Molly Christine Meacher, Baroness Meacher (''

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

'' Reid; born 15 May 1940), known from 2000 to 2006 as Lady Layard, is a British

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 former social worker.

Education

Meacher was educated at the

Berkhamsted School for Girls Berkhamsted School is a private day school (known in the UK as a public school), in the market town of Berkhamsted, in Hertfordshire, England. The present school was formed in 1997 by the amalgamation of the original Berkhamsted School, founded ...

, the

University of York The University of York (abbreviated as or ''York'' for Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a public Collegiate university, collegiate research university in York, England. Established in 1963, the university has expanded to more than thir ...

, where she received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

in economics in 1970, and the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a collegiate university, federal Public university, public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The ...

, where she received a

Certificate of Qualification in Social Work Certificate may refer to: * Birth certificate * Marriage certificate * Death certificate * Gift certificate * Certificate of authenticity, a document or seal certifying the authenticity of something * Certificate of deposit, or CD, a financial pro ...

in 1980.

Career

She worked for the Social Services in

North London North London is the northern part of London, England, north of the River Thames and the City of London. It extends from Clerkenwell and Finsbury, on the edge of the City of London financial district, to Greater London's boundary with Hertfordshi ...

and for the

Mental Health Foundation The Mental Health Foundation is a UK-based charity dedicated to promoting good mental health and addressing mental health issues. Founded in 1949, the foundation aims to help people understand, protect, and sustain their mental health through ...

in the 1980s. In 1987 she organised the Hands Across Britain protest against unemployment. From 1991 to 1994 Meacher was chief adviser to the

Russian Government The Russian Government () or fully titled the Government of the Russian Federation () is the highest federal executive governmental body of the Russian Federation. It is accountable to the president of the Russian Federation and controlled by ...

on employment. Following that she became a board member, deputy chair and acting chair of the Police Complaints Authority, posts she held until 2002. Between 2002 and 2004, she was chair of Security Industry Authority, and in 2004, she was appointed chair of the East London and City Mental Health Trust. She was chair of the Clinical Ethics Committee for The Central and North West London NHS Trust from 2004 to 2008. She was chair from 2007 to 2012 of the East London NHS Foundation Trust. She is president of The Haemophilia Society. She is a Co-Chair of the

All-Party Parliamentary Group for Choice at the End of Life The All-Party Parliamentary Group for Choice at the End of Life is a cross-party group of members of the British Parliament and Peers that supports better end-of-life options, including assisted dying. They believe that, subject to legal safeguar ...

. and since 2016, also the Chair of

Dignity in Dying Dignity in Dying (originally The Voluntary Euthanasia Legalisation Society) is a United Kingdom nationwide campaigning organisation. It is funded by voluntary contributions from members of the public, and as of December 2010, it claimed to hav ...

. In October 2021, she read out a statement from Lord Field of Birkenhead in the House of Lords during a debate on the Assisted Dying Bill.

Parliamentary career

On 16 June 2006, she was made a

as Baroness Meacher of

Spitalfields Spitalfields () is an area in London, England and is located in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is in East London and situated in the East End of London, East End. Spitalfields is formed around Commercial Street, London, Commercial Stre ...

, in the

London Borough of Tower Hamlets The London Borough of Tower Hamlets is a London boroughs, borough in London, England. Situated on the north bank of the River Thames and immediately east of the City of London, the borough spans much of the traditional East End of London and ...

, and sits as a

crossbencher A crossbencher is a minor party or independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. They take their name fr ...

. She has been involved in a number of Bills including: * Housing and Regeneration Bill (2008/9) * Health & Social Care Bill (2008/9) * Children & Young Persons Bill (2008/9) * Human Fertilisation & Embryology Bill (2008/9) * Health Bill (2009/10) * Welfare Reform Bill (2009/10) * Crime & Security Bill (2010/11) * Equality Bill (2010/11) * Child Poverty Bill (2010/11) * Police Reform & Social Responsibility Bill (2011/12) * Public Bodies Bill (2011/12) * Crime & Courts Bill (2012/13) * Welfare Benefits Up-Rating Bill (2012/13) * Local Government Finance Bill (2012/13) * Care Bill (2013/14) * Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill (2013/14) including Government Amendment of Baroness Stowell - Legal Status for Humanist Marriages

APPG for Drug Policy Reform

Since 2011 she has chaired the UK All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform, which recommends decriminalisation of drugs. In 2012 she chaired the inquiry panel of the APPG into new psychoactive substances. The panel produced a report, Towards a Safer Drug Policy. As chair of the APPG for Drug Policy Reform, Meacher is leading a European Initiative on drug policy reform at the request of the

President of Guatemala The president of Guatemala (), officially titled President of the Republic of Guatemala (), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a single four-year term. The position of President was created in 1839. Selectio ...

. An interview between Meacher and Italian station

Radio Radicale Radio Radicale is the official radio station of the Italian Radical Party. Founded in 1976 as part of the ''Radio libere'' ("Free Radio”) movement, it has no commercial advertisements and is partly funded by the party, with support from the Ita ...

about the trip and forthcoming events was conducted on 26 June 2013. On 17 October 2013, she led a debate in the House of Lords on UK drugs policy.

Personal life

In 1962 she married

Michael Meacher Michael Hugh Meacher (4 November 1939 – 20 October 2015) was a British politician who served as a government minister under Harold Wilson, James Callaghan and Tony Blair. A member of the Labour Party, he was Member of Parliament (MP) for O ...

, with whom she had two sons and two daughters. They divorced in 1987, and in 1991 she married

Richard Layard Peter Richard Grenville Layard, Baron Layard FBA (born 15 March 1934) is a British labour economist, co-director of the Community Wellbeing programme at the Centre for Economic Performance at the London School of Economics, and co-editor of t ...

, Lord Layard. She and her second husband are one of the few couples both to hold titles in their own right.

Works

* ''Scrounging on the Welfare'' (1972) Arrow Books * ''To Him Who Hath: A Study of Poverty And Taxation'' with Frank Field and

Chris Pond Christopher Richard Pond (born 25 September 1952) is a former Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Gravesham in Kent, from 1997 to 2005. Early life He went to the Minchenden School (became com ...

(1977) * ''New Methods of Mental Health Care'' Pergamon Press (1979)

References

External links

All-Party Parliamentary Group for Choice at the End of Life

All-Party Parliamentary Group for Drug Policy Reform
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meacher, Molly Meacher, Baroness 1940 births Living people Crossbench life peers Euthanasia activists Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Life peers created by Elizabeth II Peers recommended by the House of Lords Appointments Commission Alumni of the University of York Alumni of the University of London Spouses of life peers British social workers 21st-century British politicians 21st-century British women politicians