Baroness Ritchie has been a Labour member of the House of Lords since 2019 and was the first female leader of the SDLP (2010 to 2011).

She is the former MP for the constituency of South Down, where she served from 2010 to 2017, and is a former member of the Northern Ireland Assembly from 2003 to 2012. Baroness Ritchie has extensive political interests, which include health, the environment, Europe, young people, and the economy. She is the former Minister for Social Development, serving on the Northern Ireland Executive between 2007 and 2010. As Minister, her responsibilities included housing, urban regeneration, community development, child support, and the Social Security Agency.