Dame Vera Baird
Dame Vera Baird was appointed the Victims’ Commissioner for England and Wales in June 2019.
Speaking with authority
Dame Vera has spent her working life fighting injustice and is a long-term champion for victims’ rights.
Her first-hand experience of the criminal justice system, first as a criminal barrister, then MP and later government Minister and Solicitor General. Before becoming Victims’ Commissioner, Dame Vera was the Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Northumbria. Her wealth of experience means that she can speak with key partners in a voice that will be heard.
Champion of change
Dame Vera is the former Police and Crime Commissioner for Northumbria (2012-19).
Dame Vera spent much of her working life as a criminal barrister. She was called to the Bar in 1975 and took silk in 2000. She served as Labour MP for Redcar from 2001 to 2010, with a period on the front bench as a government minister from 2006 to 2010.
Dame Vera was appointed Solicitor General in 2007, a position she held until the general election of 2010. As the House of Common’s most senior law officer, Dame Vera was closely involved in criminal justice policy and legislation and played a key role in taking the Equalities Act 2010 through its House of Commons stages.
In recognition of her service to women and equality, Dame Vera was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2017.