Who is Charlotte Owen? The youngest life peer in historical past takes her seat
B
oris Johnson’s new peer Lady Owen of Alderley Edge took her seat within the House of Lords on Monday afternoon, turning into the youngest life peer in UK historical past.
Charlotte Owen was included on the previous prime minister’s honours record, which Rishi Sunak gave his approval to earlier than Mr Johnson resigned as an MP final month.
The former particular adviser was a shock inclusion on Mr Johnson’s resignation honours’ record on condition that she is believed to have solely had a collection of backroom political jobs within the administrations of the ex-PM and his successor, Liz Truss.
The record contained 38 honours and 7 peerages, together with former Downing Street chief of employees Dan Rosenfield and Kulveer Singh Ranger who labored with Mr Johnson when he was London mayor.
However, Owen was one of the mentioned names on the record on account of her age.
Who is Charlotte Owen?
Charlotte Owen is a 29-year-old former particular adviser. In 2015, she obtained a 2:1 in politics and worldwide relations from the University of York.
Before taking a place as a particular adviser to prime ministers Johnson and Liz Truss, she labored as an intern and parliamentary assistant. Owen cut up her time equally between Chris Heaton-Harris, the chief whip and parliamentary secretary to the Treasury, and Mr Johnson.
Sky News’s Liz Bates said: “She’s had a few jobs in Parliament. One of those was working for Boris Johnson. She did in the end work for the Number 10 policy unit. And I think at the end of her political career she was working for Liz Truss and the chief whip at the time, not an illustrious political career by any stretch, but she will go to the House of Lords as well.”
She has labored in politics for roughly 5 years and eight months, that means she has gone from parliamentary intern to baroness in slightly below six years.
Who else was rewarded on the honours record?
Along with Owen, different younger friends embrace Ben Gascoigne and Ross Kempsell.
Jacob Rees-Mogg and Priti Patel, each former Cabinet ministers below Johnson additionally obtained recognition, he a knighthood and she or he a damehood. Former ministers Andrea Jenkyns and Amanda Milling additionally obtained damehoods.
Ben Houchen, the mayor of Tees Valley, and Shaun Bailey, a former London mayoral candidate and member of the London Assembly, are two of the brand new friends.
In order to forestall by-elections for the Conservatives, no serving MPs got peerages.
Former tradition secretary Nadine Dorries and former Cop26 president Sir Alok Sharma weren’t put ahead for the House of Lords. The authorities reportedly rejected the nominations on the final minute to avert the opportunity of two probably disastrous by-elections.
However, Grant Shapps, the secretary for vitality safety, claimed that Downing Street had no affect over suggestions for peerages.