Brenda Dean among life peers

BRENDA DEAN, former general secretary of the Sogat '82 print union, and Joyce Gould, until recently Labour Party director of organisation, are among new 'working' peers announced yesterday, writes Patricia Wynn Davies.

This year's appointments, theoretically made by the Queen but reflecting the balance of political parties, also include Simon Haskell, chairman of the Leeds-based Perrotts textile group for Labour, and for the Liberal Democrats Anthony Lester QC, the human rights barrister.

The four Conservative appointments are: Doreen Miller, chairman of the Greater London area executive committee of the National Union, the voluntary wing of the Tory Party; Sir Arthur Dean, formerly a deputy Commons Speaker; Robert (Bill) Dixon-Smith, the former chairman and Conservative group leader at the Association of County Councils; and Sir Christopher Tugendhat, chairman of Abbey National.

Ms Dean, 50, was the first woman to achieve high office in a major union and served on the TUC's general council from 1985 to 1992. Mrs Gould, 61, is the natural successor to the late Reg Underhill, who was Labour Party general secretary before entering the Lords.

(Photograph omitted)