Baroness Howe dead: Widow of late former chancellor dies aged 90

Baroness Howe of Idlicote CBE, widow of the late former chancellor Lord Howe, has died aged 90 after a battle with cancer, her family said in a statement.

She was made a life peer at the age of 69 on 29 June 2001. Along with her husband Lord Geoffrey Howe, they were one of the few couples that held a peerage in their own right.

She retired from Parliament on 2 June 2020.

Baroness Howe also served as deputy chairman of the Equal Opportunities Commission and later made Chair of the Broadcasting Standards Commission.

The statement said: “It is with great sadness that the Howe family announces that Baroness Elspeth Howe of Idlicote, widow of the late Lord Geoffrey Howe of Aberavon, died late last night, aged 90, at her home in Idlicote, Warwickshire, after a brave battle with cancer.

“She will be missed intensely by her whole family and many friends. We are immensely proud of her many achievements, especially her championing of the causes close to her heart which she supported so effectively during her remarkable lifetime”.

The family said funeral details will follow in due course.