Maeve Sherlock Explained

Honorific Prefix:The Reverend and Right Honourable
The Baroness Sherlock
Office:Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions
Primeminister:Keir Starmer
Term Start:9 July 2024
Predecessor:The Viscount Younger of Leckie
Office1:Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Status1:Life Peerage
Term Start1:17 June 2010
Embed:yes
Subterm:2023–2024
Suboffice:Faith
Subterm1:2013–2024
Suboffice1:Work and Pensions
Subterm2:2021–2022
Suboffice2:Education
Subterm3:2015–2020
Suboffice3:Senior Whip
Subterm4:2013–2015
Suboffice4:Whip
Birth Name:Maeve Christina Mary Sherlock
Birth Date:1960 11, df=y
Birth Place:Finsbury Park, London, England
Party:Labour
Residence:Durham, England
Alma Mater:University of Liverpool
Open University
St Chad's College, Durham

Maeve Christina Mary Sherlock, Baroness Sherlock, (born 10 November 1960) is a British politician serving as a Member of the House of Lords since 2010. A member of the Labour Party, she is an ordained priest of the Church of England.

Early life and education

Maeve Christina Mary Sherlock was born on 10 November 1960 in Finsbury Park, London. She was educated at Our Lady's Abingdon in Abingdon on Thames.

Sherlock read Sociology at the University of Liverpool, and later received a Master of Business Administration from the Open University.[1] She served as President of the National Union of Students from 1988 to 1990.[2]

Career

Sherlock was director of the UK Council for Overseas Student Affairs from 1991 until 1997, when she became chief executive of the National Council for One Parent Families. She was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 New Year Honours.

Sherlock worked as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2000 to 2003, advising the Chancellor of the Exchequer on social issues. She later became a trustee of think tank Demos.

Sherlock was chief executive of the Refugee Council from 2003 to 2006. A member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission from 2007 to 2010,[3] she chaired the National Student Forum during the same period.

Sherlock has been non-executive director of the Financial Ombudsman Service board since 2008. She was also non-executive director of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission from 2008 to 2010.

House of Lords

On 17 June 2010, Sherlock was created a life peer as Baroness Sherlock, of Durham in the County of Durham. She was introduced in the House of Lords on 5 July 2010, where she sits as a member of the Labour Party.[4] She made her maiden speech on 5 October 2010.[5]

Sherlock was appointed an opposition whip in March 2013, and a Work and Pensions spokesperson in October 2013. She was promoted to serve as a senior whip from May 2015 until April 2020, when she stepped down from the position. She was an Education spokesperson from May 2021 to May 2022.

On 9 July 2024, she was appointed a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions.[6]

Church of England

Sherlock is an Honorary Fellow and Tutor at St Chad's College, Durham, where she studied for a doctorate in Theology.[7] [8]

Sherlock trained for ordained ministry at St Mellitus College from 2016 until 2018, when she was ordained as a Church of England deacon. She served her curacy at St Nicholas Church, Durham (St Nics) from 2018 to 2022.[9] She was ordained a priest at Durham Cathedral in June 2019.[10] In 2022, she was appointed a non-stipendiary priest vicar at Westminster Abbey, and was also licensed as non-stipendiary associate vicar at St Nics.[11] [12]

Notes and References

  1. News: 16 February 2005 . Staying power . The Guardian . 22 March 2017.
  2. Web site: MPs and Lords: Baroness Sherlock: Experience. UK Parliament. 6 August 2020.
  3. http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=328113&NewsAreaID=2 GNN – Government News Network
  4. https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/minutes/100622/ldordpap.htm House of Lords Business, 22 June 2010
  5. United Kingdom . Charitable Sector . House of Lords . 5 October 2010 . 721 . 46 . 49 . Baroness Sherlock .
  6. Web site: Baroness Sherlock OBE . GOV.UK . 12 July 2024 . en.
  7. http://www.durham.anglican.org/userfiles/file/Durham%20Website/News%20and%20Events/Online%20Newspaper/Newslink%20-%20July-August%202010.pdf "Maeve Sherlock Honoured"
  8. Web site: Maeve Sherlock . 12 May 2014 . Tutors' Profiles . St Chad's College, Durham.
  9. Web site: 30 June 2018 . Ordinations 2018 – Ordinands and Pictures . 6 July 2018 . Diocese of Durham.
  10. Web site: Inspiring Stories of Ministry Lie behind Ordination Ceremony in 2019. Diocese of Durhham. 21 June 2019. 30 June 2019.
  11. News: 20 May 2022 . Appointments . Church Times . 24 October 2022 . SHERLOCK. The Revd Maeve Sherlock, NS Assistant Curate of St Nicholas's, Durham (Durham), to be NS Associate Minister, remaining Priest-Vicar of Westminster Abbey. . https://web.archive.org/web/20220707040418/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/20-may/gazette/appointments/appointments . 7 July 2022.
  12. Web site: Staff . 24 October 2022 . St Nics Durham . en . https://web.archive.org/web/20221024173837/https://www.stnics.org.uk/staff . 24 October 2022.