- Meral Hussein-Ece, Baroness Hussein-Ece
-
The Right Honourable
Baroness Hussein-EcePersonal details Born 10 October 1955
Islington, LondonNationality British Political party Liberal Democrats Children 2 daughters and one son Religion Muslim Website meralece.blogspot.com Meral Hussein Ece, Baroness Hussein-Ece, OBE (born 10 October 1953) is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. She is the first woman of Turkish Cypriot origin to be a member of either house of Parliament after she was appointed a Liberal Democrat working peer on May 28, 2010.[1]
Contents
Early life
Baroness Hussein-Ece was born in Islington[2]. Her Turkish -Cypriot parents: Ayshe Cuma Abdullah (mother) and the late Hasan Nihat Hussein (father), came to the UK from Cyprus in the early 1950s, and settled in Islington, North London[citation needed]
Career
Ece originally studied art history and fine art, before going to work in local government and training as a librarian[citation needed]. She subsequently worked for Islington Council's Race Equality Unit, then went to work as a senior manager in the National Health Service, including as chief officer for Haringey Community Health Council[citation needed].
She was elected as a Labour councillor on Hackney Borough Council in Clissold ward in 1994,[3] and was Deputy Leader in 1995 and 1996.[4] She was the first woman from a Turkish/Cypriot background elected to public office in the UK.[5] In May 1996, a split opened up in the Labour group on Hackney Council with Ece a member of the "Manifesto Group".[6]
17 councillors in the 'Manifesto Group' including Ece subsequently formed the 'Hackney New Labour' group in September 1996, which despite its name was not affiliated to the Labour Party.[7] The 'Hackney New Labour' group subsequently broke up and Ece then joined the Liberal Democrats; she was re-elected to Hackney Borough Council in Dalston ward in 1998.[8]
She was instrumental in setting up the very first Turkish Women's Group, and establishing a domestic violence project for Turkish and Kurdish women[citation needed].
In the local government elections of 2002, Ece did not stand for re-election in Hackney but was elected as Liberal Democrat councillor for Mildmay ward on Islington Borough Council.[9] She was the Cabinet Member for Health and Social Care from 2002 to 2006, serving as Chair of the Islington Health Partnership Board and as a member of Islington Primary Care Trust Board. She was also a non-executive director of Camden and Islington Mental Health and Social Care Trust.[4] After being re-elected in 2006, Ece was Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee from 2007 to 2009. In November 2009, Ece was appointed as a Commissioner to the Equality and Human Rights Commission[citation needed]. In May 2008 Ece was appointed by the Minister for Equalities, Harriet Harman MP to serve on the Government’s Task Force to increase the numbers of ethnic minority women councillors in the UK[citation needed].
Ece was awarded the OBE in the Queens New Year Honours 2009, for services to local government.[10] She was Chair of the Ethnic Minority Liberal Democrats (2007–10) and was a member of the Liberal Democrats Federal Executive Committee 2005-10, and advised Nick Clegg MP, Leader of the Liberal Democrats on community cohesion and minority ethnic communities[citation needed].
After an announcement by the UK Cabinet Office on Friday 28 May 2010, Meral Hussein Ece was appointed as a peer to the House of Lords and took her seat as Baroness Hussein-Ece, of Highbury in the London Borough of Islington. She made her maiden speech at the House of Lords on 15 July 2010 in a debate on criminal justice.[11]
In 2011 she received criticism for referring to 'chavs' in a social networking site update.[12] [13].
Personal life
She has 3 children.[citation needed]
References
- ^ "Peerages, honours and appointments". Number 10. 28 May 2010. http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2010/05/peerages-honours-and-appointments-51162.
- ^ "Baroness Hussein-Ece's maiden speech in the House of Lords". http://www.libdemvoice.org/baroness-meral-husseineces-maiden-speech-20346.html. Retrieved May 29, 2011.
- ^ "London Borough Council Elections 5 May 1994", London Research Centre, 1994, p. 66.
- ^ a b "Official Biography at the House of Lords". House of Lords. http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/87255. Retrieved June 01, 2011.
- ^ Operation Black Vote: Meral Hussein-Ece.
- ^ Boggan, Steve (17 May 1996). "'Dirty tricks' spark Labour civil war". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/dirty-tricks-spark-labour-civil-war-1347719.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ Rentoul, John (13 September 1996). "Hackney council splits over inquiry". London: The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/hackney-council-splits-over-inquiry-1363019.html. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
- ^ "London Borough Council Elections 7 May 1998", London Research Centre, 1998, p. 63.
- ^ "London Borough Council Elections 2 May 2002", Greater London Authority, 1998, p. 99.
- ^ "Full New Year's Honours List". WalesOnline. 31 December 2008. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/2008/12/31/full-new-year-s-honours-list-91466-22578727/3/.
- ^ "Lords Hansard text for 15 Jul 2010". Hansard. House of Lords. 15 July 2010. http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/100715-0001.htm#10071527000585.
- ^ Toynbee, Polly (May 2011). "Chav: the vile word at the heart of fractured Britain – Polly Toynbee". London: Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/may/31/chav-vile-word-fractured-britain.
- ^ "Why is 'chav' still controversial?". BBC. June 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-13626046.
External links
Categories:- Living people
- 1955 births
- British people of Turkish descent
- British people of Cypriot descent
- Turkish Cypriot people
- People from Islington
- Female life peers
- Liberal Democrat (UK) politicians
- Liberal Democrat life peers
- Councillors in Hackney
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