Roy Kennedy, Baron Kennedy of Southwark

British politician and life peer (born 1962)

The Right Honourable

The Lord Kennedy of Southwark

Official portrait, 2022

Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords

Incumbent

Assumed office
1 June 2021
Deputy| The Lord Tunnicliffe
The Baroness Wheeler
Leader| The Baroness Smith of Basildon
Party Leader| Keir Starmer
Preceded by| The Lord McAvoy
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal

Incumbent

Assumed office
28 June 2010
Life peerage
Personal details
Born|

Roy Francis Kennedy

(1962-11-09) 9 November 1962 (age 61)
Lambeth, London
Political party| Labour Co-op
Spouse| Alicia Kennedy
Education| St Joseph's Primary School
St Thomas the Apostle School

Roy Francis Kennedy, Baron Kennedy of Southwark, PC (born 9 November 1962)[1] is a British Labour and Co-operative politician and life peer serving as Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Lords since 2021.

## Early life[edit]

Born in Lambeth, London to Irish parents, Kennedy grew up on the Aylesbury Estate in Southwark.[2] His mother, Frances, worked in the Member’s Tea Room in the House of Commons.[2] He attended St Joseph's Primary School in Camberwell and St Thomas the Apostle School in Peckham.

## Political career[edit]

In 1986, at the age of 23, Kennedy was elected to represent Newington ward on Southwark Council. He subsequently held several positions on the Council, including Deputy Leader, and was appointed an Honorary Alderman in 2007.

Employed as a full-time Labour staffer from 1990, he became an organiser in Coventry, West Midlands the following year. During the 1992 general election, in the constituency of Coventry South East, Kennedy worked on Jim Cunningham's campaign and helped narrowly defeat Militant-affiliated MP Dave Nellist, who had been deselected as Labour's candidate. He moved to the East Midlands in 1994, where he served as Labour's Regional Director from 1997 to 2005. Kennedy took up the national role of Director of Finance and Compliance in 2005.

Soon after leaving the employment of Labour in September 2010, Kennedy was appointed as an Electoral Commissioner following a nomination by the party. He chose to seek election to Lewisham Council rather than serve a second term on the Commission, and was elected to represent Crofton Park ward from May 2014 to May 2018.

### House of Lords[edit]

Kennedy was made a life peer in the 2010 Dissolution Honours on the recommendation of Gordon Brown, the outgoing prime minister. He was created Baron Kennedy of Southwark, of Newington in the London Borough of Southwark, on 21 June 2010.[3] He made his maiden speech in the House of Lords on 21 July 2010.[4] During his tenure in Parliament, Kennedy has been Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Voter Registration, Vice Chair of the APPG on Credit Unions and a member of the Co-operative Party Parliamentary Group.

He first joined the opposition frontbench as a whip from October 2011 to September 2012, under the leadership of Ed Miliband. Kennedy returned to the role in September 2015, under the leadership of Jeremy Corbyn, and was also appointed as a shadow spokesperson for Communities and Local Government, Housing and Home Affairs.[5]

Kennedy was elected unopposed as Opposition Chief Whip in the Lords in June 2021,[6] and stepped down as an opposition Home Affairs and Cabinet Office spokesperson. He was appointed to the Cabinet Office role less than a month earlier, and stepped down from his remaining spokesperson roles in December 2021. As Opposition Chief Whip, he became Deputy Chair of the Lords Committees and a shadow cabinet attendee, now under the leadership of Keir Starmer.

## Personal life[edit]

Kennedy is married to Alicia Kennedy, former Deputy General Secretary of the Labour Party, who sits alongside him as a life peer in the Lords.[7] They served together on Lewisham Council from 2014 to 2016 as well.

He is a supporter of Millwall Football Club.

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Debrett's homepage". Debrett's. Archived from the original on 21 January 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
2. ^ a b "Lord Roy Kennedy - A Family Affair". Politics Home. 13 July 2021. Retrieved 27 February 2022.
3. ^ "No. 59468". The London Gazette. 24 June 2010. p. 11914.
4. ^ Lord Kennedy delivered his maiden speech on 21 July 2010.
5. ^ "Labour Lords". Labour Lords. 24 November 2017. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
6. ^ "Exclusive: Top Keir Starmer Aide Digs In Over Plan To Remove Her From Leader's Office". Politics Home. 7 June 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
7. ^ "Baroness Kennedy of Cradley". UK Parliament. 19 September 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2017.

## External links[edit]

* Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom

Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom

Preceded by

The Lord Deben

|  Gentlemen
Baron Kennedy of Southwark | Followed by

The Lord Knight of Weymouth

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Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet

Leadership|

* Keir Starmer (Leader)
* Angela Rayner (Deputy Leader)

Shadow Cabinet members|

* Allin-Khan
* Ashworth
* Campbell
* Cooper
* Debbonaire
* Gill
* Haigh
* Healey
* Kennedy
* Kyle
* Lammy
* Mahmood
* McMahon
* Miliband
* Murray
* Nandy
* Phillipson
* Powell
* Reed
* Reeves
* Reynolds
* Smith
* Stevens
* Streeting
* Thomas-Symonds
* Thornberry

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