Helena Ann Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws (born 12 May 1950), is a Scottish

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

, broadcaster, and Labour 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 ...

. She was Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford, from 2011 to 2018. A Bencher of Gray's Inn, an Honorary Writer to the Signet and the recipient of 42 Honorary Degrees from many universities including those of Glasgow and Edinburgh in recognition of work on women and the law and on widening participation in higher education. She is President of Justice, the law reform think tank, and is also director of the International Bar Association's Institute of Human Rights. In 2024, Kennedy succeeded Lord Neuberger of Abbotsbury as Chair of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom.

Early life and education

Kennedy was born on 12 May 1950 in

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, Scotland, one of the four daughters of Mary Veronica (née Jones) and Joshua Patrick Kennedy, nicknamed "Mae" and "Joss", respectively. Her parents were committed Labour activists and devoutly

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. Her father, a printer with the '' Daily Record'', was a trade union official. She attended Holyrood Secondary School in Glasgow, where she was appointed Head Girl. She studied law at the Council of Legal Education in

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

Legal career

In 1972, Kennedy was called to the bar at

Gray's Inn The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court (professional associations for barristers and judges) in London. To be called to the bar in order to practise as a barrister in England and Wale ...

. Among her many cases, Kennedy acted as junior counsel for child murderer Myra Hindley during her 1974 trial for plotting to escape from Holloway Prison. She was appointed a

Queen's Counsel A King's Counsel (Post-nominal letters, post-nominal initials KC) is a senior lawyer appointed by the monarch (or their Viceroy, viceregal representative) of some Commonwealth realms as a "Counsel learned in the law". When the reigning monarc ...

in 1991.

Politics

Kennedy rebels against her party whip in the

more frequently than any other Labour Peer, having a dissent rate of 33.3%. She was Chair of Charter 88 (1992–1997) and is closely affiliated to the educational charity

Common Purpose The doctrine of common purpose, common design, joint enterprise, joint criminal enterprise or parasitic accessory liability is a common law legal doctrine that imputes criminal liability to the participants in a criminal enterprise for all reas ...

. In 2020, she worked with the Conservative MP

Iain Duncan Smith Sir George Iain Duncan Smith (born 9 April 1954), often referred to by his initials IDS, is a British politician who was Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition (United Kingdom), Le ...

and democracy activist Luke de Pulford to create the global pressure group Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China. In March 2021, China placed sanctions on her. The sanctions were condemned by the Prime Minister and led the Foreign Secretary to summon the Chinese ambassador.

Academia

Kennedy became the first Chancellor of

Oxford Brookes University Oxford Brookes University (OBU; formerly known as Oxford Polytechnic) is a public university, public university in Oxford, England. It is a new university, having received university status through the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Th ...

, serving from 1994 until 2001. She was elected principal of Mansfield College,

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, in July 2010 and served in the role from September 2011. She retired in 2018 and became Chancellor of

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield station, Sheffield railway station, whil ...

on 26 July 2018.

Personal life

From 1978 to 1984 she lived with the actor Iain Mitchell, and together they had a son. In 1986, Kennedy married Iain Louis Hutchison, a

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

, with whom she has a daughter and a son. Kennedy regularly attends Mass and professes that her

Catholicism The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

"remains very much part of who I am", even though she eschews its more traditional values. In 2023, Kennedy took part in King Charles and Queen Camilla's coronation at

Westminster Abbey Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of Saint Peter at Westminster, is an Anglican church in the City of Westminster, London, England. Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British m ...

, carrying the Queen Consort's Rod with Dove.

Honours

She has received numerous awards, including: *

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the Royal Society of Arts (

FRSA The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...

) * Fellow of the

City and Guilds of London Institute The City and Guilds of London Institute is an educational organisation in the United Kingdom. Founded on 11 November 1878 by the City of London and 16 livery companies to develop a national system of technical education, the institute has be ...

(FCGI) * Member of the (

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

) * Honorary Fellow,

Royal College of Psychiatrists The Royal College of Psychiatrists is the main professional organisation of psychiatrists in the United Kingdom, and is responsible for representing psychiatrists, for psychiatric research and for providing public information about mental healt ...

, 2005 * Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 2005 * Honorary Fellow, Institute of Advanced Legal Studies * Honorary Fellow, Lucy Cavendish College,

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

, 2010 * Honorary Fellow,

School of Oriental and African Studies The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS University of London; ) is a public research university in London, England, and a member institution of the federal University of London. Founded in 1916, SOAS is located in the Bloomsbury area ...

(SOAS), 2011 * Honorary Doctorate of Law,

Plymouth University The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is the ...

, 2012 * Honorary Fellow of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

(HonFRSE), 2014 * She was recognized as one of the BBC's 100 Women of 2021. * She was chosen to carry the Queen's Rod in the Royal Procession at the

Coronation of Charles III and Camilla The Coronation of the British monarch, coronation of Charles III and his wife, Queen Camilla, Camilla, as Monarchy of the United Kingdom, king and List of British royal consorts, queen of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth re ...

. * She was appointed as a Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (LT) by King

Charles III Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. Charles was born at Buckingham Palace during the reign of his maternal grandfather, King George VI, and ...

in 2024.

Broadcasting

Helena Kennedy hosting After Dark on 13 September 1997

* Creator: ''Blind Justice'', BBC TV, 1987 * Presenter: ''Heart of the Matter'', BBC TV, 1987 * '' After Dark'', Channel 4 and BBC4, 1987–2003 ** Kennedy presented many editions of this series, including the 1991 "Do Men Have To Be Violent" featuring an inebriated

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor, known for his upper-middle class, macho image and his heavy-drinking, "hellraiser" lifestyle. His screen career spanned over 40 years, between 1955 and 1999. At the ...

who verbally insulted and attempted to kiss feminist

Kate Millett Katherine Murray Millett (September 14, 1934 – September 6, 2017) was an American feminist writer, educator, artist, and activist. She attended the University of Oxford and was the first American woman to be awarded a degree with first-clas ...

, as well as the 1995 special "Ireland: Sex & Celibacy, Church & State" which included an unscheduled last-minute appearance from singer

Sinéad O'Connor Shuhada' Sadaqat (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor; , ; 8 December 1966 – 26 July 2023) was an Irish singer, songwriter, record producer and activist. Her debut studio album, ''The Lion and the Cobra'', was released in 1987 and achieve ...

. * Presenter: ''Raw Deal on Medical Negligence'', BBC TV, 1989 * Presenter: ''The Trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover'',

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...

, 1990 * Presenter: ''Time Gentlemen, Please'', BBC Scotland, 1994 (Winner, Television Programme Award category, 1994 Industrial Journalism Awards) * Commissioner,

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

Inquiry into the future of the BBC, 1990

Appointments

* President, Helena Kennedy Foundation * President of the Board the Governors of the

(SOAS) * President, Women of the Year Lunch (2010–2015) * Chair,

JUSTICE In its broadest sense, justice is the idea that individuals should be treated fairly. According to the ''Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy'', the most plausible candidate for a core definition comes from the ''Institutes (Justinian), Inst ...

* Chair, High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom * Chair of the Board of Governors for the United World College of the Atlantic * President,

Medical Aid for Palestinians Medical Aid for Palestinians (MAP) is a British charitable organization, charity that offers medical services in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Gaza and Lebanon, and advocates for Palestinians' rights to health and dignity. It is in List of organiza ...

* Patron, Burma Campaign UK, the London-based group campaigning for human rights and democracy in

Burma Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...

* Member of the Board of Independent News and Media * Patron, upReach, a UK social mobility charity that supports undergraduates from low income backgrounds pursuing competitive graduate careers. * Trustee,

KPMG KPMG is a multinational professional services network, based in London, United Kingdom. As one of the Big Four accounting firms, along with Ernst & Young (EY), Deloitte, and PwC. KPMG is a network of firms in 145 countries with 275,288 emplo ...

Foundation * Chancellor of

(1994–2001) * Chancellor of

(appointed in 2018) * Chair,

British Council The British Council is a British organisation specialising in international cultural and educational opportunities. It works in over 100 countries: promoting a wider knowledge of the United Kingdom and the English language (and the Welsh lang ...

(1998–2004) * Chair, Human Genetics Commission (1998–2007) * President of the

National Children's Bureau The National Children’s Bureau works collaboratively across the issues affecting children to influence policy and get services working together to deliver a better childhood. Established in 1963, they have been at the forefront of campaigning fo ...

(1998–2005) * Kennedy chaired the Power Commission (November 2005 – March 2006), which examined the problem of democratic disengagement in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. A report was produced which highlighted the "Myth of Apathy" and the lack of political engagement * Chair of Power 2010, which aimed to carry forward the concepts behind the Power Commission into the

UK 2010 General Election The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, to elect 650 Members of Parliament (or MPs) to the House of Commons. The first to be held after the minimum age for candidates was reduced from 21 to 18, it resulted in ...

* Member of the World Bank Institute's External Advisory Council * Member of the board of the

British Museum The British Museum is a Museum, public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is the largest in the world. It documents the story of human cu ...

* Member of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom *Vice-president of the Haldane Society * Vice-president of the Association of Women Barristers * Patron, London International Festival of Theatrebr>liftfestival.com
* Patron, Public Law Project * Patron, Institute for Learning (IfL) http://www.ifl.ac.uk * Patron,

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

* Patron, UNLOCK, The National Association of Ex-Offenders * Patron, Debt Doctors Foundation UK (DD-UK) * Patron, Tower Hamlets Summer University * Patron, * Patron of SafeHands for Mothers, a UK-based charity whose mission is to improve maternal and newborn health by harnessing the power of the visual, through the production of films. * Chair, Howard League's Commission of Inquiry into Violence in Penal Institutions for Young People (the final report, ''Banged Up, Beaten Up, Cutting Up'', published in 1995) * Chair, Reading Borough Council's Commission of Inquiry into the health, environmental and safety aspects of the Atomic Weapons Establishment at

Aldermaston Aldermaston ( ) is a village and civil parish in Berkshire, England. In the 2011 census, the parish had a population of 1,015. The village is in the Kennet Valley and bounds Hampshire to the south. It is approximately from Newbury, Basin ...

(final report ''Secrecy versus Safety'', published in 1994) * Chair, Royal Colleges of Pathologists' and of Pædiatrics' Inquiry into Sudden Infant Death (producing a protocol for the investigation of such deaths in 2004) * Member of the Foreign Policy Centre's Advisory Council * Formerly UK member of the

International Bar Association The International Bar Association (IBA), founded in 1947, is a bar association of international legal practitioners, bar associations and law societies. The IBA in 2018 had a membership of more than 80,000 individual lawyers and 190 bar associati ...

's Task Force on Terrorism * As Commissioner of the National Commission for Education, she chaired a committee on widening participation in further education and the commission's report, ''Learning Works'', published in 1997. * Chair, Booker Prize Foundation (2015–2020) * Vice President of the Campaign for Homosexual Equality (from 2017)

Civic honours

* 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 Kennedy of The Shaws, of

Cathcart Cathcart (; , )
is an area of

Grand Cross Grand Cross is the highest class in many orders, and manifested in its insignia. Exceptionally, the highest class may be referred to as Grand Cordon or equivalent. In other cases, there may exist a rank even higher than Grand Cross, e.g. Gran ...

of the

Order of Merit of the Italian Republic The Order of Merit of the Italian Republic () is the most senior Italian order of merit. It was established in 1951 by the second President of Italy, President of the Italian Republic, Luigi Einaudi. The highest-ranking honour of the Republi ...

on 23 March 2004. * Palmes academiques Commandeur ribbon

Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank as well as a job title in many army, armies. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countri ...

of the Order of Academic Palms (2006).

Bibliography

* ''Eve was Framed: Women and British Justice'', 1993; * ''Just Law: The changing face of justice and why it matters to us'', 2004; *''Eve Was Shamed: How British Justice Is Failing Women,'' 2018; *''Misjustice: How British Law is Failing Women,'' 2019;

References

External links

*
Helena Kennedy's home pagePower Commission

Helena Kennedy Foundation
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Kennedy of The Shaws, Helena Kennedy, Baroness 1950 births Living people BBC television presenters British King's Counsel British legal writers British individuals subject to Chinese sanctions Chancellors of Sheffield Hallam University Commandeurs of the Ordre des Palmes Académiques Honorary Fellows of the British Academy Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic Labour Party (UK) life peers Ladies of the Thistle Lawyers from Glasgow Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Nobility from Glasgow Chancellors of Oxford Brookes University People associated with SOAS University of London People educated at Holyrood Secondary School People of the British Council Principals of Mansfield College, Oxford Scottish people of Irish descent Scottish Roman Catholics Scottish women lawyers Trustees of the British Museum Women academic administrators