Kathryn Jane Parminter, Baroness Parminter (born 24 June 1964) is a Liberal Democrat

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 ...

, and Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats in 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 ...

of the United Kingdom. She was created Baroness Parminter, of

Godalming Godalming ( ) is a market town and civil parish in southwest Surrey, England, around southwest of central London. It is in the Borough of Waverley, at the confluence of the Rivers Wey and Ock. The civil parish covers and includes the settl ...

in the

County of Surrey Surrey () is a ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the west. The largest settlement is Woking. The cou ...

on 15 July 2010 and was introduced in the

19 July 2010 and, having supported

animal rights Animal rights is the philosophy according to which many or all Animal consciousness, sentient animals have Moral patienthood, moral worth independent of their Utilitarianism, utility to humans, and that their most basic interests—such as ...

causes, chose to wear robes of animal-free ermine. She made he
maiden speech
two days later in a debate on women in society. Kate Parminter is an advisor to the ''Every Child a Reader'' programme which tackles illiteracy in schools, a trustee of the IPPR think tank and is also a Patron of the Meath Epilepsy Trust.

Professional career

Prior to her elevation, Baroness Parminter worked as a freelance consultant advising charities and companies (including Lloyd’s, the

City of London Corporation The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the local authority of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United Kingdom's f ...

, Mencap &

Age Concern Age Concern is the banner title used by several charitable organisations specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people (defined as those over the age of 50) based chiefly in the four countries of the United Kingdom. I ...

) on charity issues, campaigning and corporate social responsibility. From 1998 to 2004 she was Chief Executive of the Campaign to Protect Rural England, a conservation charity. Between 1990 and 1998 she worked for the

Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales which promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...

, rising from public relations officer to become Head of Public Affairs. She chaired the Campaign for the Protection of Hunted Animals, which helped to ban hunting, between 1997 and 1998. Before this, she was an account executive at ''Juliette Hellman PR'', a parliamentary researcher for Simon Hughes MP, and a graduate marketing trainee for The Nestlé Co Ltd.

Political career

Parminter was a Liberal Democrat councillor on

Horsham District Council Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

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

between 1987 and 1995. In 2008 she was appointed by

Nick Clegg Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British retired politician and media executive who served as Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2015 and as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2007 to 2015. H ...

to work on the Party's Reform Commission, which was charged with outlining a route map for the Party's future. She was a member of the Party's Federal Executive Committee, which endorsed the proposal to join the

coalition government A coalition government, or coalition cabinet, is a government by political parties that enter into a power-sharing arrangement of the executive. Coalition governments usually occur when no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an ...

with the

Conservatives 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 civilizati ...

in May 2010, and the Federal Finance and Administration Committee. She was offered the position three years before accepting but declined the offer as she wanted to look after her children.

Personal life

Baroness Parminter grew up in

and was educated at state schools in

Horsham Horsham () is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...

. She studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford Lady Margaret Hall (LMH) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England, located on a bank of the River Cherwell at Norham Gardens in north Oxford and adjacent to the University Parks. The ...

between 1983 and 1986. She lives in Godalming, Surrey with her husband Neil Sherlock, a public affairs partner at

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 ...

, and their two school-age children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parminter, Kate Parminter, Baroness Living people Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers 1964 births Councillors in West Sussex Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors People from Horsham District British animal rights activists British public relations people Alumni of Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford People from Godalming Women councillors in England