Vera Baird

Who is Vera Baird?

Vera Baird QC is a British Labour Party activist, barrister, author and lecturer. She serves as a visiting professor at London South Bank University and a visiting law lecturer at Teesside University. She is also an honorary fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, a co-director of Astraea Gender Justice and the chair of Eaves for Women Charity. She is the only woman honorary member of the Durham Miners Association. She was the Member of Parliament for Redcar from 2001 to 2010, when she lost her seat to the Liberal Democrats with the highest swing against any Labour candidate anywhere in the country prompted by local anger over the closure of Teesside Steelworks.

Baird became the Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria in November 2012. During the campaign she featured her intention to champion neighbourhood policing, improve how anti-social behaviour and drug crime are dealt with and prioritise tackling violence against women.