Shaffaq Mohammed: Sheffield councillor nominated for a life peerage in House of Lords

Mohammed, who was made an MBE in the 2015 dissolution honours “for political service”, is set to sit in the House of Lords for the rest of his life, after being nominated by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.

The Star has contacted the Sheffield LibDem leader for comment about his nomination.

He will be one of 38 new life peers when he is sworn into the House of Lords and joins recognisable political names like Sue Gray (the Prime Ministers former Chief of Staff), and Dame Therese Coffey (the former deputy Prime Minister under Liz Truss).

The list, shared by 10 Downing Street today (December 20, 2024), confirms The King intends to grant the peerages nominated for life.

It includes 30 nominations from the leader of the Labour Party, Sir Keir Starmer; six nominations from the leader of the Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch MP; and two from the Liberal Democrats.

Mohammed will join other notable local Lords like Paul Scriven (Liberal Democrat), David Blunkett (Labour), and Natalie Bennett (Green) in Parliament’s upper house.

The House of Lords plays a similar role in Parliament to the House of Commons, where elected MPs sit. Bills, such as the recent Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill, need to be agreed by both houses and receive Royal Assent before it can become law.

If the Lords makes any changes to a bill, it will be sent back to the House of Commons. Bills can also start in the Lords, but this is rare.

His nomination means Mohammed can effectively make a contribution to law-making in the UK for the rest of his life.

It will be a significant moment in a lengthy political career.

Mohammed was born in Kashmir, moving to Sheffield at the age of four where his family worked in the steel industry.

In 2004, he was elected a Liberal Democrat councillor in Sheffield for the first time - becoming leader in 2011.

Mohammed was elected to the European Parliament in 2019 to represent Yorkshire and The Humber, which he did until the UK left the EU.

He has three times run for Parliament in Sheffield. First in the Sheffield Brightside & Hillsborough by-election, when he finished third.

The Sheffield University graduate twice ran for Parliament in general elections. First in 2017 for Sheffield Central, coming fourth; and second in Sheffield Hallam in 2024, coming second.