Ex-Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies among new peers

10 Dec 2025, 21:57 by Political reporter

PA Media

Olympic medal-winning swimmer and campaigner Sharron Davies has been named as one of three new Conservative peers.

Ms Davies, a vocal critic of trans women in women's sport, was nominated by Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch.

The Tories said it was in recognition of her sporting achievements and her campaigning on women's rights.

Iceland supermarket chairman Richard Walker and former Number 10 communications director Matthew Doyle are among 25 new Labour peers nominated by Sir Keir Starmer. Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey nominated five new peers.

Ms Davies will sit alongside ex-Tory cabinet minister John Redwood and journalist and historian Simon Heffer - who have also been handed peerages.

She has become an outspoken campaigner against allowing transgender athletes in female competitions in order to "protect women's sport".

The swimmer, who won a silver medal at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow and two Commonwealth golds, denied that her comments were transphobic and claimed she had spoken to many other female athletes who "feel the same way as me".

Following her nomination, Ms Davies said it would be "exciting to carry on fighting for women's rights and safeguarding as well as trying to get as many kids, in particular, doing sport as possible".

Meanwhile, a Labour spokesperson said their new 25 peers would allow the government to "deliver on our mandate from the British people" and "correct" the imbalance against Labour in the House of Lords, where the Tories currently have more representation.

Despite having a majority in the House of Commons, Labour is currently outnumbered in the Lords, with 209 peers to the Tories' 282.

Mr Walker's nomination confirms reports earlier in the week from Labour sources calling him "a committed champion of families dealing with the cost of living".

The 45-year-old left the Conservative Party in 2023, and was later seen at the launch of Labour's manifesto for the 2024 general election.

In February this year, he gave the new government a score of "six out of 10" in comments to the Financial Times, taking issue with it raising employer national insurance contributions but praising its attempts to improve relations with the EU.

A Labour spokesperson said: "⁠The Tories stuffed the House of Lords, creating a serious imbalance that has allowed them to frustrate our plans to make working families better off.

"We will continue to progress our programme of reform, which includes removing the right of hereditary peers to sit and vote in the Lords."

Labour is in the process of abolishing 92 seats reserved for hereditary peers - who inherit their titles through their families.

Sir Keir Starmer has previously come out in favour of abolishing the House of Lords and replacing it with an elected Assembly of the Nations and Regions, but has not put forward deeper reforms before the next election.

Labour’s election manifesto called House of Lords reform "long overdue" and "essential" as the chamber is too large and many peers fail to serve democracy.

Among the new Labour peers are Mr Doyle, a veteran of the Tony Blair government who resigned in March after nine months leading Downing Street's press operation.

Rachel Reeves's ex-chief of staff Katie Martin, was also given a peerage.

Labour nominated several senior London-based political figures including Len Duvall, chair of the London Assembly, Mayor of Lewisham Brenda Dacres and ex-leader of Southwark Council Peter John.

The Lib Dems nominated Lord Addington and Earl Russell, both hereditary peers, letting them stay in the House of Lords after those seats are abolished.

The Earl of Kinnoull, one of the deputy speakers of the House of Lords, has also been awarded a peerage to remain as an independent crossbencher.

Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey said his party had appointed members who will work to "deliver the change our country desperately needs, including reform of the House of Lords".

They include ex-Lib Dem MP Sarah Teather, who served as children's minister between 2010 and 2012, and Rhiannon Leaman who has been Sir Ed's chief of staff since 2019.

No other party received new peers.

Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said he had written to the prime minister in the summer requesting that his party, which has five MPs and one Lord but regularly leads national voting intention polls, "have some representation in the House of Lords".

Most Lords are entitled to a £371 daily allowance for each sitting day they attend - although they can choose not to claim it.

Like MPs, they scrutinise the work of government and recommend changes to proposed legislation. Unlike MPs, however, peers are not elected.