The Baroness Barker | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 31 July 1999 Life Peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 January 1961 |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Alma mater | University of Southampton |
| Occupation | Politician |
Elizabeth Jean Barker, Baroness Barker (born 31 January 1961) is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.
Barker was educated at Dalziel High School, a secondary school in Motherwell, Scotland.[1] She studied at the University of Southampton.[2]
Barker worked for Age Concern between 1983 and 2007. She was created a life peer as Baroness Barker, of Anagach in Highland, on 31 July 1999[3] and is a Liberal Democrat spokesperson on the Voluntary Sector and Social Enterprise.[4]
Barker revealed in a speech to the House of Lords that she was in a same-sex relationship during the passage of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act 2013.[5] She since became a Patron of Opening Doors London,[6] a charity which provided support for older LGBT people, and an Ambassador for the Albert Kennedy Trust.
Barker is Co-Chair[7] of both the All-Party Parliamentary Group on HIV, AIDS and Sexual Health[8] and the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health in the UK.[9] In the House of Lords she also serves as Deputy Speaker (since April 2024), as Deputy Chairman of Committees, and as Liberal Democrat Spokesperson on the Voluntary Sector.[10]
- ^ Who's Who 2008: London, A & C Black, 2008 ISBN 978-0-7136-8555-8
- ^ Debrett's People of Today London, Debrett's, 2008 ISBN 978-1-870520-95-9
- ^ "No. 55574". The London Gazette. 6 August 1999. p. 8517.
- ^ "Jim Wallace Announces Lib Dem Spokespeople in Lords". Liberal Democrat Lords. June 2015.
- ^ "Lib Dem peer Baroness Barker comes out during equal marriage debate". Pink News. 4 June 2013.
- ^ "Experience for Baroness Barker - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2020.
- ^ "Parliament". Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "All Party Parliamentary Group on HIV/AIDS". Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "All Party Parliamentary Group on Sexual and Reproductive Health". Retrieved 14 May 2024.
- ^ "Parliament". Retrieved 15 May 2024.