Baroness Blake? Leeds City Council leader gets House of Lords peerage

The leader of Leeds City Council, Judith Blake, has been selected to be a Labour Party peer in the House of Lords.
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

Coun Blake (Lab) was named this afternoon among the new peers announced by the Government. Other names on the list include Archbishop of York John Sentamu and former head of MI5, Sir Andrew Parker.

It is thought that a successor for leader of Leeds City Council will be announced in the new year, but has not yet been disclosed when the peerage officially begins.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

While Coun Blake’s official title is not yet known, female recipients of peerages often take the title of “Baroness” before their name.

Coun Judith Blake will soon be a member of the House of Lords.Coun Judith Blake will soon be a member of the House of Lords.
Coun Judith Blake will soon be a member of the House of Lords.

Coun Blake has served as Leader of Leeds City Council since 2015 and was deputy leader for five years before that. She has also been a ward councillor in Leeds for 24 years.

Responding to the announcement, Coun Blake said: “I am honoured to be selected to join the House of Lords at this hugely important time. It has been a great privilege to serve as Leader of my home city of Leeds for the last five and a half years.

“Joining the House of Lords will allow me to continue to represent the interests of our city in Westminster. It has never been more important to have regional voices with experience of local government represented at a national level.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It is not yet known when Councillor Blake will start discussions in the New Year to ensure a smooth transition for when she steps down as Leader of Leeds City Council, once it is clear when her new role will commence.