Peer has long business experience

The Labour peer was chairman of the House of Lords Select Committee on European Internal Market Policies for four years and is currently a member of the Select Committee on European Economic and International Trade Policies.

He is also on the International Advisory Board of the White Rose East Asia Centre and on the board of the UK Japan 21st Century Group.

Before entering the House of Lords, Lord Woolmer was Dean of Leeds University Business School and has also served as councillor for Seacroft in East Leeds, deputy leader of Leeds Council and leader of West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council.

He was also MP for Batley & Morley and a director of Leeds United in the 1990s.