{{Short description|British politician and priest (born 1960)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = The Reverend and Right Honourable | name = The Baroness Sherlock | honorific_suffix = {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} | image = Official portrait of Baroness Sherlock crop 2.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2022 | office = Minister of State for Work and Pensions{{efn|Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State from 9 July 2024 till 17 December 2024}} | prime_minister = Keir Starmer | term_start = 9 July 2024 | term_end = | predecessor = The Viscount Younger of Leckie | successor = | office1 = Member of the House of Lords | status1 = Lord Temporal | term_label1 = Life peerage | term_start1 = 17 June 2010 {{collapsed infobox section begin | last = yes | Shadow portfolios | titlestyle = border:1px dashed lightgrey}} {{Infobox officeholder | embed = yes | subterm = 2023–2024 | suboffice = Faith | subterm1 = 2013–2024 | suboffice1 = Work and Pensions | subterm2 = 2021–2022 | suboffice2 = Education | subterm3 = 2015–2020 | suboffice3 = Senior Whip | subterm4 = 2013–2015 | suboffice4 = Whip {{collapsed infobox section end}}}} | birth_name = Maeve Christina Mary Sherlock | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=y|1960|11|10}} | birth_place = Finsbury Park, London, England | party = Labour | alma_mater = University of Liverpool<br>Open University<br>St Chad's College, Durham }} '''Maeve Christina Mary Sherlock, Baroness Sherlock''', {{Post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE}} (born 10 November 1960) is a British politician serving as a Member of the House of Lords since 2010. A member of the Labour Party, she is an ordained priest of the Church of England.
==Early life and education== Maeve Christina Mary Sherlock was born on 10 November 1960 in Finsbury Park, London. She was educated at Our Lady's Abingdon in Abingdon on Thames.
Sherlock read Sociology at the University of Liverpool, and later received a Master of Business Administration from the Open University.<ref>{{cite news |date=16 February 2005 |title=Staying power |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/2005/feb/16/guardiansocietysupplement.politics |accessdate=22 March 2017}}</ref> She served as President of the National Union of Students from 1988 to 1990.<ref>{{cite web| url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/4147/experience | title= MPs and Lords: Baroness Sherlock: Experience| website= UK Parliament| accessdate= 6 August 2020}}</ref>
== Career == Sherlock was director of the UK Council for Overseas Student Affairs from 1991 until 1997, when she became chief executive of the National Council for One Parent Families. She was appointed an officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2000 New Year Honours.<ref>{{London Gazette | issue = 55710 | date = 31 December 1999 | page = 16 | supp = y }}</ref>
Sherlock worked as a member of the Council of Economic Advisers from 2000 to 2003, advising the Chancellor of the Exchequer on social issues. She later became a trustee of think tank Demos.
Sherlock was chief executive of the Refugee Council from 2003 to 2006. A member of the Equality and Human Rights Commission from 2007 to 2010,<ref>[http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=328113&NewsAreaID=2 GNN – Government News Network] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20070609190645/http://www.gnn.gov.uk/Content/Detail.asp?ReleaseID=328113&NewsAreaID=2|date=9 June 2007}}</ref> she chaired the National Student Forum during the same period.
Sherlock has been non-executive director of the Financial Ombudsman Service board since 2008. She was also non-executive director of the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission from 2008 to 2010.
=== House of Lords === On 17 June 2010, Sherlock was created a life peer as '''Baroness Sherlock''', ''of Durham in the County of Durham''.<ref>{{London Gazette | issue = 59466 | date = 22 June 2010 | page = 11706 }}</ref> She was introduced in the House of Lords on 5 July 2010, where she sits as a member of the Labour Party.<ref>[https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/minutes/100622/ldordpap.htm House of Lords Business, 22 June 2010] <!-- Holding ref. More precise refs will be provided as they become available. --></ref> She made her maiden speech on 5 October 2010.<ref name="maiden">{{cite Hansard |jurisdiction= United Kingdom |title= Charitable Sector |url= https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2010-10-05/debates/10100520000478/details#contribution-10100523000001 |house= House of Lords |date= 5 October 2010 |volume= 721 |column_start= 46 |column_end= 49 |speaker= Baroness Sherlock }}</ref>
Sherlock was appointed an opposition whip in March 2013, and a Work and Pensions spokesperson in October 2013. She was promoted to serve as a senior whip from May 2015 until April 2020, when she stepped down from the position. She was an Education spokesperson from May 2021 to May 2022.
On 9 July 2024, she was appointed a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Work and Pensions.<ref>{{cite web |title=Baroness Sherlock OBE |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/people/baroness-sherlock |website=GOV.UK |access-date=12 July 2024 |language=en}}</ref> She was promoted to Minister of State on 17 December 2024.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ministerial appointment: 17 December 2024 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/ministerial-appointment-17-december-2024 |website=GOV.UK |publisher=Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street |access-date=18 December 2024 |language=en |date=17 December 2024}}</ref>
=== Church of England === Sherlock is an Honorary Fellow and Tutor at St Chad's College, Durham, where she studied for a doctorate in Theology.<ref>[http://www.durham.anglican.org/userfiles/file/Durham%20Website/News%20and%20Events/Online%20Newspaper/Newslink%20-%20July-August%202010.pdf "Maeve Sherlock Honoured"], Anglican Diocese of Durham website, July–August 2010 (text needs magnification)</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Maeve Sherlock |url=https://dur-ac-uk-prod.campuspack.eu/Groups/COLL_ChadsStudents/Tutors_Profiles_0/Sherlock |accessdate=12 May 2014 |work=Tutors' Profiles |publisher=St Chad's College, Durham}}</ref>
Sherlock trained for ordained ministry at St Mellitus College from 2016 until 2018, when she was ordained as a Church of England deacon.<ref name="Crockford">{{Crockford|surname=Sherlock|forenames=Baroness Maeve Christina Mary|id=50340|accessed=24 October 2022}}</ref> She served her curacy at St Nicholas Church, Durham (St Nics) from 2018 to 2022.<ref>{{cite web |date=30 June 2018 |title=Ordinations 2018 – Ordinands and Pictures |url=https://durhamdiocese.org/ordinations-2018-ordinands-and-pictures/ |access-date=6 July 2018 |work=Diocese of Durham |archive-date=6 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180706162043/https://durhamdiocese.org/ordinations-2018-ordinands-and-pictures/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> She was ordained a priest at Durham Cathedral in June 2019.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://durhamdiocese.org/inspiring-stories-of-ministry-lie-behind-ordination-ceremonies-in-2019/|title=Inspiring Stories of Ministry Lie behind Ordination Ceremony in 2019|work=Diocese of Durhham|date=21 June 2019|access-date=30 June 2019|archive-date=29 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190629234445/https://durhamdiocese.org/inspiring-stories-of-ministry-lie-behind-ordination-ceremonies-in-2019/|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2022, she was appointed a non-stipendiary priest vicar at Westminster Abbey,<ref name="Crockford" /> and was also licensed as non-stipendiary associate vicar at St Nics.<ref>{{cite news |date=20 May 2022 |title=Appointments |work=Church Times |url=https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/20-may/gazette/appointments/appointments |access-date=24 October 2022 |quote=SHERLOCK. The Revd Maeve Sherlock, NS Assistant Curate of St Nicholas's, Durham (Durham), to be NS Associate Minister, remaining Priest-Vicar of Westminster Abbey. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220707040418/https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2022/20-may/gazette/appointments/appointments |archive-date=7 July 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Staff |url=https://www.stnics.org.uk/staff |access-date=24 October 2022 |website=St Nics Durham |language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221024173837/https://www.stnics.org.uk/staff |archive-date=24 October 2022}}</ref>
==Notes== {{notelist}}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *{{UK MP links | parliament = 4147 }}
{{s-start}} {{s-off}} {{succession box|title=President of the<br>National Union of Students|before=Vicky Phillips|years=1988–1990|after=Stephen Twigg}} {{s-npo}} {{succession box|title=Chief Executive of the Refugee Council|years=2003–2006|before=Nick Hardwick|after=Donna Covey}} {{s-end}}
{{Presidents of the National Union of Students}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Sherlock, Maeve}} Category:1960 births Category:Alumni of the University of Liverpool Category:British people of Irish descent Category:Living people Category:Labour Party (UK) life peers Category:Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire Category:Alumni of St Chad's College, Durham Category:Politicians from Durham, England Category:Presidents of the National Union of Students (United Kingdom) Category:Staff of St Chad's College, Durham Category:21st-century English Anglican priests Category:Ordained peers