The Turkish Cypriot Baroness Hussein-Ece is to join the Liberal Democrat shadow cabinet.
Baroness Hussein-Ece, who this week joined the Liberal Democrat frontbench
The peer, who is known in the Turkish-speaking communities as Meral Ece, will join the team assembled by new party leader Tim Farron as equalities spokeswoman.
She joins a group of MPs, peers and non-elected individuals in the first Liberal Democrat shadow cabinet since the party haemorrhaged support in May’s general election.
She tweeted in response to messages of congratulations that the appointment was a “privilege” and she will “continue to be vocal on all equalities issues”.
Six of the party’s remaining eight MPs are on the frontbench team, including Alistair Carmichael as the Home Affairs spokesman and Mr Farron’s leadership rival Norman Lamb speaking for health.
Lynne Featherstone, who served as MP for Hornsey and Wood Green for ten years until her defeat in May, becomes the energy and climate change spokeswoman.
Other appointments include Dorothy Thornhill, mayor of Watford, who will speak for the national party on local government matters.
“The team I am announcing today is the Liberal voice that Britain desperately needs,” Mr Farron said.
“It features some of the best campaigners that the party has, balanced with the experience and economic credibility that our party has developed over the last five years in government.
“It was important to me to be able to call on the advice and experience of people at all levels of our party and I believe we have an excellent team to lead the Lib Dem fight back. Together, we will take our ideas, our values and our liberal messages to every corner of Britain. We will make the case for housing, immigration, Europe, environmentalism and human rights.”
