Diana Margaret Maddock, Baroness Maddock, Lady Beith (; 19 May 1945 – 26 June 2020) was a British

Liberal Democrat Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology. Active parties Former parties See also *Liberal democracy *Lib ...

politician. She was elected as

Member of Parliament A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...

(MP) for

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in a

1993 by-election File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peacefu ...

but lost the seat at the subsequent 1997 general election to Conservative

Christopher Chope Sir Christopher Robert Chope (born 19 May 1947) is a British barrister and politician who has served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Christchurch in Dorset since 1997. A member of the Conservative Party, he was first elected in 1983 fo ...

. She re-entered Parliament as a life peer as Baroness Maddock, of

in the

County of Dorset Dorset ( ; archaically: Dorsetshire , ) is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The ceremonial county comprises the unitary authority areas of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole and Dorset. Covering an area of , Do ...

, in 1997 where she remained until her death.

Early life and early career

Diana Maddock (née Derbyshire) was born on 19 May 1945 to parents Reginald Derbyshire and Margaret Evans. She was educated at Shenstone Training College and Portsmouth Polytechnic (now the University of Portsmouth) and was a teacher of English as a foreign language until starting a family and becoming involved in politics in the mid-1970s. She spent some time teaching in Sweden and she credited her time living there as an influence on her political beliefs and went on to serve as President of the

Anglo-Swedish Society Founded in the aftermath of the First World War, the Anglo-Swedish Society was established to foster greater understanding and friendship between Britain and Sweden. The continued strong bond between these two nations has allowed the Society to ...

from 1999 until her death.

Political career

Maddock joined the

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. __TOC__ Active liberal parties This is a li ...

in 1976, and was elected to

Southampton City Council Southampton City Council is the local authority of the city of Southampton. It is a unitary authority, having the powers of a non-metropolitan county and district council combined. It provides a full range of local government services including c ...

in 1984. Maddock was not particularly political in her early life. She highlights her initial involvement came when she was pregnant and approached by a canvasser who convinced her to join the Liberal Party having voted for them previously. As she had stopped work, she had more time to be civically engaged which expanded to the point where she became involved with the Association of Liberal Councillors which promoted active engagement with community groups and she realised she enjoyed campaigning. During her time on the City Council, she was leader of the Liberal Democrat group on the council. She unsuccessfully contested

Southampton Test Southampton Test is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 1997 by Alan Whitehead, a member of the Labour Party. History The constituency was created for the 1950 general election, when the previous two ...

at the 1992 general election, coming third. She was elected as

for

at a by-election in 1993 that was caused by the death of

Robert Adley Robert James Adley (2 March 1935 – 13 May 1993) was a Conservative Party politician in the United Kingdom and railway enthusiast. In the 1970s Adley was part-time Marketing Director for Holiday Inn (UK). He would brief his agency (Alexander ...

, but lost the seat at the 1997 election to the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

candidate

. She was created a life peer as Baroness Maddock, ''of

in the

'' on 30 October 1997. From 1998 to 2000, she was President of the Liberal Democrats. In 2005, she was elected a member of Northumberland County Council for Berwick North Division and in 2007 also to Berwick-upon-Tweed Borough Council for Edward Ward. Maddock did not re-stand for election to the County Council at the expiry of her term in 2008 and the Borough Council was abolished in 2009 and absorbed into Northumberland County Council.

Areas of policy interest

While on Southampton City Council Maddock's primary areas of interest were housing and energy conservation.

Personal life

She married Bob Maddock in 1966. The marriage ended in divorce. She married secondly

Alan Beith Alan James Beith, Baron Beith, (born 20 April 1943) is a British Liberal Democrat politician who represented Berwick-upon-Tweed as its Member of Parliament (MP) from 1973 to 2015. From 1992 to 2003 he was Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democr ...

, the then MP for

Berwick-upon-Tweed Berwick-upon-Tweed (), sometimes known as Berwick-on-Tweed or simply Berwick, is a town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, south of the Anglo-Scottish border, and the northernmost town in England. The 2011 United Kingdom census reco ...

, in 2001. She and her husband were one of the few couples who each held peerages in their own right. She died on 26 June 2020 aged 75 at her home in Berwick-upon Tweed, Northumberland.

References

External links

*
Baroness Maddock
profile at the site of Liberal Democrats {{DEFAULTSORT:Maddock, Diana Maddock, Baroness 1945 births 2020 deaths Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies Councillors in Northumberland Presidents of the Liberal Democrats (UK) Female members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for English constituencies UK MPs 1992–1997 Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers Life peeresses created by Elizabeth II Spouses of life peers Wives of knights Alumni of the University of Portsmouth 20th-century British women politicians 21st-century British women politicians Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors Members of the Parliament of the United Kingdom for constituencies in Dorset Women councillors in England