Ms Jones has represented the Green Party on the Assembly since 2000 and was Deputy Mayor of London under former Mayor Ken Livingstone.
She also served on the Metropolitan Police Authority until its abolition last year and is deputy chair of the Assembly’s Polcie and Crime Committee which holds both he Met and Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime to account.
Last year she came third in the election for Mayor of London, pushing Liberal Democrat candidate Brian Paddick into fourth place.
She has also served as Chair of the National Green Party Executive.
Ms Jones said: “It is an honour and a privilege to be chosen as the Green Party representative in the Second Chamber.
“My holding the Metropolitan Police to account for over a decade has shown me that issues around policing are a constant concern UK wide and there’s a clear need for strong voices protecting civil liberties and the right to protest.
“I am looking forward to a new battlefield for green ideas and policies and I shall do my best to fulfill the trust and expectation that my party has shown in me.”
She was selected as the Green Party’s candidate for the Lords in an open ballot of all Green Party members.
Party leader Natalie Bennett commented: “Jenny will be an excellent addition to the second chamber, and one small step towards political balance there.”
City Hall colleagues have congratulated Ms Jones on her elevation.
Commenting on the announcement, Leader of the Labour Group on the London Assembly, Len Duvall AM said: “I would like to send my congratulations to Jenny Jones on her well-deserved elevation. Jenny will make a fearless advocate for the issues she cares about. She will be an asset to the House of Lords.”
Conservative AM Victoria Borwick said: “I’m delighted to see that all Jenny’s campaigning work has been recognised with her elevation to the Lords, Well done Jenny”
Assembly Chair and fellow Green Party AM Darren Johnson commented: “I am sure I speak for all my colleagues in offering Jenny our warmest congratulations on the award of her life peerage.
“In the parlance of parliament this is a working peerage and I can assure Londoners that Jenny will continue working hard on their behalf both at City Hall and in the House of Lords.”
Mayor of London Boris Johnson Tweeted: “Well done to my old sparring partner Jenny Jones, London Assembly member and now the first Green elevated to the Lords.”
