Deborah Stedman-Scott, Baroness Stedman-Scott, (born 23 November 1955) is a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

member of the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

and the former Chief Executive Officer of Tomorrow's People Trust. She had served as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions from 2019 until 2023.

Early life and education

Born in

Paddington, London Paddington is an List of areas of London, area in the City of Westminster, in central London, England. A medieval parish then a Metropolitan Borough of Paddington, metropolitan borough of the County of London, it was integrated with Westminster ...

, she is the daughter of Jack and Doreen Margaret Scott and was educated at Ensham Secondary School for Girls, Southwark Technical College and the

Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestantism, Protestant Christian church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. It is aligned with the Wesleyan-Holiness movement. The organisation reports a worldwide m ...

Training College.

Career

Stedman-Scott has worked for

National Westminster Bank National Westminster Bank, trading as NatWest, is a major retail and commercial bank in the United Kingdom based in London, England. It was established in 1968 by the merger of National Provincial Bank and Westminster Bank. In 2000, it becam ...

1972–1976, for the

1978–83 and for

Tunbridge Wells Royal Tunbridge Wells (formerly, until 1909, and still commonly Tunbridge Wells) is a town in Kent, England, southeast of Central London. It lies close to the border with East Sussex on the northern edge of the High Weald, whose sandstone ...

Chamber of Commerce 1983–84. She joined Tomorrow's People Trust in 1984, a charity working with unemployed people. She held various roles there, rising through the ranks to become Chief Executive from 2005 to 2015. The UK Charity Awards 2005 named her Charity Principal of the Year. She was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant for

East Sussex East Sussex is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Kent to the north-east, West Sussex to the west, Surrey to the north-west, and the English Channel to the south. The largest settlement ...

in 2007 and an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours. On 12 July 2010, Stedman-Scott was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

as Baroness Stedman-Scott, of Rolvenden in the County of Kent. She was appointed to be a government whip ( Baroness-in-Waiting) on 27 October 2017. On 30 July 2019, Stedman-Scott was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in the first Johnson ministry. On 17 September 2021, she took on additional responsibility as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Women at the

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom. The office was created on 2 ...

, in the second cabinet reshuffle of the

second Johnson ministry The second Johnson ministry began on 16 December 2019, three days after Boris Johnson's audience with Queen Elizabeth II where she invited him to form a new government following the 2019 United Kingdom general election, 2019 general election. ...

. She is also a Trustee of New Devon Opera and New Philanthropy Capital.

Personal life

She entered into a civil partnership with Gabrielle Joy Stedman-Scott in 2006."Deborah Stedman-Scott (Peer)"
, Westminster Parliamentary Record

References

External links

Official Biography House of Lords
1955 births Living people English lesbian politicians Deputy lieutenants of East Sussex Officers of the Order of the British Empire Conservative Party (UK) life peers Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II LGBTQ life peers Fellows of the Royal Society of Arts {{Life-peer-stub