Ben Summerskill

Ben Summerskill born 6 October 1961

Ben Jeffrey Peter Summerskill is the Chief Executive of the UK-based Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual lobbying organisation Stonewall, now the largest gay equality body in Europe. He has a lesbian twin sister, Clare, who is a performer.

Educated at Cobden Road Infants School. Amherst County Primary School, Sevenoaks School and Merton College, Oxford, he first went into the restaurant trade and was Operations Director from 1987 to 1990 with Kennedy Brookes, a publicly-quoted hospitality company.

Becoming a journalist in 1990, he rose to the position of Assistant Editor of The Observer newspaper which he joined in 2000 after having worked for the Daily Express, the London Evening Standard and other magazines.

Summerskill was a Labour councillor for the Westbourne Ward of Westminster City Council from 1994 to 1998.

He succeeded former Director Angela Mason to the position of Chief Executive of Stonewall in 2003, expanding its work from parliamentary lobbying into other fields including workplace equality and campaigning against homophobia in schools. He led campaigns for repeal of Section 28 of the Local Government Act and the introduction of Civil Partnership for gay people in the UK. He is also noted for restoring Stonewall to financial good health after a number of precarious years.

In 2006, he was appointed a Commissioner on the UK's new Commission for Equality and Human Rights. He also advises the London Development Agency.

His grandmother (Baroness) Edith Summerskill and his aunt (Dr) Shirley Summerskill were both Labour Members of Parliament and government ministers. Edith Summerskill, a former Chairman of the UK Labour Party, was an early advocate of Britain's free National Health Service. Shirley Summerskill helped introduce the UK's Sex Discrimination Act, as a Home Office (Interior) minister.

Ben Summerskill is an occasional contributor to The Guardian.