Paul Bew joined Queen’s University Belfast in 1979 and was made Professor of Irish Politics in 1991. He acted as historical adviser to the Bloody Sunday Inquiry between 1998 and 2001 and was appointed as a non-party-political peer by the independent House of Lords Appointments Commission in February 2007 following his contributions to the Good Friday Agreement.

In 2007 he served on the Local London Authority Bill Select Committee and in 2011 served on the Joint Committee on the Defamation Bill, which addressed key issues of academic freedom.

He chaired the independent review of Key Stage 2 (SATs) provision in England which reported in 2011 and was accepted by the government. He also served on the Joint Committee on Parliamentary Privilege which produced its report on in July 2013.

Lord Bew continues to teach Irish History and Politics at the School of Politics, International Studies and Philosophy at Queen’s University.

Among Lord Bew’s many publications is the Ireland volume of the Oxford History of Modern Europe.