Lynne Featherstone

Liberal Democrat peer and architect of the Same-Sex Marriage Act 2013

Baroness Featherstone PC is a businesswoman, Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords, and the architect of the Same-Sex Marriage Act 2013. 

Prior to entering politics, Featherstone was a successful businesswoman owning and running a London design company. She was also a director of the Ryness chain of lighting and electrical shops. She was a Member of the London Assembly (MLA) from 2000 to 2005, a Member of Parliament (MP) for Hornsey and Wood Green between 2005 and 2015. She was nominated for a peerage in 2015.

Under the Conservative–Liberal Democrat coalition in 2010, Baroness Featherstone was appointed as a minister in the Home Office with responsibility for criminal information and equalities, before being promoted to minister with responsibility for international development in 2012.

Baroness Featherstone played a fundamental role in the passing of the Same-Sex Marriage Act in 2013. She launched the consultation by the UK Government on its introduction and was the first politician to take part in the Out4Marriage campaign. She worked closely on the campaign with Humanists UK and the Coalition for Equal Marriage, which Humanists UK helped instigate. For her LGBT rights work she was awarded Stonewall Politician of the Year (jointly), Attitude Magazine Politician of the Year, and PinkNews Ally of the Year.