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Former mayor and MP awarded peerages

UK Parliament/BBC Thangam Debbonaire, wearing black glasses, a black jacket, looking towards the camera in an official portrait. Marvin wearing a grey pinstripe jacket and white shirt smiling at the cameraUK Parliament/BBC
Former Bristol West MP Thangam Debbonaire, and former Mayor, Marvin Rees, will now take up seats in the House of Lords

A former Bristol MP and city mayor have been offered peerages by Prime Minister Kier Starmer.

Thangam Debbonaire, who represented Bristol West between 2010 and 2024, and Marvin Rees, who was mayor between 2016 and 2024, were given the honours.

Mr Rees stepped down in May, while Ms Debbonaire lost her seat to Bristol's first Green MP, Carla Denyer.

The pair join 28 other Labour nominations for Parliament's second chamber

Becoming Lords means the two politicians could be selected to serve in cabinet roles, in the same way as David Cameron, who was appointed Foreign Secretary in the last Conservative government.

Writing on X, Ms Debbonaire said she was "honoured" by the invitation.

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Mr Starmer previously promised to abolish the House of Lords altogether.

Instead, Labour is taking a gradual approach, and will soon remove hereditary peers. A bill currently making its way through Parliament would abolish the 92 seats reserved for peers who inherit their titles through their families.

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