Elizabeth Symons, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean
Elizabeth Conway Symons, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, PC (born 14 April 1951) is a British politician of the Labour Party, Life Peeress and former General Secretary of the Trade Union FDA and Minister of State.
Life and career
Symons was born as the daughter of Ernest Symons, Chairman of HM Board of Inland Revenue and attended Putney High School for Girls and Girton College. From 1974 to 1977 she worked as a trainee in the management of the Department of the Environment operates. She then worked from 1977 to 1989 for the Inland Revenue Staff Federation and was from 1989 to 1997 Secretary General (General Secretary ) of the Association of First Division Civil Servants. After her appointment to the Working peer she resigned from this office.
From 1995 to 1997 she was a member of the Employment Appeal Tribunal.
Membership in the House of Lords
Symons was appointed as Baroness Symons of Life Peeress Vernham Dean in the County of Hampshire on 7 October 1996. Your inaugural speech in the House of Lords held on 11 December 1996.
From May 1997 to June 1999, she held her first government post, as a junior Foreign Office minister. She was appointed Minister of State (Minister of State ) for defense procurement, and in 2001 the Minister of State for Trade 1999. In June 2003, she was Minister of State for the Mittlereren East, International Security, Consular and personnel affairs at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and Deputy Leader of the House of Lords 2001 to 2005.
She was from 2001 to 2005 spokesperson for the Government for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Trade and Industry also 2001-2005 and spokeswoman of the opposition for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 2010 to 2011.
From 2001 to 2010 she was a member of the Committee of the Parliamentary Labour Party.
Symons attendance at meeting days is in the mid to regular range.
Corporate Careers
Symons is no longer included in the reshuffle after the general election in 2005 and in 2005 was non-executive director of British Airways.
Conflict of interest
In the issue dated 9 January 2005, the Guardian alleged that Symons was possibly commissioned her office, David Mills, the husband of Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell to have a get " special treatment ". Mills sought their help to circumvent the trade embargo by the U.S. against Iran to sell jets from British Aerospace, worth $ 200 million.
On February 9, 2006, she was named by the Guardian as one of several former ministers who have accepted lucrative positions as directors and consultants. In the case of Symons, the British Airways covers, the lawyer Firman DLA Piper and the Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company ( P & O).
2009, made similar accusations when she accepted a lucrative position in the British investment bank Merchant Bridge, which captured millions through contracts in postwar Iraq, and as well, when she became a member of the National Economic Development Board of Libya, shortly before Abdel Basit Ali al -Megrahi was released from prison. In 2011 she resigned from this office, during the uprising against the government of Muammar al - Gaddafi ran. Just a day earlier, she made remarks that seemed to support Gaddafi's ideology. Symons noted that these remarks were not meant seriously.
More offices
Symons is Chairman ( Chairman ) of the Arab British Chamber of Commerce. She is an international consultant (International Consultant) at DLA Piper, CCC UK and Rio Tinto.
She is a member of the Supervisory Board ( Advisory Board ) of Merchant Bridge and the Middle East Association and the Supervisory Board (Board) of British expertise and the Board ( Council) of the Ditchley Foundation.
At Blenheim Capital Services Limited is Symons International Consultant, and also in Me Afriqiyah and KSA. Symons is Chairman ( Chairman ) at the Saudi British Joint Business Council, the British Egyptian Society, the Azerbaijan - British Business Council and the Advisory Council to the Board of British American Project.
She is a member of the board of British Tunisian Business Council as well as of the Supervisory Board of the British Egyptian Business Council.
Symons was or is a member of the British-American Project ( BAP). This includes 600 leaders and opinion on, the same measurements from the two countries, according to the Guardian, and held an annual conference in which everything that is said, is unofficial.
Honors
Symons 2000 was a member of the Privy Council. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of the Arts.
Family
In 2001, she married her long-time partner Phil Bassett, the former The Times -author of Rupert Murdoch. They have a son, who was born 1985.
In October 2002, Bassett was appointed a member of the strategic communications department in the 10 Downing Street, where he worked until September 2003. He left them in order, the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs to become adviser to Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton.