Emma Harriet Nicholson, Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne, born on October 16, 1941, is a British politician and life peer since 1997. She served as the Conservative Member of Parliament for Torridge and West Devon from 1987 to 1997 before joining the Liberal Democrats in 1995. From 1999 to 2009, she represented South East England in the European Parliament. In 2016, she rejoined the Conservative Party with enthusiasm. Appointed as the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Kazakhstan in 2017, she has demonstrated a diverse career.
Born in Oxford to the influential Nicholson family, she faced deafness from the age of 16 but excelled in education at St Mary's School, Wantage, and the Royal Academy of Music. Before entering politics, she worked as a computer programmer and systems analyst and served as a director for the Save the Children Foundation.
Nicholson's political journey began in 1987 when she became a Conservative MP. She later switched to the Liberal Democrats in 1995, citing ideological differences. Known for her involvement in international affairs, she served in various capacities in the European Parliament, notably as President of the Delegation for Relations with Iraq and President of the Committee on Women's Rights of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly. She gained attention for her controversial report on Kashmir and her stance on international adoptions.
After leaving the European Parliament in 2009, Baroness Nicholson returned to the UK and joined the House of Lords. In 2010, she founded the All-party Parliamentary Group for Business Development in Iraq and the Regions. Her political affiliations shifted again in 2016, as she left the Liberal Democrats, briefly became non-affiliated, and rejoined the Conservative Party.
Baroness Nicholson's notable roles include Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Human Trafficking and Prime Minister's Trade Envoy for Iraq and later Kazakhstan. Despite controversy surrounding her views on issues like gay marriage, she remains an influential figure in British politics with a focus on international relations and business development.