Mone’s Whitney tribute as she makes Lords debut
IT is almost certainly the first time in history that lyrics from a Whitney Houston song have been heard in the hallowed chamber of the House of Lords.
But always keen to break with stuffy tradition, lingerie tycoon Michelle Mone yesterday recited the words of Greatest Love of All to amused – and bemused – peers as she made her maiden speech from the famous red benches.
The pop lyrics will now be recorded in Hansard for eternity, alongside the wise words of past luminaries such as Margaret Thatcher and Benjamin Disraeli.
Baroness Mone of Mayfair, as she is now known, told peers she would normally sing the song at karaoke – but refrained from doing so as she recalled how the words have inspired her throughout her life: ‘I believe the children are our are future. Teach them well and let them lead the way.’
Dressed in a smart, black blouse, the 44-year-old from Glasgow’s East End was clearly nervous as she delivered her nine-minute speech – nearly five months after she was sworn in. She told peers how she suffers from dyslexia and found the speech ‘harder than any business I have ever started’.
Lady Mone was heralded as a British success story by Downing Street when her elevation to the Lords was announced last August.
She was handed the role of small business tsar on the strength of her remarkable rise from a Glasgow tenement to head of the internationally established Ultimo underwear company, which boasted a £40million turnover at its height. She sold an 80 per cent stake in Ultimo in 2013 and is esti- mated to have made £20million from the company.
Her appointment to the Lords was met with snide remarks about ‘Lady Knickers’ and ‘Baroness Bra’ and outrage from other business leaders, who questioned her achievements in commerce.
Yesterday, she called on the Government to do more to support women from deprived backgrounds overcome barriers to start up their own businesses.
Thanking peers for their ‘kindness and warmth’, she said: ‘I want to see a future where women and girls, as well as men and boys, from even the most deprived areas, dream of starting their own business.’
Her speech was followed by Tory peer Lord Fowler, who described her remarks as ‘outstanding’, while other members welcomed her as a ‘breath of fresh air’.
Further history was made yesterday as the first female bishop spoke in the chamber.
The Right Rev Rachel Treweek, the Bishop of Gloucester, made her maiden speech in a debate on women’s representation and empowerment.
She insisted International Women’s Day was ‘not about gender competition but gender parity’.