News / Politics
Debbonaire and Rees to be elevated to House of Lords
Lord Rees and Baroness Debonnaire will soon be taking their seats in the House of Lords.
Former Bristol mayor Marvin Rees and former Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire are among 30 new Labour peers being created by prime minister Keir Starmer.
Members of the House of Lords are able to claim a daily allowance of £361 for their work “making and shaping laws and checking and challenging the work of the government”.
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Keir Starmer and Marvin Rees on a visit to a housing development on Bath Road which has since been beset by delays – photo: Labour Party
Debbonaire, a former professional cellist, was an MP from 2015 to 2024 and served in the shadow cabinets of both Jeremy Corbyn and Starmer.
She tweeted: “I’m honoured to be asked to join the House of Lords. I’m grateful to the Prime Minister for giving me this opportunity to serve the country and support the Labour government he leads to transform the UK.”
In the 2024 general election, Debbonaire was one of Labour’s highest profile casualties as she lost the newly created Bristol Central seat to Carla Denyer.
After the role of Bristol mayor was scrapped in a citywide referendum, Rees attempted to get elected to the House of Commons himself, but Labour members in Bristol North East failed to choose him as their official candidate for the seat which was won by another former mayor, Damien Egan.
Writing on Facebook, Rees said: “I am deeply honoured to have been appointed to the House of Lords by the Prime Minister & His Majesty The King.
“A huge thank you to my family, friends, and team for all their support over many years. Looking forward to doing my best to do good with this incredible opportunity.”
Debbonaire and Rees will join other new Labour peers including Sue Gray, former chief of staff to the prime minister; and former MPs Luciana Berger, Lyn Brown and Julie Elliott.
They will be sitting on the red benches of the House of Lords chamber alongside former Bristol South MP, Dawn Primarolo, now baroness Primarolo of Windmill Hill.
Other members with Bristol links also include Barbara Janke, now known as baroness Janke of Clifton, the former Lib Dem leader of Bristol City Council; and the bishop of Bristol, Viv Faull.
Main photo: Labour Party
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