she swore allegiance to the King.
She was supported by former president of the Supreme Court Baroness Hale of Richmond and Labour former minister Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top.
Also taking his seat on the red benches on Tuesday was Saul Lehrfreund, who is the co-founder and co-executive director of The Death Penalty Project, which protects the rights of people facing capital punishment worldwide and campaigns for its abolition.
The Death Penalty Project takes legal action, including representing individuals and challenging the legality of the death penalty, and policy action, including commissioning research and assisting decision-makers.
Now known as Lord Lehrfreund, the law expert is a founding member of the Foreign & Commonwealth Office Pro Bono Panel, which represents British citizens who face the death penalty.
He is also a visiting professor of law at the University of Reading.
Lord Lehrfreund wore the traditional scarlet robes for his introduction ceremony, supported by human rights lawyers Lord Hermer and Baroness Kennedy of the Shaws.
It comes after his fellow co-founder and co-executive director of The Death Penalty Project, Lord Jabbar, was introduced to the upper chamber in September and supported by the same two peers.
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