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Baroness Lawrence: Stephen’s mother Doreen to be given seat in the Lords

I'm sure she would rather have Stephen back, but good news for her. Well done.
Doreen Lawrence is to get a seat in the House of Lords, the Standard can reveal today.

Her tireless campaigns for justice since the racist murder of her son Stephen have made her one of the capital’s most revered figures.

She will be made a baroness in a new peerages list which is expected to be published tomorrow. The Standard understands she will sit on the Labour benches as a working peer — one expected to regularly attend the Lords.

As Baroness Lawrence she will take her place alongside some of the country’s greatest statesmen and women.

But while Mrs Lawrence, 60, will follow the Labour whip, her stature as a dogged and dignified campaigner is seen by many to transcend ordinary party politics. She is understood to have been persuaded to accept a seat in the Lords by the shadow minister for London, Sadiq Khan, a long-standing friend.

The proposal was instantly agreed by party leader Ed Miliband and put forward to Downing Street in a list of Labour recommendations.

One admirer said: “Doreen Lawrence is a quietly spoken and humble woman, but one who never gives up. For her to grace the benches of the House of Lords will be wonderful. It really shows how we have moved on and progressed as a nation. It also sends a message to every mother and campaigner, never give up.”

The Labour Party declined to confirm or deny the appointment when approached this morning.

The honour comes 20 years after the murder of son Stephen, an 18-year-old aspiring architect, who was stabbed by a gang of white youths as he waited for a bus in Eltham.

After campaigning to expose the inadequate police investigation into the crime, Mrs Lawrence, a special needs teacher, founded the Stephen Lawrence Charitable Trust to promote a positive community legacy in her son’s name.

She has been chosen to sit on Home Office and police panels and is a board member of Liberty and a patron of Stop Hate UK.

A year ago Mrs Lawrence was chosen to take part in the Olympic opening ceremony and has been given a string of awards — most recently the Westbourne Change Opinion Award, for her two decades of relentless work. Stephen’s death and the original botched investigation by the Met was a landmark tragedy that forced the nation to confront the truth about pervasive racism in the system.

As a result of the Lawrence family campaign, the Macpherson Report identified “institutional racism” in the Met and, almost two decades later, Gary Dobson and David Norris, two of the original five suspects, were found guilty of Stephen’s murder.

A memorial service to honour the black teenager this year was attended by the Prime Minister, Mr Miliband and Met commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe.

Speaking at the event, Mrs Lawrence said Stephen’s siblings Stuart and Georgina still suffered from the traumatic event. “Their lives have been affected more than anyone would know from the outside,” she said.

Mrs Lawrence and husband Neville, 71, were divorved in 1999 and he now lives in Jamaica.
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Comments

  • edited July 2013
    Thought she would have preferred to have been an Independent peer considering how bad the system has treated them.
  • edited July 2013
    Not sure why she is up for this, what she has done for her son is commendable , surely this will be turned down by her anyway?
  • She has my respect for the way she fought on against 'the system' in her pursuit of justice. She refused to let her child become just another statistic and as a parent I can empathise with that.
  • A great lady.
  • Fair play to her, more deserving of this than some of the others that sit in that house.
  • A wonderful woman much worthier than most who get this.
  • Has shown magnificent dignity throughout the years and campaigned tirelessly for her son, family & many other causes.

    I'd love to say that she thoroughly deserves this, but having seen the shambles of Lord Howells this week, Mrs Lawrence is far too good for the Lords.
  • She has my respect for the way she fought on against 'the system' in her pursuit of justice. She refused to let her child become just another statistic and as a parent I can empathise with that.

    Thanks AUN, I wasn't sure how to word what I wanted to say. But you summed it up perfectly.

  • Good on her. She deserves it .
  • She has proved that she is a great campaigner: tenacious; intelligent; articulate. All credit to her.
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  • A woman of enormous dignity and integrity. She deserves this honour.
  • Taking the Labour Whip or being an Independent I am sure she will hold her own and be a great voice in the Lords. Amazing to think Stephen Lawrence would be 38 now.
  • Don't doubt her commitment to her campaign and would not wish what she went through on anyone but we know why she's been invited. Will be interesting if she accepts.
  • More worthy of a place in the upper house than many that sit there.
  • Don't doubt her commitment to her campaign and would not wish what she went through on anyone but we know why she's been invited. Will be interesting if she accepts.

    Presumably she has been consulted about whether she wants to become a peeress.

    What do you mean by "we know why she has been invited"?
  • Lots of parents suffer what she did and I would not wish it on any of them.

    But I think the Lawrence murder gets more publicity/attention/sympathy than most due to to the nature of it (White on Black racist attack) and I think her obvious (the Mother) link to it, means she also gets treated differently to the relatives of many other murdered people by the system, the media and general public.

    Nout against the woman but thats my opinion and that's what I meant BFR, when I said that is why she has been invited.

    If Mrs Lawrences white son had been despicibly killed in a racist attack that night, I don't think the invite would be there.
  • Lots of parents suffer what she did and I would not wish it on any of them.

    But I think the Lawrence murder gets more publicity/attention/sympathy than most due to to the nature of it (White on Black racist attack) and I think her obvious (the Mother) link to it, means she also gets treated differently to the relatives of many other murdered people by the system, the media and general public.

    Nout against the woman but thats my opinion and that's what I meant BFR, when I said that is why she has been invited.

    If Mrs Lawrences white son had been despicibly killed in a racist attack that night, I don't think the invite would be there.

    It's not because her son was murdered, it's what she did after that which sets her apart.
  • Lots of parents suffer what she did and I would not wish it on any of them.

    But I think the Lawrence murder gets more publicity/attention/sympathy than most due to to the nature of it (White on Black racist attack) and I think her obvious (the Mother) link to it, means she also gets treated differently to the relatives of many other murdered people by the system, the media and general public.

    Nout against the woman but thats my opinion and that's what I meant BFR, when I said that is why she has been invited.

    If Mrs Lawrences white son had been despicibly killed in a racist attack that night, I don't think the invite would be there.

    Oh, now there's a fucking surprise.
  • TelMc32 said:

    Has shown magnificent dignity throughout the years and campaigned tirelessly for her son, family & many other causes.

    I'd love to say that she thoroughly deserves this, but having seen the shambles of Lord Howells this week, Mrs Lawrence is far too good for the Lords.

    Well said, I agree on both points.
  • But I think the Lawrence murder gets more publicity/attention/sympathy than most due to to the nature of it (White on Black racist attack) and I think her obvious (the Mother) link to it, means she also gets treated differently to the relatives of many other murdered people by the system, the media and general public.

    The murder of Stephen Lawrence correctly got a lot of publicity because it lifted a lid on incompetence and racism in the police to the extent that it became a matter of public record that rather than arrest and question the suspects they actively conspired to instead protect them and smear Duwayne Brooks. An undercover police officer even infiltrated the campaign to dig up more dirt on them. All this rather than do their job.

    Doreen Lawrence isn't being awarded just because she's a wronged mother dealing with grief - she channelled her energies into campaigning to achieve a positive legacy. Read more here:

    http://www.stephenlawrence.org.uk/

    In addition she has done a lot more in civil liberties, human rights and racial equality. I guess some people would prefer that she played the role of an angry and bitter black woman.
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  • Just remember if you haven't got anything good to say about Doreen then best off not saying it on here folks.

  • Lots of parents suffer what she did and I would not wish it on any of them.

    But I think the Lawrence murder gets more publicity/attention/sympathy than most due to to the nature of it (White on Black racist attack) and I think her obvious (the Mother) link to it, means she also gets treated differently to the relatives of many other murdered people by the system, the media and general public.

    Nout against the woman but thats my opinion and that's what I meant BFR, when I said that is why she has been invited.

    If Mrs Lawrences white son had been despicibly killed in a racist attack that night, I don't think the invite would be there.

    This
  • I have nothing bad to say just think most of what she has done is based on finding the murderers of her son and dont understand why she is holding a torch at the olympics and now becoming a baroness
  • Exactly se9addick. She steadfastly refused to give up. Let's remember she didn't ask to become a figurehead for anything, she didn't volunteer for the situation she found herself in. Does anyone really think that if she had a choice she wouldn't rather still have her son and anonimity.

    She fought for justice for her son as any mother would, black or white.
  • nolly said:

    I have nothing bad to say just think most of what she has done is based on finding the murderers of her son and dont understand why she is holding a torch at the olympics and now becoming a baroness

    She founded a charity - has sat on the boards of several others and has even made the Met less racist and pursued justice for her son. That enough?



  • But I think the Lawrence murder gets more publicity/attention/sympathy than most due to to the nature of it (White on Black racist attack) and I think her obvious (the Mother) link to it, means she also gets treated differently to the relatives of many other murdered people by the system, the media and general public.

    The murder of Stephen Lawrence correctly got a lot of publicity because it lifted a lid on incompetence and racism in the police to the extent that it became a matter of public record that rather than arrest and question the suspects they actively conspired to instead protect them and smear Duwayne Brooks. An undercover police officer even infiltrated the campaign to dig up more dirt on them. All this rather than do their job.

    Doreen Lawrence isn't being awarded just because she's a wronged mother dealing with grief - she channelled her energies into campaigning to achieve a positive legacy. Read more here:

    http://www.stephenlawrence.org.uk/

    In addition she has done a lot more in civil liberties, human rights and racial equality. I guess some people would prefer that she played the role of an angry and bitter black woman.

    Very well said, BFR.

  • She made the met less racist? get real
  • But I think the Lawrence murder gets more publicity/attention/sympathy than most due to to the nature of it (White on Black racist attack) and I think her obvious (the Mother) link to it, means she also gets treated differently to the relatives of many other murdered people by the system, the media and general public.

    The murder of Stephen Lawrence correctly got a lot of publicity because it lifted a lid on incompetence and racism in the police to the extent that it became a matter of public record that rather than arrest and question the suspects they actively conspired to instead protect them and smear Duwayne Brooks. An undercover police officer even infiltrated the campaign to dig up more dirt on them. All this rather than do their job.

    Doreen Lawrence isn't being awarded just because she's a wronged mother dealing with grief - she channelled her energies into campaigning to achieve a positive legacy. Read more here:

    http://www.stephenlawrence.org.uk/

    In addition she has done a lot more in civil liberties, human rights and racial equality. I guess some people would prefer that she played the role of an angry and bitter black woman.

    This, the way she always conducts herself so dignified and controlled given the horrors her family have been through, she has my respect and admiration, good luck to her.
  • nolly said:

    She made the met less racist? get real

    The Met was forced to publicly acknowledge that they were "institutionally racist" - one of the key findings of the MacPherson Enquiry. So yes, she forced the Met to re-evaluate the way it communicated with black communities in London.

  • Even if you don't believe Mrs Lawrence deserves a place in the Lords, pause for a minute and think about a good number of people already there before you post. Jeffrey Archer for starters.
This discussion has been closed.

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