The Baroness D'Souza | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2024 | |
| Lord Speaker | |
| In office 1 September 2011 – 31 August 2016 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II |
| Deputy | |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Hayman |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Fowler |
| Convenor of the Crossbench Peers | |
| In office 6 November 2007 – 31 August 2011 | |
| Preceded by | The Lord Williamson of Horton |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Laming |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Life peerage 1 July 2004 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Frances Gertrude Claire Russell (1944-04-18)18 April 1944 (age 81) Sussex, England |
| Party | Crossbench |
| Other political affiliations | None (as Lord Speaker; 2011–2016) |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2 (includingChrista) |
| Alma mater | University College London Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford |
| Committees | Procedure Committee (2005–present) House (2007–present) Selection;Privileges;Liaison;Administration and Works (2007–2011)[1] |
Frances Gertrude Claire D'Souza, Baroness D'Souza,CMG, PC (néeRussell; born 18 April 1944) is a British scientist and politician. She held the office ofLord Speaker from 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2016.
Frances Gertrude Claire Russell, the daughter of Robert Anthony Gilbert and Pauline (née Parmet) Russell, was educated atSt Mary's School,Princethorpe, and went toUniversity College London to readanthropology, graduating BSc in 1970. She subsequently undertook further study atLady Margaret Hall, Oxford, obtaining the degree ofDoctor of Philosophy (DPhil) in 1976.
She worked for the Nuffield Institute of Brain Chemistry and Human Nutrition from 1973 to 1977,Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes University) from 1977 to 1980, and was an independent research consultant for theUnited Nations from 1985 to 1988. From 1989 to 2002, she was the director of the human rights organizationArticle 19. As its representative she supported theMusa Anter peace train toDiyarbakır, which aimed for peace inKurdistan.[2]
In 1959, at the age of 15, she married Stanislaus Joseph D'Souza, the son of a civil servant in the Indian government. They had two daughters and divorced in 1974. From 1985 to 1994, she was married to Martin Griffiths. She was remarried to Stanislaus from 2003 until his death in 2011.[3][4] Their elder daughter is the journalistChrista D'Souza.[5]
D'Souza was appointed aCompanion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) in the1999 New Year Honours for services to human rights.[6]
D'Souza was created aLord Temporal asBaroness D'Souza,ofWychwood in the County ofOxfordshire, on 1 July 2004.[7][1] She sat as acrossbencher in theHouse of Lords, where she was theConvenor of the Crossbench Peers from 2007 to 2011 with attendance "well above average".[4][8]
On 13 July 2011, D'Souza waselectedLord Speaker of the House of Lords and began her new role in September 2011.[9]
In December 2015, the results of aFreedom of Information request[10] revealed that D'Souza spent £230 to keep a chauffeured car waiting while she watched a performance ofBenjamin Britten'sGloriana with the chairman of the Federation Council of Russia. The journey was just a mile from the Houses of Parliament. She spent £270 holding a car for four and a half hours while she had lunch with the Japanese ambassador in central London. It was also revealed that a 10-day official trip to Japan, Hong Kong and Taiwan in the autumn of last year cost nearly £26,000, and that she had spent £4,000 across a five-year period on fresh flowers for her office at the taxpayer's expense.[11][12]
D'Souza's term as Lord Speaker ended on 31 August 2016.[13] After returning to the crossbenches she called for urgent action to address the growing size of the House of Lords, including limits on the Prime Minister's patronage power.[14][15]
In October 2025, Baroness D'Souza was suspended from the House of Lords for eight weeks after theConduct Committee upheld a recommendation that she had breached the Code of Conduct by using her position to seek improper influence over theCommissioner of Police of the Metropolis, SirMark Rowley, regarding multiple speeding fines she had received.[16] The suspension was imposed under theHouse of Lords (Expulsion and Suspension) Act 2015, a piece of reform legislation that D'Souza had actively supported asLord Speaker earlier that year amid the scandal involvingLord Sewel, citing it in a public commentary as essential to ensure "the Lords must never be sullied by errant peers again" and as key evidence of the chamber's ongoing modernization.[17]
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Convenor of the Crossbench Peers 2007–2011 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Lord Speaker 2011–2016 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
