Former MEP and Stonewall co-founder made Labour life peer

Former MEP Michael Cashman has been made a Labour peer.

Cashman, 63, is one of 22 new life peers announced this morning, with the list also including football boss and star of The Apprentice, Karren Brady.

Cashman played Colin Russell, the first gay character in EastEnders in the 1980s, before going on to co-found Stonewall in 1989.

Between 1999 and 2014 he served as a Member of the European Parliament for the West Midlands, where he became known for his support of human rights.

He was made a CBE in the 2013 New Year Honours, for public and political service, and his announcement as a life peer comes after he stood down as an MEP in May.

Meanwhile, Nicky Morgan, the anti-gay marriage MP who was recently promoted to Education Secretary and Minister for Women and Equalities, has hired a Stonewall campaigner to her team. Find out more here.