Catherine Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland

Infobox Minister
honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable
name = The Baroness Ashton of Upholland
honorific-suffix = PC


imagesize = 150px
order = European Commissioner (designate)
term_start = 3 October 2008
term_end =
primeminister = Gordon Brown
predecessor = Peter Mandelson
successor = Incumbent
order2 = Leader of the House of Lords
Lord President of the Council
term_start2 = 27 June 2007
term_end2 = 3 October 2008
primeminister2 = Gordon Brown
predecessor2 = The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Amos
successor2 = The Rt. Hon. The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon
birth_date = Birth date and age|1956|03|20|df=y
birth_place =
spouse = Peter Kellner
party = Labour

Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, PC (born 20 March 1956) is a Labour member of the British House of Lords, as well as former Leader of the House of Lords and former Lord President of the Council; she is United Kingdom's European Commissioner.

She was made a life peer as Baroness Ashton of Upholland 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. [http://www.number-10.gov.uk/output/Page12165.asp]

On October 3rd 2008, she was nominated to replace Peter Mandelson as the UK's European Commissioner in Brussels subject to Council approval acting by qualified majority under Article 215 of the European (Nice) Treaty as Mandelson shall be moving to the brief of the Business Secretary and a member of the House of Lords.

Personal life

Lady Ashton lives in St Albans with her husband, Peter Kellner, and their children, Robert and Rebecca. [http://www.thepeerage.com/p12633.htm]

External links

* [http://www.dca.gov.uk/dept/changprog/member_bashton.htm Biography from the Department for Constitutional Affairs]
* [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199899/minutes/991020/ldminute.htm Announcement of her introduction at the House of Lords] House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 10 October 1999

Offices held

-s-prec| in England and Wales & Northern IrelandSuccession box
title = Ladies
before = Princess Alexandra
after = The Baroness Hayman
years = Lord President of the Council