Fiona Twycross, Baroness Twycross Explained

Honorific Prefix:The Right Honourable
The Baroness Twycross
Office2:Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience
1Blankname2:Mayor
1Namedata2:Sadiq Khan
Predecessor2:Office created
Successor2:Jules Pipe
Term Start2:1 April 2018
Term End2:10 May 2024
Office3:Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Term Start3:7 November 2022
Life Peerage
Office4:Member of the London Assembly
as the 6th Additional Member
Term Start4:6 May 2016
Term End4:22 March 2020
Predecessor4:Murad Qureshi
Successor4:Murad Qureshi
Office5:Member of the London Assembly
as the 8th Additional Member
Term Start5:3 May 2012
Term End5:6 May 2016
Predecessor5:Caroline Pidgeon
Successor5:Tom Copley
Party:Labour
Alma Mater:University of Edinburgh
Office:Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Gambling
Term Start:23 July 2024
Predecessor:Stuart Andrew
Primeminister:Keir Starmer
Office1:Baroness-in-Waiting
Government Whip
Termstart1:11 July 2024
Primeminister1:Keir Starmer

Fiona Ruth Twycross, Baroness Twycross (born 29 May 1969) is a Labour Party politician. She was born in South London before moving to Oxford. She studied at Cheney School in Oxford before going on to study Scandinavian Studies at the University of Edinburgh and has a PhD in contemporary Scandinavian literature. She subsequently studied Public Policy and Management at Birkbeck, University of London.[1] She has been Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Gambling and a Baroness-in-Waiting since July 2024.[2]

Career

Prior to her election as a member of the London Assembly, Twycross worked for Diabetes UK as Head of Governance, having previously worked as the charity's Head of Campaigns and Volunteer Development. She has also worked for the Labour Party as Regional Director in Yorkshire and the Humber and the North East, and was Agent for the Sedgefield by-election, in which Phil Wilson succeeded Tony Blair after Blair's resignation from parliament.

Twycross was placed third on Labour's Assembly list for the 2012 London Assembly election[3] and was elected as a Londonwide Assembly Member in May 2012.[4] She was re-elected as a Londonwide member in 2016.[5] Twycross most recently sat on the Assembly's Education Panel,[6] and the Economy Committee.[7] Twycross was a member of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority (LFEPA) from 2012 until its abolition in 2018. She served as Labour Group Leader on the Authority from July 2013,[8] and as Chair from 2016 until LFEPA's 2018 abolition and her appointment as Sadiq Khan's Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience.[9]

In February 2019, Twycross announced that she did not intend to seek re-election to the Assembly at the 2020 London Assembly election,[10] in order to concentrate on her Deputy Mayoral role. Following the extension of the Assembly's term to 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic,[11] Twycross resigned as a member of the Assembly and was replaced by the next member on Labour's 2016 Londonwide list, former Assembly Member Murad Qureshi.[12]

As well as the Labour Party, Twycross is also a member of the Co-operative Party, the Fabian Society and the Socialist Health Association.

It was announced on 14 October 2022 that as part of the 2022 Special Honours, Twycross would receive a life peerage.[13] On 7 November 2022, she was created Baroness Twycross, of Headington in the City of Oxford.[14]

On 10 May 2024, [15]

Twycross was appointed Baroness in Waiting (Government Whip) on 11 July 2024 and Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport on 23 July 2024.[16]

Campaigns and activities

Twycross has led a number of campaigns since being elected to the assembly, notably leading a London Assembly investigation into the rise in food poverty in London which called for London to be a Zero Hunger City.[17] Boris Johnson subsequently adopted the goal as part of his 2020 vision, making London one of just two cities worldwide to sign up to the United Nations' Zero Hunger Challenge.[18]

Twycross has led the Labour 999SOS campaign, fighting cuts to emergency services since its launch in October 2012.[19] In her former role as the London Assembly Labour Group's Economy spokesperson, Twycross challenged former Mayor of London Boris Johnson over low pay and poverty in London and over the use of zero hours contracts at City Hall.[20]

In September 2013, Twycross co-founded the Labour Campaign for Universal Free School Meals with the GMB Union and Richard Watts, Leader of Islington Council.[21]

In November 2018, London joined the 100 Resilient Cities project and Twycross was appointed to the role of City Hall's Chief Resilience Officer by Sadiq Khan.[22]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Fiona Twycross » About Me. fionatwycross.org. 2014-02-10. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140118083306/http://www.fionatwycross.org/about-me/. 18 January 2014. dmy-all.
  2. Web site: Baroness Twycross . 2024-07-26 . GOV.UK . en.
  3. Web site: Labour announces London Assembly candidates LabourList. 13 July 2011 . labourlist.org. 2014-02-10.
  4. Web site: Meet The New London Assembly Members: Fiona Twycross Londonist. 15 June 2012 . londonist.com. 2014-02-10.
  5. Web site: Results 2016 London Elects. londonelects.org.uk. 2019-08-14.
  6. Web site: Committee details - Education Panel Greater London Authority. london.gov.uk. 2019-08-14.
  7. Web site: Dr Fiona Twycross - London City Hall Greater London Authority. london.gov.uk. 2019-08-14.
  8. Web site: London Fire Brigade – Member details – Dr Fiona Twycross AM. moderngov.london-fire.gov.uk. 2014-02-10.
  9. Web site: Twycross is appointed as London's Deputy Mayor for Fire Inside Croydon. 8 February 2018 . insidecroydon.com. 2019-08-14.
  10. Web site: Twycross is fourth Labour Assembly Member to stand down Inside Croydon. 12 February 2019 . insidecroydon.com. 2020-04-03.
  11. Web site: Local elections postponed for a year over coronavirus . 2020-03-13 . . en-GB . 2020-03-13.
  12. Web site: Labour's Alison Moore and Murad Qureshi join London Assembly East London and West Essex Guardian Series. 30 March 2020 . guardian-series.co.uk. 2020-04-03.
  13. Web site: Political Peerages 2022 . 14 October 2022. 15 October 2022. GOV.UK . en.
  14. Web site: Baroness Twycross . MPs and Lords . UK Parliament . 7 November 2022.
  15. Web site: Mayor announces key senior appointments . 2024-05-10 . Greater London Authority . Greater London Authority . 2024-08-02 . Baroness Fiona Twycross will be stepping down from her role as Deputy Mayor for Fire and Resilience to spend more time fulfilling her duties in the House of Lords. .
  16. Web site: Baroness Twycross . 2024-07-25 . GOV.UK . en.
  17. Web site: A Zero Hunger City – Tackling food poverty in London Greater London Authority. london.gov.uk. 2014-02-10. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131006063221/http://london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/london-assembly/publications/a-zero-hunger-city-tackling-food-poverty-in-london. 6 October 2013. dmy-all.
  18. Web site: Interactive timeline Greater London Authority. london.gov.uk. 2014-02-10. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140401082958/http://london.gov.uk/mayor-assembly/mayor/vision-2020/interactive-timeline. 1 April 2014. dmy-all.
  19. Web site: Fiona Twycross » 999 SOS. fionatwycross.org. 2014-02-10. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20140118083158/http://www.fionatwycross.org/999-sos/. 18 January 2014. dmy-all.
  20. News: Boris Johnson under fire over zero-hours contracts at City Hall UK news The Guardian. . 12 December 2013 . theguardian.com. 2014-02-10. Butler . Sarah .
  21. News: Free school dinners all round, regardless of income Education The Guardian. . 9 September 2013 . theguardian.com. 2014-02-10. Murray . Janet . Campbell . Denis .
  22. Web site: London joins world cities to prepare for economic and social challenge London City Hall. london.gov.uk. 2019-08-14.