Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick accepted the role of Patron for Behçet’s UK in December 2019.

Lady Ritchie is a non-affiliated life peer who has sat in the House of Lords since 5 November 2019. Her Committee membership includes Food, Poverty, Health and Environment. 

Before joining the Lords, Margaret Ritchie sat in the Commons as a Member of Parliament (MP), first elected as the MP for South Down in 2010. Between 2007 and 2010 she was the Minister for Social Development in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Margaret Ritchie led the party from 2010 to 2011. Her roles have included Shadow SDLP Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and Shadow SDLP Spokesperson for Energy and Climate Change.

Margaret Ritchie has been involved with our membership in Northern Ireland for some time, championing the cause for our members.  Particularly, she opened the 2016 Belfast Conference, stepping in at short notice when Dr Michael McBride, Chief Medical Officer, was called away on duty.  Conscientious about anything she takes on, Margaret Ritchie as an MP always responded quickly and efficiently to correspondence from our membership on environmental or health issues, and was keen to raise questions in the house.