Cherie Blair to lead Labour policy review
Cherie Blair has been invited to chair a review of Labour policy – raising the prospect that she could go on to take a seat in the House of Lords.
Is Cherie Blair's appointment to Labour policy review a first step towards a seat in the House of Lords? Photo: REX FEATURES
By Rosa Prince, Political Correspondent 3:28PM GMT 07 Mar 2011
The leading barrister and wife of the former prime minister has been asked by Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, to examine how the United Kingdom can help women in poor countries get involved in business and public life.
While Mrs Blair was active in the party before her husband’s election as an MP in 1983, it is the first time that she has got involved in Labour politics in her own right since then.
Westminster insiders suggested that the appointment could be a first step towards becoming a peer.
Baroness Kinnock, the wife of Lord Kinnock, another ex-Labour leader, was awarded a peerage in 2009 after serving as a Member of the European Parliament.
Tony Blair has so far eschewed the peerage to which by convention former prime ministers are entitled.
But it would be natural step for Mrs Blair, who, her husband has admitted, was active in Labour politics long before he was, and stood for Parliament in the constituency of North Thanet in Kent in 1983.
She took a back seat to Mr Blair after the couple agreed that whichever of them entered Parliament first would have the support of the other.
Three years ago, the part-time judge set up the Cherie Blair Foundation for Women, which works to provide female entrepreneurs in Africa, South Asia and the Middle East with support including finance.
Her appointment as chairman of the policy review was timed to coincide with the centenary celebrations for International Women’s Day.
Mrs Blair said that while women were "the drivers of change across the world," they faced serious barriers to achieving their potential.
She went on: "They are far more likely than men to invest their incomes back into their families – helping to drive up better health standards and educational opportunities for their children, which in turn benefits the wider community.
“That's why working for the economic independence of women is vital to the fight against global poverty.
"But there are so many barriers faced by women and girls in the developing world that they are often unable to participate in economic or political life and struggle to get access to health care and education for themselves, let alone their families.
"We need to look afresh at how countries like the UK, through their development efforts, can help make a real difference to the status and power of women in the developing world."
Welcoming the appointment, Harriet Harman, the shadow international development secretary, said: "I am delighted that Cherie Blair has agreed to chair this group.
“She is a committed campaigner for women and girls in the developing world. Her contribution will be invaluable."
The review is one of a number being carried out by the party across all areas of policy as Labour seeks to draw up a new programme for government ahead of the next general election.
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