Baroness Gillian Merron has been appointed a University of Lincoln Visiting Professor in Politics at the Lincoln Parliamentary Research Centre (ParliLinc); ParliLinc is based in the School of Social and Political Sciences in the College of Social Sciences.
Baroness Merron is a Life Peer having been elevated to the peerage in April 2021 as Baroness Merron of Lincoln in the County of Lincolnshire, following which she was appointed as Shadow Health and Social Care Minister and Shadow Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Minister. Previously she was Chief Executive of the Board of Deputies of British Jews.
Baroness Merron also served as MP for Lincoln between 1997 and 2010, during which time she was a government minister in five departments and a Senior Government Whip. She joins a growing network of ParliLinc experts, supporting teaching and research in the School of Social and Political Sciences.
Dr Mark Bennister, Director of ParliLinc, said: “I am delighted that Baroness Merron has been appointed Visiting Professor. Baroness Merron will bring a wide range of expertise to our School and ParliLinc in particular. Her experience at local and national level will really enhance the development of our applied teaching and research activities.”
Baroness Merron joins two current Visiting Professors in the School of Social and Political Sciences, Sir Roy Stone and Paul Evans.
Sir Roy Stone has been a Visiting Professor Politics, Policy and Parliament since October 2021. For over 40 years Sir Roy carried out roles at the highest level of the civil service, working closely with MPs, Ministers, and with No.10. He was knighted in 2019 and awarded a CBE in 2014.
Sir Roy served as the Director of House of Commons Business Managers, acting as the principal adviser to the Leader of the House of Commons, Chief Whip and their respective Ministerial Teams. Prior to this for 10 years he served as the principal private secretary to the Government Chief Whip, Roles prior to 2000 include: serving as a parliamentary clerk for Margaret Thatcher, John Major, and Tony Blair.
Paul Evans has been Visiting Professor of Parliamentary Studies since April 2020. Paul joined the House of Commons service in 1981 and retired in 2019 from the post of Clerk of Committees, responsible for the 300 staff supporting the House of Commons select committees.
Prior to that post he had been Clerk of the Journals and Principal Clerk of the Table Office. Paul has published extensively on parliament and his edited volume, A History of Parliamentary Procedure: Essays in honour of Thomas Erskine May, was published in 2017. He was awarded a CBE in 2019.
Image Credit: House of Lords
The Lincoln Parliamentary Research Centre was established in 2019, bringing together research on parliaments and legislatures at the University. The Centre is based in the School of Social and Political Sciences, in the College of Social Science, although membership is open across the University. ParliLinc’s aim is to enhance research, facilitate impact and promote engagement with parliaments and legislatures in the UK and beyond. It seeks to further develop the University of Lincoln as a recognised centre of excellence for research and teaching in parliamentary studies You can find out more about the Lincoln Parliamentary Research Centre here.
The School of Social and Political Sciences has launched a new MSc in Politics, Policy and Leadership and the first cohort of students will be welcomed in September 2022. The MSc has an emphasis on applied teaching and will draw on the network of practitioners connected to the School. See here for further details.