Arise my Lords and Ladies

So, the first appointments to the House of Lords under the Liberal Democrat - Conservative coalition government and the last before it is replaced with a democratically elected upper chamber.

The list of the new Liberal Democrat Peers is as below;

Floella Benjamin OBE DL – actor, presenter and campaigner for children’s issues

Mike German OBE AM – former Deputy First Minister (Wales)

Meral Hussein Ece OBE – Local Government Councillor in Islington, advocate of equality issues

Sir Kenneth (Ken) Macdonald QC – former Director of Public Prosecutions

Kathryn (Kate) Jane Parminter – former Chief Executive of Campaign to Protect Rural England

John Shipley OBE – leading Local Government Councillor in Newcastle upon Tyne
 
and the dissolution list;
 
Richard Allan – former MP for Sheffield Hallam and Chair of the Information Select Committee

Matthew Owen John Taylor – former MP for Truro and St Austell, Chair of National Housing Federation

George Philip (Phil) Willis – former MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, Former Chair of Science and Technology Select Committee
 
For the full and comprehensive list of the 56 working Peers visit 10 Downing Street.