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22 Oct 2025
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22 Oct 2025
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A leading doctor and a prominent charity boss will join the House of Lords cross benches after being recommended for peerages by Parliament’s appointments watchdog.
Former president of the Royal College of GPs (RCGP), Professor Dame Clare Gerada, and former chief executive of Shelter and Women’s Aid, Polly Neate, will sit as non-party-political members of the unelected second chamber.
Dame Clare has been a medical practitioner in the NHS since 1983, with training in psychiatry and general practice.
She was chairwoman of the RCGP from 2010 to 2013 and later president from 2021 to 2023, during periods of significant reforms in the healthcare system.
Ms Neate is a social commentator who headed homeless charity Shelter from 2017 until 2025 and Women’s Aid from 2013 to 2017.
During her time as the latter, she campaigned for legislation to criminalise coercive and controlling behaviour which later became law.
The two peerages were recommended by the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission (Holac) and announced on Wednesday.
Holac has recommended a total of 78 non-party-political peerages since 2000 to the Prime Minister, drawn from approximately 6,500 nominations.
The commission also vets nominations for life peers, including those nominated by political parties.
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