New Labour peers announced including former Downing Street comms chief

The list of those who have been added to the New Year Honours list has been announced with several high profile Labour names. Probably highest profile among those nominated as Labour peers is Matthew Doyle, the former Director of Communication at both 10 Downing Street and the Labour Party.

Also on the list are the Lewisham Mayor Brenda Dacres OBE (who wrote for these pages recently) and former 2024 general election candidates Sophy Antrobus MBE (Salisbury) and Sharma Tatler (Chingford and Woodford Green). Former council leaders Peter John OBE (Southwark) and Nick Forbes (Newcastle) also got the nod, as did Fabian Society Chair Cllr Dr. Sara Hyde (also a recent LabourList author).

The Lib Dems got five new peers and the Conservatives three with one crossbench nomination. Neither the Green Party nor Reform UK have any nominations.

The full list of Labour Appointments:

1. Andy (Andrew) Roe KSFM – Chair of the national Building Safety Regulator and former London Fire Commissioner
2. Dame Ann Limb DBE DL – Former Further Education College Principal and former Chair, The Scouts. Pro Chancellor, University of Surrey, and Chair of City & Guilds Foundation, Lloyds Bank Foundation, and The King’s Foundation
3. Brenda Dacres OBE – Mayor of Lewisham
4. Carol Linforth OBE – Lately Labour Party Chief of Staff – Operations
5. Catherine MacLeod – Former journalist and political adviser, Visiting Professor at King’s College London and Non-Executive Director at the Scotland Office
6. David Isaac CBE – Provost of Worcester College, Oxford, Chair of the University of the Arts London, Chair of the Henry Moore Foundation, and a trustee of Cumberland Lodge
7. David Pitt-Watson – Responsible Investment Expert. Co-founder and former CEO of the Equity Ownership Service and Focus Funds at Federated Hermes
8. Farmida Bi CBE – Chair of Norton Rose Fulbright LLP, Vice-Chair of the Disasters Emergency Committee
9. Professor Geeta Nargund – Founder and former Medical Director of Create Fertility. Founder and Trustee of Health Equality Foundation
10. Katie Martin – Lately, Chief of Staff to the Chancellor of the Exchequer
11. Joe Docherty – Chair of Northern Powergrid Foundation and Trustee, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, former Chair of Council, Durham University
12. Len (Leonard) Duvall OBE – Chair of the London Assembly and Leader of the London Assembly Labour Group
13. Matthew Doyle – Former Director of Communications to the Prime Minister and for the Labour Party
14. Sir Michael Barber – Chancellor, University of Exeter and adviser to the Prime Minister on effective delivery
15. Neena Gill CBE – Former Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands
16. Nick (Nicholas) Forbes CBE – Chair, Breaking Down Barriers Commission and former Labour Leader, Newcastle City Council
17. Peter Babudu – Executive Director of Impact on Urban Health, former councillor in Southwark
18. Peter John OBE – Former Southwark Leader and former Chair of London Councils.
19. Richard Walker OBE – Founder and Chairman, Bywater and Executive Chairman, Iceland Foods
20. Russell Hobby CBE – CEO, The Kemnal Academies Trust, former CEO, Teach First and former General Secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers
21. Cllr. Dr Sara Hyde – Fabian Society Chair and Islington council’s Executive Member for Health and Social Care
22. Cllr. Shama Tatler – Brent Councillor and Vice-Chair of the London Labour Regional Executive, Patron of the Labour Housing Group and Head of the Labour Group Office at the Local Government Association
23. Dr Sophy Antrobus MBE – Senior Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Freeman Air and Space Institute at King’s College London
24. Tracey Paul – Chief Communications Officer at Pool Reinsurance and former policy advisor
25. Uday Nagaraju – Technology Consultant, Politician and Founder of AI Policy Labs

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