At first glance, Vernon Coaker's office is how you would expect a work space occupied by a member of the House of Lords to look. There is a picture of him shaking hands with Barack Obama, various awards dotted around the room, and all of it is complemented by a breath-taking view of the parliamentary estate.
But on one of the walls, there is a framed picture of a slightly run-down establishment called the "Costa Brava Cafe". Despite this picture being hung right next to his photo with the 44th President of the United States, it is to this cafe that Lord Coaker first drew our attention when we visited him in London.
Lord Coaker, 69, served as the Labour MP for Gedling for 22 years before losing the seat in 2019. He was soon invited by the Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer to join the House of Lords and is now the party's shadow spokesperson for home affairs and defence in that chamber.
