LIZ Truss’s former deputy prime minister Dame Therese Coffey has taken her seat in the House of Lords.
The 53-year-old was handed a life peerage by Tory leader Kemi Badenoch after she lost her Suffolk Coastal seat, which she had held since 2010, in last year’s general election.
Lady Coffey held a series of cabinet roles when the Conservatives were in office, including heading up the environment and health portfolios.
During this time, she said that people struggling to afford food should consider working more hours and getting a higher income.
A close friend of Truss, Lady Coffey was appointed second-in-command during her tenure as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, serving just 49 days.
Born in 1971 in Lancashire, Lady Coffey went to school in Liverpool before heading to Oxford and then to University College London to do a PhD in chemistry.
Before entering politics, she worked in finance for confectionery giant Mars and on the corporate side of the BBC.
Reported to be partial to a cigar, she, like Truss, is said to have enjoyed karaoke and hosted Westminster singalongs for MPs and staff during her time in the Commons.
Lady Coffey wore the traditional scarlet robes for the short introduction ceremony in the unelected chamber, where she swore the oath of allegiance to the King.
She was supported by fellow Tory peers Baroness Stedman-Scott and Baroness Pidding.
Among those looking on was Conservative MP Dame Karen Bradley and former cabinet minister Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, who also lost his seat in the July election.
Also taking his seat in the Lords was former general secretary of the Labour Party David Evans.
