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Right To Life UK announces new board line-up as organisation undertakes major transformation and growth programme
Right To Life UK has today announced the appointment of two high-profile trustees, former Labour MP Rob Flello and legal expert Helen Freely, to the organisation’s board.
Rob Flello is a political communications consultant who was Labour MP for Stoke-on-Trent South from 2005 to 2017. During his time in Parliament, he was one of the leading champions on the Labour benches on both beginning and end of life issues. Mr Flello voted to give woman considering abortion a legal right to independent counselling from a source that has no financial interest in her decision and supported an amendment to ban sex-selective abortion. He also voted and campaigned against introducing assisted suicide and a bill that would have introduced abortion for any reason up to birth in the UK.
In 2019 Mr Flello was selected as the Liberal Democrats candidate for Stoke-on-Trent South. Thirty-six hours after his candidacy was announced, he was controversially deselected by the Liberal Democrats for having values that ‘diverged’ from the party’, citing his position on abortion.
Prior to his time in politics, Mr Flello co-founded Platts Flello Ltd and worked for Arthur Andersen and Pricewaterhouse before taking on a position as CEO of a charity that supports children and their families through its work in schools.
Rob Flello will be bringing his many years’ political experience and network of connections as a Labour MP to the board, and complements the current political expertise provided by Chris Whitehouse KCSG.
Helen Freely is a partner at one of the UK’s leading law firms. Her background includes work in charity law and incorporating trusts for people with physical and learning disabilities. Helen has written articles for the Financial Times and Daily Telegraph, and has appeared on BBC Breakfast Television. Helen’s memberships include Solicitors for the Elderly (SFE), Mencap and the Thomas More Society.
Helen Freely will bring her legal expertise and charity trustee experience to the board, along with a compassionate side, demonstrated through her voluntary work with people with disabilities.
Rob Flello and Helen Freely join the existing board at Right To Life UK which includes Chris Whitehouse KCSG, Moira Billinge, Peter Stephens and John Cotter.
The larger board at the organisation will bring in additional knowledge, expertise and experience to oversee the work of the organisation’s leadership team as it continues a major transformation and growth programme at the charity.
The programme is an ambitious, innovative strategy that the organisation is building out across education, media, public affairs and digital, in order to deliver large-scale positive change to policy and culture, which will save lives and support women in unplanned pregnancies.
This programme has already resulted in a number of high-profile successes and Right To Life UK is now working to further grow on these successes through a significant expansion of their Westminster-based team, with the organisation currently recruiting for a larger number of positions.
Right To Life UK was founded by the late Phyllis Bowman DSG. Phyllis was one of the first major campaigners on the abortion issue globally, launching her work to protect the unborn child and increase support for women facing unplanned pregnancies, prior to the passing of the Abortion Act in 1967.
She then proceeded to lead a very large network of people right across the UK to undertake educational, political, media and grassroots work to defend the right to life of every human being. Right To Life UK was founded by Phyllis to ensure that her pioneering work on life issues could be continued on a larger scale.
Right To Life UK continues her work today, uniting people from around the country to focus on protecting and defending human life.
Right To Life UK board member, Chris Whitehouse KCSG, said:
“We are delighted to have appointed two high-calibre candidates to Right To Life UK’s board.
Rob Flello was a leading champion on the Labour benches on life issues for a number of years. To change both the culture and politics on life issues, it is vital that this is a truly cross-party, cross-community, cross-cultural movement, and having Rob on board will greatly help us with ensuring we can grow our engagement on the left on these issues.
Helen Freely brings a wonderful combination of skills to the board, through her charity legal expertise in a professional context and first-hand experience of volunteering with vulnerable people in her spare time. Her extensive experience on charity trustee boards will be extremely valuable as we continue to grow the organisation’s operations.”
New board member, Helen Freely, said:
“It’s an exciting time to join the board at Right To Life UK as the organisation continues a major growth and expansion programme to ensure that it has an even bigger positive impact.
“I am looking forward to bringing my legal expertise and experience to the board and working directly with the leadership team to continue the vital mission started by Right To Life UK’s founder, Phyllis Bowman, to build a society where human life is valued at all stages.”
New board member, Rob Flello, said:
“I had the pleasure of working directly with Right To Life UK when I was an MP and witnessed first hand the vital part they play in supporting MPs to create positive policy change on life issues alongside their work to change the wider culture.”
“I am looking forward to working with their team again in my new position on the organisation’s board to further build Right To Life UK’s unique approach to delivering large-scale positive change on life issues.”
ENDS
- For additional quotes and media interviews contact press@righttolife.org.uk or 07774 483658.
- For further information on Right To Life UK visit www.righttolife.org.uk
- Photos of Helen Freeley and Rob Flello which can be used by the media are available below:
