Iceland supremo among Starmer's new Labour peers

THE chairman of Deeside-based supermarket chain Iceland, Richard Walker, and Matthew Doyle, a former Number 10 director of communications, have been nominated for a peerage by the Prime Minister.

- DAVID LYNCH

Katie Martin, a former senior adviser to Chancellor Rachel Reeves, is also among the 25 nominations from Sir Keir Starmer, according to a list published by No 10 on Wednesday.

The series of Labour appointments to Parliament's upper chamber comes as the UK Government has faced staunch opposition from peers over its flagship workers’ rights legislation.

Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has nominated former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, who in recent years has become a women's rights activists in the debate over trans rights.

Sir John Redwood, the ex-Conservative Cabinet minister, and journalist and historian Simon Heffer, have also been nominated by Mrs Badenoch.

Also included in Labour's list of new peers is Carol Linforth, the former Labour Party chief of staff.

She is the Labour staffer who could be seen removing Sir Keir’s jacket when he was glitter-bombed during his keynote conference speech in 2023.