Global InformationCatherine Ashton information
The Right Honourable The Baroness Ashton of Upholland LG GCMG PC | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Chancellor of the University of Warwick | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 January 2017 | |
| Vice-Chancellor | Stuart Croft |
| Preceded by | Richard Lambert |
| First Vice-President of the European Commission | |
| In office 10 February 2010 – 31 October 2014 | |
| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Margot Wallström |
| Succeeded by | Frans Timmermans |
| High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy | |
| In office 1 December 2009 – 31 October 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Javier Solana (Common Foreign and Security Policy) |
| Succeeded by | Federica Mogherini |
| European Commissioner for Trade | |
| In office 3 October 2008 – 1 December 2009 | |
| President | José Manuel Barroso |
| Preceded by | Peter Mandelson |
| Succeeded by | Benita Ferrero-Waldner |
| Leader of the House of Lords Lord President of the Council | |
| In office 28 June 2007 – 3 October 2008 | |
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Amos |
| Succeeded by | The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice | |
| In office 8 May 2007 – 27 June 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Herself |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Hunt of Kings Heath |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs | |
| In office 9 September 2004 – 8 May 2007 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | The Lord Filkin |
| Succeeded by | Herself |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Sure Start, Early Years, Childcare and School Standards[1] | |
| In office 12 June 2001 – 9 September 2004 | |
| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | Jacqui Smith |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Filkin |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 20 October 1999 Life Peerage | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Catherine Margaret Ashton 20 March 1956 Upholland, West Lancashire |
| Political party | Non-affiliated Labour |
| Spouse |
Peter Kellner (m. 1988) |
| Education | Bedford College, London |
Catherine Margaret Ashton, Baroness Ashton of Upholland, LG, GCMG, PC (born 20 March 1956) is a British Labour politician who served as the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and First Vice President of the European Commission in the Barroso Commission from 2009 to 2014.
Her political career began in 1999 when she was created a life peer as Baroness Ashton of Upholland, of St Albans in the County of Hertfordshire,[2] by Tony Blair's Labour government. She became the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the Department for Education and Skills in 2001 and subsequently in the Ministry of Justice in 2004. She was appointed a Privy Councillor in May 2006 and Lady Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter in April 2023.[3]
Ashton became Leader of the House of Lords and Lord President of the Council in Gordon Brown's first Cabinet in June 2007. She was instrumental in steering the EU's Treaty of Lisbon through the UK Parliament's upper chamber. In 2008, she was appointed as the British European Commissioner and became the Commissioner for Trade in the European Commission.[4]
In December 2009, she became the inaugural High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy that was created by the Treaty of Lisbon. As High Representative, Ashton served as the EU's foreign policy chief.[5] Despite being criticised by some, particularly at the time of her appointment and in the early stages of her term of office, for her limited previous experience of international diplomacy, Ashton subsequently won praise for her work as a negotiator in difficult international situations, in particular for her role in bringing Serbia and Kosovo to an agreement in April 2013 that normalised their ties, and in the P5+1 talks with Iran which led to the November 2013 Geneva interim agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme.[6]
In January 2017, Ashton became Chancellor of the University of Warwick, succeeding Sir Richard Lambert and becoming Warwick's first female chancellor.[7]
- ^ Jointly with Department for Work and Pensions from June 2003.
- ^ "No. 24651". The Edinburgh Gazette. 6 August 1999. p. 1667.
- ^ "New appointments to the Order of the Garter". Royal.uk. 23 April 2023. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ft-2008-10-4was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Castle, Stephen; Erlanger, Steven (19 November 2009). "Low-Profile Leaders Chosen for Top European Posts". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2013.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
guardian-20131124was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Baroness Ashton to become Chancellor of the University of Warwick". Warwick Insite. University of Warwick. 17 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.