Glenys Thornton, Baroness Thornton

Glenys Thornton at the 2010 Labour Party Conference

Dorothea Glenys Thornton, Baroness Thornton (born 16 October 1952), known as Glenys Thornton, is a Labour and Co-operative member of the House of Lords. She was previously Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Health.^[1]

Career

Thorton was raised in Bradford, and graduated from the London School of Economics. She was Political Secretary of the Royal Arsenal Co-operative Society from 1981, joining the public affairs team of the Co-operative Wholesale Society upon their merger in 1985 and working there until 1992. She was General Secretary of the Fabian Society from 1993 to 1996.

On 23 July 1998 Thorton was created a Life peer by Tony Blair, with the title Baroness Thornton of Manningham.^[2] She chaired the Social Enterprise Coalition until January 2008, when she was appointed a junior minister of the House of Lords.^[3] In September 2007, she was made chair of the advisory group that trains public sector staff to work with the voluntary sector.^[4] In May 2012, her role in Labour was moved from health to equalities, with her role on the health portfolio being taken over by Lord Hunt.^[5]

Personal life

Thornton lives in Gospel Oak, North London, and is married to internet safety expert John Carr. They have two adult children.

She was reported^[6] to be claiming £22,000 a year in expenses by saying that her mother's bungalow in Yorkshire is her main home, amounting to around £130,000 since 2002. She was later cleared of any wrongdoing by Michael Pownall, the Clerk of Parliaments, after it was determined that she spent much of her time there while caring for her mother.^[7]

References

1. "Ministerial appointment: Department of Health". Number10.gov.uk. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 15 March 2010.
2. The London Gazette: no. 55210. p. 8287. 30 July 1998.
3. Drury, Ian. "MPs' EXPENSES: Thanks mum, for £105,000 - Baroness claims main home is her mother's bungalow". London: Daily Mail. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
4. "Baroness Thornton to chair training group". Third Sector. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
5. Jowit, Juliette (16 May 2012). "Labour reshuffles top jobs in House of Lords". London: The Guardian. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
6. MPs' expenses: Tax officials to investigate capital gains evasion. The Guardian 10 May 2009.
7. Watson, Roland (10 February 2010). "Nine peers cleared over expenses claims". London: The Times. Retrieved 6 May 2010.

External links

• Announcement of her introduction at the House of Lords House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 27 July 1998
• Social Enterprise Coalition