Catherine Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland

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The Right Honourable  The Baroness Ashton of Upholland  PC
Leader of the House of Lords Lord President of the Council
Incumbent
Assumed office  27 June 2007
Prime Minister	Gordon Brown
Preceded by	The Baroness Amos
Born	20 March 1956 (1956-03-20) (age 52)
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Peter Kellner

Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, PC (born 20 March 1956) is a Labour member of the British House of Lords, Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council.

She was made a life peer as Baroness Ashton of Upholland, of St Albans in the County of Hertfordshire, in 1999. In June 2001 she was made a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Education and Skills. In 2002 she was appointed minister for Sure Start in the same department. In September 2004, she was made a Parliamentary Under-Secretary in the Department for Constitutional Affairs, with responsibilities including the National Archives and the Public Guardianship Office. Lady Ashton of Upholland was admitted to the Privy Council in 2006, and became Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the new Ministry of Justice in May 2007.

On 28 June 2007 the new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, promoted her to the Cabinet as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council.[1]

[edit] Personal life

Lady Ashton lives in St Albans with her husband, Peter Kellner, and their children, Robert and Rebecca. [2]

[edit] External links

• Biography from the Department for Constitutional Affairs
• Announcement of her introduction at the House of Lords House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 10 October 1999

• Robert Kellner and Rebecca Kellner

[edit] Offices held

Political offices
Preceded by The Baroness Amos	Lord President of the Council 2007 – present	Incumbent
	Leader of the House of Lords 2007 – present
Order of precedence in England and Wales & Northern Ireland
Preceded by Princess Alexandra	Ladies Lord President of the Council	Succeeded by The Baroness Hayman

v • d • e UK Order of Precedence (Ladies)* HM The Queen • HRH The Duchess of Cornwall and Rothesay • HRH The Countess of Wessex • HRH The Princess Royal • HRH Princess Beatrice of York • HRH Princess Eugenie of York • Lady Louise Windsor • HRH The Duchess of Gloucester • HRH The Duchess of Kent • HRH Princess Michael of Kent • HRH Princess Alexandra, The Hon Lady Ogilvy • The Rt Hon The Baroness Ashton of Upholland PC • The Rt Hon The Baroness Hayman PC • The Rt Hon Harriet Harman QC MP *not including short-term appointments and visiting dignitaries

v • d • e Brown Cabinet Alexander · Ashton · Balls · Benn · Blears · Brown · Browne · Burnham · Cooper · Darling · Denham · Harman · Hoon · Hutton · Johnson · Kelly · D. Miliband · E. Miliband · Murphy · Purnell · J. Smith · Straw · Woodward In attendance: Austin · Flint · Hughes · Jowell · Malloch-Brown · Royall · Scotland · A. Smith