Kate Hoey chooses title of Baroness of Lylehill & Rathlin after townland of her idyllic childhood

The Mallusk woman - who held the Vauxhall Westminster seat in London for 30 years until stepping down last year - will then be known as Baroness Hoey of Lylehill and Rathlin - her title also including the north coast island where she now owns a cottage.

“I’m not taking my seat until October 13 but I can now officially call myself Baroness Hoey because the patent from the Queen has now come through,” she said.

The official document from Queen Elizabeth II informs her that the sovereign does now “advance create and prefer our trusty and well beloved Catharine Letitia Hoey to the state degree style dignity title and honour of Baroness Hoey of Lylehill and Rathlin in Our County of Antrim”.

“Isn’t it beautiful,” she said of the language. “My mum would have loved it.”

The new peer is so pleased she is able to recognise the Ulster townland which gave her an idyllic childhood, which she credits for her later success.

“I was born on a small farm in Mallusk and my family - my brother - still lives there and I would go there quite a lot. But I have also got a cottage on Rathlin so I spend a lot of time on Rathlin when I am but the farm is still home.”

“There is actually a hill called Lylehill there and when we were children that is where we would go up and explore.”

So my new title is really named after my home area which is what I wanted. You were allowed to do that and it would mean a lot to my parents and my relatives that still live around the Lylehill area.

“I went to Lylehill Primary School which was a little two teacher primary school in the country - it was absolutely wonderful. A cousin of my father was the head teacher, Benjamin Hoey, and he was brilliant. It was a very relaxed schooling - if it was a hot day we would be taken off for a nature walk.

“And Lylehill Presbyterian Church was where my parents were married and sang in the choir - that was my first church.”

Her education began first and foremost with her physical activity on the family farm and which would set the tone for the highest office she would later occupy, Minister for Sport and Culture.

“I had a very idyllic childhood on the farm, growing up and doing all the kinds of things you can do on a farm. I was very keen on climbing trees and that kind of thing.”

Later she went to Belfast Royal Academy, where she found she was very good at sport.

“My father had made me a little high jump pit in the back field and I used to do a lot of high jumping. I was very keen on athletics and netball.”

At one point she was the Northern Ireland ladies high jump champion.

“But that was a bit of a fluke because Mary Peters was injured that year otherwise she would have walked it. But I did get the medal!”

Her love of sport took her to train as a PE teacher for three years at the Ulster College of Physical Education, where she first got involved in student politics.

So the next fateful leap was to study a degree in economics in London, where she then became a councillor with Labour, the party she felt most at home with at the time.

“When people used to ask why I went to London, I used to say I went to the capital city of my country - which it is - the capital of the United Kingdom.”

She loved her 30 years as the MP for Vauxhall in London.

“I was also the first woman sports minister ever - in the Tony Blair government.”

This later saw her become the Commissioner for Sport for Boris Johnson as Lord Mayor of London.

“It was an unpaid role, looking at how we could get more grassroots sport in London throughout his Mayorship. And we did got lots of money down to grass roots sports level.”

She also served as minister for policing in the Home Office under Home Secretary Jack Straw.

She acknowledges that her voting record has often been at odds with the party, perhaps even closer to a Tory outlook on many issues?

“Well I have always been a great believer in individual freedom,” she replies.

For example, she did not agree with her party trying to ban hunting, nor on the introduction of identity cards or 24 hour licences.

“There were lots of things that were Labour policy that I voted against. I really found that quite a lot of Labour policy wasn’t rooted in what ordinary decent working class people would have agreed with. Labour became more and more a party of the metropolitan liberal elite. And then of course when the party went for a second [Brexit] referendum I couldn’t stay in the party any longer.”

She stepped down as MP last year.

The reason she lasted 30 years despite such an independent spirit was her “lovely” constituents.

“I was a very good grass roots MP, very hard working. My seat was very near parliament so I would be spending every evening working in the constituency rather than sitting around the House of Commons like many other MPs.

“I was very popular as an MP despite my party having rows with me, I always knew the ordinary voter would continue to vote for me. I ended up doubling my majority after I voted for Brexit even though my party was solidly in favour of staying in the EU.

“But I am now going into the Lords as a non-aligned peer, which means I am not in any particular political party. As I said some time ago, I felt that the Labour party had left me.

“So I can do the things I want to do and not be bound by any party whip. After 30 years as an MP you get a bit tired of being told what to do. I have always been very independent anyway.”

On several occasions she has travelled undercover to Zimbabwe, which will remain a matter of interest for her. Other passions will continue to be countryside matters and Northern Ireland “which I obviously care very deeply about”.

She is so glad to be living back in Northern Ireland and commuting to London, instead of the other way round, although she had spent quite a bit of time supporting her mum, until she died, age 96.“Instead of spending a week or two in London and coming back for long weekends to Northern Ireland, now it will be the other way around. I shall be based in Northern Ireland and trying to make myself live with Northern Ireland politics - which is kind of distressing sometimes, particularly the way there is no unity amongst pro-union people.”

She emphasises that she prefers the perm pro-union as opposed to unionist, feeling it is a much wider and more inclusive umbrella.

“I am obviously not going to get involved directly in any of the political parties here but I will keep a real interest and try and work towards making sure that the wider voice for pro-union people, that they don’t feel they have to be tied into any particular political party to be heard.”

Other issues she intends to get behind are the centenary celebrations of the foundation of Northern Ireland, next year, and campaigning for victims of the Troubles: “I think the whole legacy proposals on the past have been shocking.”

“So there are a few issues I will be able to speak out about in the Lords; I love it, I have always loved Northern Ireland. It has always been home and now it is really home again.”

She adds: “I have now had my first letter addressed to Baroness Hoey - ‘Dear Lady Hoey’. I found that quite interesting. It is a real honour. The title is a tribute to many people; I owe an awful lot to my parents, the schooling in Northern Ireland and my constituents.”

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