Tributes paid to former APPG insurance deputy chair Baroness Turner

Baroness Turner of Camden, who has died aged 90, was elected deputy chair at the inaugural meeting of the APPGIFS in January 1991, a position she continued to serve well into its second decade.

Between 1970 and 1987 Turner was assistant general secretary of ASTMS (later Manufacturing, Science and Finance, Amicus and now Unite) where she was acknowledged for her success in boosting its membership among financial services employees, including insurance. From 1981 to 1987 she was also a member of the TUC General Council.

Former APPGIFS chairman and fellow founder member John Greenway told Post “Muriel Turner was a tremendous asset for the All Party Group and she made an outstanding contribution to the group’s work for more than 25 years.

“Her profound knowledge and understanding of the insurance and financial services industry impressed everyone we met during our enquiries, from chief executives to underwriters, actuaries and staff representatives.

“As a former trade union official, Muriel always kept in view the crucial importance of the consumer interest whilst recognising the imperative of financial reward and commercial soundness.”

Former Conservative MP Greenway, the group’s longest serving chairman from 1992 – 2010, added: “At a personal level we got along famously. I could always rely upon her invaluable support.

“Despite our political differences we almost invariably reached the same conclusions on the big issues under consideration. Muriel helped enormously in ensuring the group genuinely was ‘All Party’ but also informed, knowledgeable, competent, influential and entirely relevant.”