Lib Dem peer to lead medical charities body

John Sharkey will succeed Phil Willis as chairman of the Association of Medical Research Charities, the association has announced.

Sharkey will take over when Willis steps down at the AMRC’s annual meeting in November, after five years in the job.

Chairman of the Lib Dem election campaign in 2010, Sharkey was granted a peerage under the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government. He directed the Yes! to Fairer Votes campaign to persuade the public to vote in favour of the Alternative Vote referendum of 2011. He is also a director of New City Agenda, a financial services policy think tank, and of Full Fact, a not-for-profit fact-checking organisation.