Current Affairs

Tory Baroness Stowell who guided same-sex marriage through Lords, promoted in reshuffle

Jul 15 2014
Written by Joseph McCormick

Illustrated rainbow pride flag on a white background.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston, the Tory peer who was in charge of guiding the same-sex marriage bill for England and Wales through the House of Lords, has been promoted to Leader of the House of Lords and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

Baroness Stowell, the former Head of Corporate Affairs for the BBC, was last year made a junior minister at the Department for Communities and Local Government.

During today’s reshuffle, Baroness Stowell was promoted to Leader of the House of Lords, as well as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

The appointment was confirmed in a tweet from Prime Minister David Cameron.

Baroness Tina Stowell is the new Leader of the House of Lord and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster. #Reshuffle

— David Cameron (@David_Cameron) July 15, 2014

Baroness Stowell during debate around the equal marriage bill used a fictional marriage to actor George Clooney, in order to explain to the House the difference between adultery and unacceptable behaviour.

During the nine hours of debate on the first day of Report stage for the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act, Labour peer Lord Winston, the doctor and television presenter, as well as Baroness Stowell both made the observation that children “do better” when raised by same-sex parents.