Profile of Baroness Ashton

Baroness Ashton began her political career as a peer in the House of Lords, serving as a junior minister in the Education and Constitutional Affairs ministries before becoming Leader of the House of Lords, after which she was appointed the EU Trade Commissioner, replacing Peter Mandelson. Before entering parliament she worked for the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), as a consultant specialising in corporate social responsibility and as a freelance policy adviser.