International Women’s Day

Baroness Nargund Excerpts

Friday 6th March 2026 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Nargund (Lab) (Maiden Speech)]

My Lords, it is a profound honour to address noble Lords and Baronesses across this House for the first time. I begin with gratitude to Black Rod, Garter, the Clerk of the Parliaments, the security teams and all those who serve this great institution. I thank them for their kindness, patience and guidance. I have a special word for the doorkeepers, who have gently rescued me more than once in these magnificent but bewildering corridors.

I extend my heartfelt thanks to my sponsors, my noble friend Lord Kinnock and my noble and learned friend Lady Harman. They are dear friends, whom I deeply respect. They embody conviction politics and a lifetime of principled public service. I also pay tribute to the Leader of the House, my noble friend Lady Smith, and the Chief Whip, my noble friend Lord Kennedy, for their generous support and formidable leadership. I thank noble Lords and Baronesses across this House for their warm welcome. It is a privilege to sit in this House among such experience and wisdom.

My journey to this Chamber began far from Westminster, in the small village of Satti in Karnataka, in south-west India. I was raised in a family rooted in Gandhian principles. My mother’s family stood against caste discrimination and superstition, and my father’s family joined the non-violent struggle for India’s freedom. Justice, equality and service were not aspirations; they were expectations.

My mother Rukmini still remains my greatest influence. When I was born, she sent sweets to the entire village. In those days, that celebration was reserved for sons. With that simple act, she made a quiet declaration: daughters deserve equal celebration. That belief in equality has guided my life.

Over 40 years ago, my husband Vinod and I came to Britain as junior doctors to work in the National Health Service—Labour’s birth child and Britain’s greatest institution. For nearly three decades, I served as a lead consultant in reproductive medicine at St George’s Hospital in Tooting. Tooting, the community I was privileged to serve, and Wimbledon, my home for many years and where I joined the Labour Party, will always remain close to my heart.

Late nights, unpredictable, summoned at any time— I am not describing my years delivering babies on the labour ward but my first weeks here, delivering votes. I bring over 40 years of front-line medical and academic experience and an understanding of how our health system works across sectors and how it can be made more efficient and equitable.

As vice-chair of the British Red Cross, I worked to tackle health inequalities at home and supported humanitarian efforts internationally. As a trustee of the London Emergencies Trust, I helped families affected by the Grenfell tragedy. Those experiences reinforced a simple truth: compassion must be matched by competence. Institutions must not only care; they must deliver.

Throughout my career, I have worked to improve women’s reproductive choices and justice by developing safer and more affordable treatments and innovative technology to increase global access. Innovation matters only when it reaches those in greatest need. The best healthcare must not be a privilege for the few but a right for all, and it should be free.

In this debate for International Women’s Day, it is especially poignant for me to make my maiden speech. Around the world—sometimes closer to home than we would wish—women’s rights remain fragile, as we have just heard. Women’s health remains persistently underprioritised. Closing the gender health gap is both a moral duty and an economic necessity. I am determined to play my part in advancing that cause.

That a girl born in a small Indian village could serve as a senior leader across all sectors, lead a global movement increasing accessibility and women’s safety in reproductive care, and now sit in this House, speaks to the very best of Britain: its tolerance, fairness and decency, and its capacity to embrace those who come to serve here. That is the Britain I believe in, not a nation diminished by division or hatred but one strengthened by diversity and shared purpose.

I would not be here today without the support of my husband Vinod and my son Praful, who are watching from the Gallery. Praful has been my constant adviser. I am proud of his unwavering commitment to social mobility and his tireless work ethic. I also remember with deep affection the late Baroness Margaret McDonagh, a remarkable woman who inspired and mentored so many, and whom I dearly miss.

I have long been guided by a simple principle: be the change you wish to see. I will bring that spirit to my work in this House, to reduce health inequalities, to champion women’s causes, and to uphold the values of fairness, compassion and service that define this country at its very best.