Editing Shirley Williams (section)

== Life peer ==
Williams was made a [[life peer]] on 1 February 1993, as '''Baroness Williams of Crosby''', of [[Stevenage]] in the [[County of Hertfordshire]],<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=53207 |date=4 February 1993 |page=2049}}</ref> and subsequently served as [[Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords]] from 2001 to 2004.<ref>{{cite web |title=Shirley Williams |url=https://liberalhistory.org.uk/people/shirley-williams/ |website=Liberal History |access-date=12 April 2021}}</ref>

Among other non-profit boards, Williams was a member of the [[Council on Foreign Relations]], the EU's ''Comité des Sages'' (Reflection Group) on Social Policy,<ref>[http://europa.eu/rapid/pressReleasesAction.do?reference=IP/95/1032&format=HTML&aged=1&language=EN&guiLanguage=en "Commission Establishes a 'Comité des Sages' on Social Policy", 4 October 1995] Retrieved 11 June 2011</ref> the [[Twentieth Century Fund]], the [[Ditchley Foundation]], the [[Institute for Public Policy Research]], and the [[Nuclear Threat Initiative]]. She also served as President of the [[Royal Institute of International Affairs]], as Commissioner of the [[International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament]] and as president of the [[Cambridge University Liberal Association]]. Williams was also an attendee of the 2013 and the 2010 [[Bilderberg conference]]s in Watford, Hertfordshire, England, and Sitges, Spain, respectively.<ref>Bilderberg Meetings official website 2010 attendee list {{cite web |url=http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/meeting_2010_2.html |title=Bilderberg Meetings - Home |access-date=17 June 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100617025004/http://www.bilderbergmeetings.org/meeting_2010_2.html |archive-date=17 June 2010  }}</ref>

In June 2007, after [[Gordon Brown]] replaced [[Tony Blair]] as Prime Minister, Williams accepted a formal Government position as Advisor on [[Nuclear Proliferation]] provided she could serve as an independent advisor; she remained a Liberal Democrat. Her interest and commitment to education continued, and she served as Chair of Judges of the British Teaching Awards. Williams was a member of the [[Top Level Group]] of UK Parliamentarians for Multilateral Nuclear Disarmament and Non-proliferation, established in October 2009.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/sep/08/nuclear-disarmament-cross-party-group |location=London |work=The Guardian | title=Nuclear-free world ultimate aim of new cross-party pressure group | first=Julian | last=Borger | author-link = Julian Borger|date=8 September 2009}}</ref>

Williams was originally opposed to the [[Cameron–Clegg coalition]]'s [[Health and Social Care Act 2012|Health and Social Care Bill]], describing it as "stealth privatisation" during 2011.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2011/mar/12/shirley-williams-nick-clegg-nhs |title=Shirley Williams urges Lib Dems to fight Andrew Lansley's NHS plan |first=Toby |last=Helm |author-link = Toby Helm |newspaper=The Guardian |location=Manchester |date=12 March 2011 |access-date=19 March 2012 }}</ref> The government made some changes to the Bill, described by Williams as "major concessions",<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/feb/03/nhs-bill-amendments-major-concession |title=Our NHS bill amendments represent a major concession by the government |first=Shirley |last=Williams |newspaper=The Guardian |location=Manchester |date=3 February 2012 |access-date=19 March 2012 }}</ref> but dismissed as "minor" by [[The Guardian|''Guardian'']] commentator [[Polly Toynbee]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2012/mar/12/sorry-shirley-williams-nail-health-bill-myths |title=Sorry, Shirley Williams, but I have to nail your health bill myths |work=The Guardian|location=Manchester, UK |first=Polly |last=Toynbee |author-link=Polly Toynbee |date=12 March 2012 |access-date=14 March 2012 }}</ref> Williams urged Liberal Democrats to support the amended Bill during the conference in March 2012,<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.newstatesman.com/blogs/the-staggers/2012/03/party-nhs-bill-lib-social |title=Could NHS reform be the Lib Dems' downfall? |first=Daniel |last=Trilling |author-link = Daniel Trilling|work=New Statesman |location=UK |date=11 March 2012 |access-date=1 April 2012 }}</ref> saying "I would not have stuck with the bill, if I believed for one moment it would undermine the [[NHS]]."<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2012/mar/11/nick-clegg-shirley-williams-nhs-health-bill |title=How Nick Clegg and Shirley Williams lost the great NHS debate |first=Patrick |last=Wintour |author-link = Patrick Wintour|newspaper=The Guardian |location=Manchester |date=11 March 2012 |access-date=19 March 2012 }}</ref>

Williams spoke against [[Same-sex marriage in the United Kingdom|same-sex marriage]] in the House of Lords, saying that "equality is not the same as sameness. That is the fundamental mistake in this Bill" and that women and men "complement one another", arguing that marriage between people of the same sex should not be called marriage but should have "different nomenclature". This was based on her belief that marriage is "a framework for procreation and the raising of children."<ref>{{cite journal | title = House of Lords 17 June 2013 | journal = Hansard |url=https://hansard.parliament.uk//Lords/2013-06-17/debates/13061712000472/Marriage(SameSexCouples)Bill#contribution-13061712000105 | date = 17 June 2013 }}</ref> In late 2015, she announced her intention to retire from the House of Lords.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Shirley Williams to retire from Lords after 50 years in politics|url = https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/dec/17/shirley-williams-retire-lords-after-50-years-politics|website = The Guardian|access-date = 18 December 2015|first = Rowena|last = Mason|date = 17 December 2015}}</ref> On 28 January 2016 she made her valedictory speech in the chamber, and on 11 February she officially retired, in pursuance of Section 1 of the [[House of Lords Reform Act 2014]].<ref name="Valedictory video" /> In the [[2017 New Year Honours]], Williams was appointed to the [[Order of the Companions of Honour]] for "services to political and public life".<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=61803 |date=31 December 2016 |page=N27 |supp=y}}</ref>