
Lord Bew
Lord Bew is Chair of the House of Lords Appointments Commission. Prior to this he served as Chair of the Committee on Standards in Public Life from 2013 – 2018. He teaches Irish History and Politics at the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy at Queen’s University. Lord Bew has previously: – served on the Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege – chaired the independent review of Key Stage 2 (SATs) provision in England – served on the Joint Committee on the Defamation Bill, which addressed key issues of academic freedom – served on the Local London Authority Bill Select Committee acted as historical adviser to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry He was appointed as a non-party-political peer by the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission in February 2007, following his contributions to the Good Friday Agreement.

Related Posts & Publications


The Irish Backstop: Nothing has changed? It has actually
by Lord Bew | Mar 18, 2019
Related Content While the Withdrawal Agreement itself has not changed, the potential practical functioning and probable duration of any future backstop has been significantly changed in the course of recent negotiations.The UK Government is now correct in asserting...
The ‘Backstop’ Paralysis: A Way Out
by Lord Bew | Jan 28, 2019
Read Publication The Irish Backstop would “turn the Good Friday Agreement on its head”, says a Policy Exchange Briefing Note by Lord Bew of Donegore, a Crossbench peer and leading historian of Ireland. Lord Bew writes that the “UK Government has allowed the Irish...
The Good Friday Agreement is in relatively good health
by Lord Bew | Apr 10, 2018
20 years on, the Good Friday Agreement is in relatively good health. That may sound surprising to some given the coverage – including the recent intervention of Hilary Clinton – and occasional noises emanating from Dublin, Brussels and ultra-remain supporters in...
Brexit will not break up the Union
by Lord Bew | May 9, 2017
So the EU has pronounced on the future of the island of Ireland; if there is a Border Poll – or referendum – in Northern Ireland in favour of Irish unity, then the Province can duly join the Irish Republic inside the European Union. Sensational news? Hardly. In...Support Us
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