Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws explained

Honorific Prefix:The Right Honourable
The Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws
Office:Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University
Term Start:26 July 2018
Predecessor:Robert Winston, Baron Winston
Office2:Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford
Term Start2:September 2011
Term End2:2018
Predecessor2:Diana Walford
Successor2:Helen Mountfield
Office3:Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Term Start3:27 October 1997
Life peerage
Birth Name:Helena Ann Kennedy
Birth Date:12 May 1950
Birth Place:Glasgow, Scotland
Nationality:British
Occupation:Barrister, television presenter
Party:Labour Party
Partner:Iain Mitchell (1978–1984)
Children:3

Helena Ann Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, (born 12 May 1950), is a Scottish barrister, broadcaster, and Labour member of the House of Lords. She was Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford, from 2011 to 2018. A Bencher of Gray's Inn, an Honorary Writer to the Signet and the recipient of 42 Honorary Degrees from many universities including those of Glasgow and Edinburgh in recognition of work on women and the law and on widening participation in higher education. She is President of Justice, the law reform think tank, and is also director of the International Bar Association's Institute of Human Rights.

Early life and education

Kennedy was born on 12 May 1950 in Glasgow, Scotland, one of the four daughters of Mary Veronica (née Jones) and Joshua Patrick Kennedy, nicknamed "Mae" and "Joss", respectively.[1] Her parents were committed Labour activists and devoutly Roman Catholic.[2] Her father, a printer with the Daily Record, was a trade union official.[2]

She attended Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow, where she was appointed Head Girl. She studied law at the Council of Legal Education in London.[2]

Legal career

In 1972, Kennedy was called to the bar at Gray's Inn. Among her many cases, Kennedy acted as junior counsel for child murderer Myra Hindley during her 1974 trial for plotting to escape from Holloway Prison.[3] [4]

Politics

Kennedy rebels against her party whip in the House of Lords more frequently than any other Labour Peer, having a dissent rate of 33.3%.[5] She was Chair of Charter 88 (1992–1997) and is closely affiliated to the educational charity Common Purpose. In 2020, she worked with the Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith and democracy activist Luke de Pulford to create the global pressure group Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China.[6] In March 2021, China placed sanctions on her.[7] The sanctions were condemned by the Prime Minister and led the Foreign Secretary to summon the Chinese ambassador.[8] [9]

Academia

Kennedy became the first Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University, serving from 1994 until 2001. She was elected principal of Mansfield College, Oxford, in July 2010 and served in the role from September 2011.[10] She retired in 2018 and became Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University on 26 July 2018.[11]

Personal life

From 1978 to 1984 she lived with the actor Iain Mitchell, and together they had a son. In 1986, Kennedy married Iain Louis Hutchison, a surgeon, with whom she has a daughter and a son.[2]

Kennedy regularly attends Mass and professes that her Roman Catholicism "remains very much part of who I am", even though she eschews its more traditional values.[2]

In 2023, Kennedy took part in King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation at Westminster Abbey, carrying the Queen Consort's Rod with Dove.[12]

Honours

She has received numerous academic awards, including:

Broadcasting

Appointments

Civic honours

Bibliography

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: 1 December 2007. http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/10.1093/ww/9780199540884.001.0001/ww-9780199540884-e-22850. Who's Who. Oxford University Press. en. 10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u22850. 22 April 2019. Kennedy of the Shaws, Baroness, (Helena Ann Kennedy) (Born 12 May 1950). 978-0-19-954088-4.
  2. News: A radical in the House. Wroe. Nicholas. 27 March 2004. The Guardian. 2 March 2011.
  3. News: Baroness Helena Kennedy QC on why the British justice system is failing women. Yorkshire Post. 2 August 2018.
  4. [Carol Ann Lee]
  5. http://www.publicwhip.org.uk/mps.php?house=lords&sort=rebellions Rebel Lords — Current members
  6. Web site: Parliamentarians From Around the World Unite to Discuss the China Challenge. Benedict . Rogers. 6 June 2020. 31 January 2021. thediplomat.com. en-US.
  7. News: 26 March 2021. Uighurs: China bans UK MPs after abuse sanctions. en-GB. BBC News. 28 March 2021.
  8. News: China sanctions: Boris Johnson praises MPs banned by Beijing for 'shining a light on gross human rights violations' . Tom . Cheshire. Nick Lester. Sky News. 26 March 2021.
  9. News: 'Badge of honour' - China sanctions UK politicians for Xinjiang 'lies' . Reuters. 26 March 2021.
  10. http://www.mansfield.ox.ac.uk/about/news/article/article/baroness-helena-kennedy-qc-elected-next-principal-of-mansfield-college.html "Baroness Helena Kennedy QC elected next Principal of Mansfield College"
  11. Web site: Principal. Mansfield College. University of Oxford. 16 November 2017. en. 6 April 2023. https://web.archive.org/web/20230406150149/https://www.mansfield.ox.ac.uk/node/3412. dead.
  12. Web site: 2023-04-28 . The full list of people with ceremonial roles during King's coronation . 2023-05-17 . The Independent . en.
  13. Web site: 2010-04-26 . Helena Kennedy QC made an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College . 2023-11-28 . University of Cambridge . en.
  14. Web site: Baroness Helena Kennedy QC . Plymouth University Honorary degrees 2012. 18 October 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20131019104057/http://www1.plymouth.ac.uk/graduation/honorarydegrees/honoraries2012/Pages/Baroness-Helena-Kennedy-QC.aspx . 19 October 2013 . dmy-all .
  15. News: Baroness Helena Kennedy of The Shaws. The Royal Society of Edinburgh. 9 February 2018. en-GB.
  16. News: 2021-12-07 . BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year? . en-GB . BBC News . 2022-12-16.
  17. News: Coronation order of service in full . BBC News . 5 May 2023 . 6 May 2023.
  18. Majesty Magazine . MajestyMagazine . 1766584836427268227 . New appointments to the Order of the Thistle.
  19. http://www.soas.ac.uk/directorate/soas2016/file23384.pdf "2016: A Vision and Strategy for the Centennial"
  20. News: Qureshi . Huma . Helena Kennedy: 'Women's struggles are not over' . 17 October 2012. . London. 6 May 2015.
  21. Web site: New Chancellor for Sheffield Hallam University. shu.ac.uk. 29 October 2018. 18 February 2024.
  22. Web site: IBA - IBAHRI Secretariat to the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom. 16 December 2020. www.ibanet.org. en-gb.
  23. https://www.liftfestival.com/about-us/meet-the-team "Meet The Team"
  24. https://publiclawproject.org.uk/what-we-do/who-we-are/patrons/
  25. Web site: SafeHands for Mothers. SafeHands for Mothers. 9 September 2014.
  26. Chandler, Mark (20 January 2020), "Kennedy steps down as Booker Prize Foundation chair", The Bookseller.
  27. Web site: CHE > In the news. www.c-h-e.org.uk. 16 May 2019. 28 February 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170228142003/http://www.c-h-e.org.uk/news.shtml. dead.
  28. Web site: Kennedy Baronessa Helena - Cavaliere di Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana. . it . 23 April 2004.