Times associate editor and JC columnist Daniel Finkelstein has been made a Conservative peer.

He was included on a list of working peerages announced by Downing Street today.

Mr Finkelstein, who is also a JC board member, was previously head of policy at the Conservative Party.

He will be joined on the Tory benches in the House of Lords by former Jewish Care trustee Howard Leigh.

Mr Leigh is a former Conservative Party treasurer and is the president of Westminster Synagogue.

Finchley United Synagogue chairman Jon Mendelsohn will become a Labour peer.

Mr Mendelsohn, a former Union of Jewish Students chair, is a business adviser and co-founder of LLM Communications.

The trio are among 30 new peers set to join the Lords following nominations from the political party leaders. Their suggestions are vetted by the House of Lords appointments commission.