Janet Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon

Janet Anne Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, PC (born 20 August 1955), is a British Labour Co-operative Party politician. She was Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. She is the principal of Somerville College, Oxford.

The Right Honourable The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon PC
Principal of Somerville College, Oxford
Incumbent
Assumed office August 2017
Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords Shadow Leader of the House of Lords
In office 11 May 2010 – 27 May 2015
Leader	Harriet Harman (Acting) Ed Miliband
Preceded by	The Lord Strathclyde
Succeeded by	The Baroness Smith of Basildon
Ministerial offices 2005-2010 Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster In office 5 June 2009 – 11 May 2010 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by Liam Byrne Succeeded by The Lord Strathclyde Leader of the House of Lords In office 3 October 2008 – 11 May 2010 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by The Baroness Ashton of Upholland Succeeded by The Lord Strathclyde Lord President of the Council In office 2 October 2008 – 5 June 2009 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by The Baroness Ashton of Upholland Succeeded by The Lord Mandelson Chief Whip of the House of Lords Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms In office 24 January 2008 – 3 October 2008 Prime Minister Gordon Brown Preceded by The Lord Grocott Succeeded by The Lord Bassam of Brighton Baroness-in-waiting Government Whip In office 10 May 2005 – 25 January 2008 Prime Minister Tony Blair Gordon Brown Preceded by The Lord Triesman Succeeded by The Baroness Thornton
Members of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 October 2004 Life Peerage
Personal details
Born	(1955-08-20) 20 August 1955 Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England
Political party	Labour and Co-operative
Spouse(s)	Stuart Hercock ​ ( m. 1980; died 2010)
Children	3
Alma mater	University of London

Education and early political career

Royall grew up in Hucclecote and Newnham on Severn, where her parents ran a shop.[1]

Royall was educated at the Royal Forest of Dean Grammar School and Westfield College, University of London, where she gained a BA in Spanish and French in 1977.

Royall was a special adviser to Neil Kinnock, the leader of the Labour Party, in the 1980s, and she has remained a close ally of his ever since. She sought selection as Labour's candidate for Ogmore in a 2002 by-election, losing to Huw Irranca-Davies. In 2003 she became head of the European Commission office in Wales.[2]

House of Lords

On 25 June 2004, she was created a life peer as Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, of Blaisdon in the County of Gloucestershire.[3] She spoke for the Health, International Development and Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.

On 24 January 2008 Royall was appointed government chief whip in the House of Lords, on the resignation of Lord Grocott. She was appointed a Privy Counsellor later in the year. On 3 October 2008, she was appointed to the cabinet by Gordon Brown, as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council. On 5 June 2009, Royall was succeeded as Lord President by Lord Mandelson, the Business Secretary, and was appointed Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster.

She voted for a 100% elected House, on the last occasion that the House of Lords voted on Reform of the House of Lords in March 2007.[4] She has called for a national referendum on any reforms of the chamber.

In September 2012, she spoke out against the proposed badger cull.[5]

She announced in May 2015 that she would not seek re-election as the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords.[6]

In 2016, she chaired an investigation into allegations of antisemitism in Oxford University Labour Club and was subsequently one of two Vice-Chairs of the Chakrabarti Inquiry into antisemitism in the UK Labour Party.[7]

Principal of Somerville College

In February 2017, Somerville College, Oxford, announced the selection of Baroness Royall as its next principal.[8] She succeeded Alice Prochaska at the end of August 2017.[8]

Personal life

She was married to Stuart Hercock from 1980 until his death in 2010, and has a daughter, Charlie, and two sons, Ned and Harry.[9]

References

1. "Baroness Royall talks cost of living, utility bills and immigration ahead of elections". Gloucester Citizen.
2. "Euro appointment under fire". BBC.
3. "No. 57341". The London Gazette. 30 June 2004. p. 8139.
4. "Public Whip".
5. "Big Issue: Baroness Jan Royall of Blaisdon on the badger cull". This is Gloucestershire.
6. "Baroness Royall to step down as Labour leader in the Lords".
7. The Jewish Chronicle. “Shami Chakrabarti Is yet to Comment on Release of Royall Report into Labour Antisemitism.” Accessed July 29, 2020. https://www.thejc.com/news/uk/shami-chakrabarti-is-yet-to-comment-on-release-of-royall-report-into-labour-antisemitism-1.61744
8. Announcement of new Principal at Somerville College, Somerville College, 9 Feb 2017.
9. "Royall of Blaisdon, Baroness, (Janet Anne Royall) (born 20 Aug. 1955)". Who's Who. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U44490.

External links

• Profile at www.parliament.uk
• Baroness Royall of Blaisdon from Dod Online
• The Rt Hon the Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, PC at Debrett's People of Today

Political offices
Preceded by The Lord Grocott	Chief Whip in the House of Lords 2007–2008	Succeeded by The Lord Bassam of Brighton
	Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms 2007–2008
Preceded by Catherine Ashton	Lord President of the Council 2008–2009	Succeeded by The Lord Mandelson
	Leader of the House of Lords 2008–2010	Succeeded by The Lord Strathclyde
Preceded by Liam Byrne	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 2009–2010
Preceded by The Lord Strathclyde	Shadow Leader of the House of Lords 2010–2015	Succeeded by The Baroness Smith of Basildon
Party political offices
Preceded by The Baroness Ashton of Upholland	Leader of the Labour Party in the House of Lords 2008–2015	Succeeded by The Baroness Smith of Basildon
Academic offices
Preceded by Alice Prochaska	Principal of Somerville College, Oxford 2017–	Succeeded by Incumbent