"Keir Starmer will appoint Richard Walker to the House of Lords, the Guardian understands, the culmination of an unusual and rapid political transformation for someone named as a prospective Tory MP candidate a little over three years ago. It was only February this year when Iceland's executive chair was rating Starmer's government six out of 10, saying that Labour needed to focus on inclusive growth and everyday growth that could trickle down in everyday people's lives."
"He was then added to a list of approved parliamentary candidates for the party in 2022, only to perform an abrupt about-turn the following year. Writing in the Guardian in 2023, Walker said the Conservatives had drifted badly out of touch with business and the economy, and with the everyday needs of the British people. He then backed Keir Starmer in early 2024, saying that after a lot of soul-searching he had decided he had exactly what it takes to be a great leader."
Richard Walker will be appointed a Labour peer and will join the House of Lords among 25 new appointees. Walker took over leadership of supermarket chain Iceland in 2023 after his father, Malcolm Walker, stepped down. Both men previously expressed support for and donated to the Conservative party, with Richard donating nearly £10,000 in July 2020. Walker was listed as an approved Conservative parliamentary candidate in 2022 but shifted allegiance and backed Keir Starmer in early 2024 after criticizing the Conservatives as out of touch with business and everyday needs. As a Labour peer he plans to push for closer EU relations and a more positive economic message focused on inclusive, everyday growth.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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