A key ally of Sir Keir Starmer and the Labour MP for Newport East, Jessica Morden, has been appointed a Dame in the King’s Birthday Honours, alongside knighthoods for two former senior Conservative figures and the former Labour minister and political diarist Chris Mullin.
Damehood for Starmer ally
Jessica Morden, who chairs the Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) – a role often described as the “shop steward” for Labour MPs – received the honour after more than two decades representing her Welsh constituency. She was first elected in 2005, becoming the first female MP in South East Wales, and has since been re-elected for a sixth term. Her damehood is for “services to politics and public service”.
Describing herself as “mostly a backroom girl”, Dame Jessica served as general secretary of Welsh Labour from 1999 until her election to Parliament. During Labour’s time in opposition she acted as Sir Keir’s parliamentary aide and is considered a key ally. Following the 2024 general election she assumed the role of PLP chairwoman. She has also held a range of shadow ministerial posts, including Shadow Minister for Wales and Shadow Deputy Leader of the House of Commons, and serves on the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament. In late 2024 she was appointed a Trade Envoy for Central America.
Dame Jessica was selected as the Labour candidate for Newport East through an all-women shortlist. Before entering Parliament she worked for MPs Huw Edwards and Llew Smith. During her first term she completed the Police Parliamentary Scheme and was appointed to the Members’ Advisory Committee that oversaw the establishment of the first nursery in the House of Commons.
Reacting to her damehood, she said: “It’s clearly been its own reward and privilege to be the MP for Newport East for the past 21 years. However, it’s very kind to be acknowledged for the work that I’ve done in the Labour Party over the last 35 years, much of it behind the scenes.”
Born in Surrey, she grew up in Cwmbran and read Medieval and Modern History at the University of Birmingham. She is married to Sion and they have two children, Mali and Ifan.
Knighthoods for Gauke and Hands
Among the other political awards in this year’s list are knighthoods for two former Conservative MPs: David Gauke and Greg Hands. It is Sir David’s work chairing the government-commissioned independent sentencing review that has earned him the honour.
Sir David served as a Cabinet minister under Theresa May, including as Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, but was suspended by Boris Johnson after rebelling over Brexit and subsequently lost his seat in the 2019 general election. His sentencing review was prompted by extreme capacity pressures on the prison system and aimed to provide long-term solutions to prison overpopulation.
The review recommended an overhaul of the justice system to avoid repeated crises in prison capacity, including scrapping most jail sentences of under 12 months and a greater use of community sentences. Among the key measures accepted by the Ministry of Justice are an “earned progression model” for early release, based on constructive engagement with the prison regime, and a significant increase in investment in the probation service of up to £700 million. The government has said it intends to accept the majority of the review’s recommendations.
Sir David was appointed to lead the review in part to demonstrate that politicians from different traditions can agree on necessary reforms. Telling the PA news agency it was “literally an honour”, he said: “It reflects the work of the independent sentencing review and I think, to be fair, a lot of credit goes to the other panel members and the officials who worked on the project. Ultimately, we produced a serious piece of work that looked at the evidence and brought forward a set of proposals that have largely been implemented, helping make sure we don’t have a prison crisis in the way that we did a few months ago.”
Honour for campaigner and diarist
Also recognised with a knighthood is the former Labour minister Chris Mullin. Sir Chris, 78, was the MP for Sunderland South from 1987 to 2010 and served as a junior minister under Sir Tony Blair in the Department for Environment, Transport and the Regions, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and the Department for International Development. He also chaired the Home Affairs Select Committee.
His knighthood is for his work as a former Labour minister and for his contributions to journalism. Before entering Parliament he trained with the Daily Mirror, reported from Southeast Asia where he was critical of American actions in the Vietnam War, and later worked for ITV. He is widely recognised for his pivotal role in securing the release of the Birmingham Six, who were wrongly convicted of the 1974 Birmingham pub bombings. He campaigned for years for their release, covering the story for Granada TV’s World In Action and publishing the book Error of Judgement in 1986. An updated edition in 2024 named three of the four real bombers, though he has defended his decision not to name all suspects on grounds of journalistic ethics.
Sir Chris is also the author of four novels, including A Very British Coup, which portrays the undermining of a left-wing government, and a bestselling series of his political diaries. He has received honorary degrees from several universities, including Hull, Newcastle, Essex and Sunderland.
Speaking to PA, he said: “At this late stage in my life, I am grateful for any sliver of recognition that comes my way.”
