Fake fur and Dr Martens: the young peer bringing change to the Lords

Carmen Smith, 27, of Plaid Cymru, is to become the youngest peer in the House of Lords. Photograph: Dimitris Legakis/The Guardian

She wears Dr Martens boots, loves Dua Lipa and clears her head by lifting weights. It is safe to say that Carmen Smith, who is to become a Plaid Cymru peer at the age of 27, will not be a typical member of the House of Lords.

But Smith hopes that by taking up a seat, in an institution she disapproves of, she will help change the feel and look of the place.