Helena Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws

Scottish barrister, broadcaster, and politician (born 1950)

The Right HonourableThe Baroness Kennedy of The ShawsLT KC FRSA HonFRSE
Official portrait, 2019

Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University
Incumbent
Assumed office 26 July 2018
Preceded by	Robert Winston, Baron Winston
Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford
In office September 2011 – 2018
Preceded by	Diana Walford
Succeeded by	Helen Mountfield
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 27 October 1997 Life peerage

Personal details
Born	Helena Ann Kennedy (1950-05-12) 12 May 1950 (age 74) Glasgow, Scotland
Nationality	British
Political party	Labour
Spouse	Iain Louis Hutchison (m. 1986)
Domestic partner	Iain Mitchell (1978–1984)
Children	3
Occupation	Barrister, television presenter
Website	helenakennedy.co.uk

Helena Ann Kennedy, Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws (born 12 May 1950), is a Scottish barrister, broadcaster, and Labour member of the House of Lords. 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.

Early life and education

Kennedy was born on 12 May 1950 in Glasgow, 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 Roman Catholic. 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.

Legal career

In 1972, Kennedy was called to the bar at Gray's Inn. 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 in 1991.

Politics

Kennedy rebels against her party whip in the House of Lords 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. In 2020, she worked with the Conservative MP Iain Duncan Smith 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, serving from 1994 until 2001. She was elected principal of Mansfield College, Oxford, in July 2010 and served in the role from September 2011. She retired in 2018 and became Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University 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, with whom she has a daughter and a son.

Kennedy regularly attends Mass and professes that her Roman Catholicism "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, carrying the Queen Consort's Rod with Dove.

Honours

She has received numerous awards, including:

Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts (FRSA)
Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute (FCGI)
Member of the Académie Universelle des Cultures (Paris)
Honorary Fellow, Royal College of Psychiatrists, 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, 2010
Honorary Fellow, School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), 2011
Honorary Doctorate of Law, Plymouth University, 2012
Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (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.
She was appointed as a Lady of the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle (LT) by King Charles III in 2024.

Broadcasting

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 who verbally insulted and attempted to kiss feminist Kate Millett, as well as the 1995 special "Ireland: Sex & Celibacy, Church & State" which included an unscheduled last-minute appearance from singer Sinéad O'Connor.
Presenter: Raw Deal on Medical Negligence, BBC TV, 1989
Presenter: The Trial of Lady Chatterley's Lover, BBC Radio 4, 1990
Presenter: Time Gentlemen, Please, BBC Scotland, 1994 (Winner, Television Programme Award category, 1994 Industrial Journalism Awards)
Commissioner, BAFTA Inquiry into the future of the BBC, 1990

Appointments

President, Helena Kennedy Foundation
President of the Board the Governors of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS)
President, Women of the Year Lunch (2010–2015)
Chair, JUSTICE
Chair of the Board of Governors for the United World College of the Atlantic
President, Medical Aid for Palestinians
Patron, Burma Campaign UK, the London-based group campaigning for human rights and democracy in Burma
Member of the Board of Independent News and Media
Trustee, KPMG Foundation
Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University (1994–2001)
Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University (appointed in 2018)
Chair, British Council (1998–2004)
Chair, Human Genetics Commission (1998–2007)
President of the National Children's Bureau (1998–2005)
Kennedy chaired the Power Commission (November 2005 – March 2006), which examined the problem of democratic disengagement in the United Kingdom. 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
Member of the World Bank Institute's External Advisory Council
Member of the board of the British Museum
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 Theatre liftfestival.com
Patron, Public Law Project
Patron, Institute for Learning (IfL) http://www.ifl.ac.uk Archived 19 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine
Patron, Liberty
Patron, UNLOCK, The National Association of Ex-Offenders
Patron, Debt Doctors Foundation UK (DD-UK)
Patron, Tower Hamlets Summer University
Patron, Rights Watch (UK)
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 (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'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 as Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws, of Cathcart in the City of Glasgow on 27 October 1997.
Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic on 23 March 2004.
Commander of the Order of Academic Palms (2006).

Bibliography

Eve was Framed: Women and British Justice, 1993; ISBN 0-09-922441-0
Just Law: The changing face of justice and why it matters to us, 2004; ISBN 0-09-945833-0
Eve Was Shamed: How British Justice Is Failing Women, 2018; ISBN 9781784742225
Misjustice: How British Law is Failing Women, 2019; ISBN 9781784707682

References

"Kennedy of the Shaws, Baroness, (Helena Ann Kennedy) (Born 12 May 1950)". Who's Who. Oxford University Press. 1 December 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u22850. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 22 April 2019.
^ Wroe, Nicholas (27 March 2004). "A radical in the House". The Guardian. Retrieved 2 March 2011.
"Baroness Helena Kennedy QC on why the British justice system is failing women". Yorkshire Post. 2 August 2018.
Carol Ann Lee, One of Your Own: The Life and Death of Myra Hindley (2012).
https://100leadingladies.wordpress.com/baroness-helena-kennedy-qc/
Rebel Lords — Current members The Public Whip.
Rogers, Benedict (6 June 2020). "Parliamentarians From Around the World Unite to Discuss the China Challenge". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
"Uighurs: China bans UK MPs after abuse sanctions". BBC News. 26 March 2021. Retrieved 28 March 2021.
Cheshire, Tom; Nick Lester (26 March 2021). "China sanctions: Boris Johnson praises MPs banned by Beijing for 'shining a light on gross human rights violations'". Sky News.
"'Badge of honour' - China sanctions UK politicians for Xinjiang 'lies'". Reuters. 26 March 2021.
"Baroness Helena Kennedy QC elected next Principal of Mansfield College", University of Oxford Mansfield College, 13 April 2011. Archived 29 September 2010 at the Wayback Machine.
"Principal". Mansfield College. University of Oxford. Archived from the original on 6 April 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2017.
"The full list of people with ceremonial roles during King's coronation". The Independent. 28 April 2023. Retrieved 17 May 2023.
"Helena Kennedy QC made an Honorary Fellow of Lucy Cavendish College". University of Cambridge. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2023.
"Baroness Helena Kennedy QC". Plymouth University | Honorary degrees 2012. Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 18 October 2013.
"Baroness Helena Kennedy of The Shaws". The Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved 9 February 2018.
"BBC 100 Women 2021: Who is on the list this year?". BBC News. 7 December 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
"Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. 5 May 2023. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
Majesty Magazine (9 March 2024). "New appointments to the Order of the Thistle" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
"No. 64354". The London Gazette. 26 March 2024. p. 6066.
"2016: A Vision and Strategy for the Centennial" Archived 4 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine (p. 18), School of Oriental and African Studies, April 2010
Qureshi, Huma (17 October 2012). "Helena Kennedy: 'Women's struggles are not over'". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 6 May 2015.
"New Chancellor for Sheffield Hallam University". shu.ac.uk. 29 October 2018. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
"IBA - IBAHRI Secretariat to the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom". www.ibanet.org. Retrieved 16 December 2020.
"Meet The Team" Archived 11 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine, LIFT. Retrieved 9 August 2016.
"SafeHands for Mothers". SafeHands for Mothers. Retrieved 9 September 2014.
Chandler, Mark (20 January 2020), "Kennedy steps down as Booker Prize Foundation chair", The Bookseller.
"CHE > In the news". www.c-h-e.org.uk. Archived from the original on 28 February 2017. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
"No. 54934". The London Gazette. 30 October 1997. p. 12205.
"Kennedy Baronessa Helena - Cavaliere di Gran Croce Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana" (in Italian). Quirinale. 23 April 2004.

External links

Academic offices
New university	Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University 1994–2001	Succeeded byJon Snow
Preceded byDiana Walford	Principal of Mansfield College, Oxford 2011–2018	Succeeded byHelen Mountfield
Preceded byRobert Winston	Chancellor of Sheffield Hallam University 2018–present	Incumbent

v t e Current members of the Order of the Thistle
Sovereign	The King
Extra Knights and Ladies	The Princess Royal The Duke of Rothesay The Queen The Duke of Edinburgh
Knights and Ladies	The Earl of Elgin and Kincardine The Lord Mackay of Clashfern The Lord Wilson of Tillyorn The Lord Steel of Aikwood The Lord Robertson of Port Ellen The Lord Cullen of Whitekirk The Lord Hope of Craighead The Lord Patel The Lord Smith of Kelvin The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry Sir Ian Wood Lady Elish Angiolini Sir George Reid The Baroness Black of Strome The Baroness Kennedy of The Shaws Sir Geoff Palmer
Officers	David Fergusson (Dean) The Duke of Buccleuch and Queensberry (Chancellor) Joseph Morrow (Lord Lyon King of Arms, ex officio) Elizabeth Roads (Secretary) Christopher Layman (Green Rod, ex officio)

v t e 100 Women by BBC in 2021
Culture and education	Lima Aafshid Oluyemi Adetiba-Orija Rada Akbar Catherine Corless Pashtana Durrani Saeeda Etebari Sahar Fetrat Melinda French Gates Saghi Ghahraman Angela Ghayour Najlla Habibyar Shamsia Hassani Mugdha Kalra Freshta Karim Aliya Kazimy Helena Kennedy Iman Le Caire Depelsha Thomas McGruder Fahima Mirzaie Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Lynn Ngugi Rehana Popal Rohila Alba Rueda Elif Shafak Anisa Shaheed Mina Smallman Barbara Smolińska Adelaide Lala Tam Vera Wang Malala Yousafzai
Entertainment and sport	Halima Aden Leena Alam Sevda Altunoluk Nilofar Bayat Carolina García Ghawgha Chloé Lopes Gomes Tanya Muzinda Razma Roya Sadat Shogufa Safi Sahar Fatima Sultani Nanfu Wang Ming-Na Wen Rebel Wilson
Politics and activism	Muqadasa Ahmadzai Abia Akram Alema Alema Wahida Amiri Natasha Asghar Marcelina Bautista Crystal Bayat Razia Barakzai Najla El Mangoush Shila Ensandost Fatima Gailani Momena Ibrahimi Hoda Khamosh Elisa Loncón Antileo Maral Masouma Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa Salima Mazari Amanda Nguyen Basira Paigham Monica Paulus Manjula Pradeep Halima Sadaf Karimi Soma Sara Mahbouba Seraj Ein Soe May Piper Stege Nelson Ann Rose Nu Tawng Emma Theofelus Benafsha Yaqoobi Zala Zazai
Science and health	Mónica Araya Zuhal Atmar Jos Boys Faiza Darkhani Azmina Dhrodia Jamila Gordon Laila Haidari Zarlasht Halaimzai Nasrin Husseini Amena Karimyan Mia Krisna Pratiwi Heidi Larson Sevidzem Ernestine Leikeki Mahera Mulu Mesfin Mohadese Mirzaee Tlaleng Mofokeng Natalia Pasternak Taschner Ruksana Sara Wahedi Roshanak Wardak Yuma Yuma
2020 ← → 2022

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