I have been hugely honoured in the last two weeks to be told that I have been appointed to Her Majesty’s Privy Council.
The Privy Council is a small group of mostly senior politicians and senior judges who advise The Queen on important matters of state. The appointment was made on the recommendation of the then-outgoing Prime Minister Theresa May MP just before she left office. I am due to take the Oath in front of The Queen at Buckingham Palace next month.
The Privy Council dates back nearly a thousand years, to Norman times, and is one of the oldest parts of our system of government in this country. Although members of the Privy Council are appointed for life, only Ministers of the Government then holding office participate in its day-to-day business and they are accountable to Parliament for all matters conducted through the Privy Council. Membership of the Privy Council means that a person is referred to as The Right Honourable rather than as The Honourable.
I was officially appointed to the Privy Council on Tuesday, 8th October and I will be presented to Her Majesty for the official swearing-in ceremony in November.