A former Gedling MP is to enter the House of Lords for the first time following a ceremony taking place later today.
Vernon Coaker will take part in the ceremony at 1pm, which is being streamed live due to the coronavirus pandemic.
He was recommended for a life peerage by Labour leader Keir Starmer.
Mr Coaker will be officially introduced to the House as ‘Lord Vernon Coaker of Gedling in the County of Nottinghamshire’ at 1pm today (March 22).
Mr Coaker was the Labour MP for Gedling for 22 years. He lost his seat in the last election to Conservative MP Tom Randall.
Before taking on his new role, Mr Coaker had been working for the University of Nottingham’s Rights Lab as an Honorary Professor of Modern Slavery Policy, where he had been championing human rights.
When his new role was announced, Mr Coaker said: “My important new role will give me me the opportunity and platform to stand up for fairness, equality and social justice and play my part in holding the Government to account.
“I will also be working hard to ensure we have that desperately needed Labour Government as soon as possible.
“I will continue with my current local roles helping in the fight against human trafficking and modern slavery and with the local Nottingham Crime and Drugs Partnership.”
You can watch the ceremony live here: https://www.parliamentlive.tv/Event/Index/17371e4d-1538-4cba-9fe7-b6db658c4efb?fbclid=IwAR3czXZsHgiby7U_d_sPSONKevIqmk8RWMnICDKWTNX-NaZ543Sppl4QNqw
