Leonard Steinberg, Baron Steinberg (1 August 1936 – 2 November 2009) was a British life peer and multi-millionaire businessman. Born in

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...

on 1 August 1936, he was educated at the

Royal Belfast Academical Institution The Royal Belfast Academical Institution is an independent grammar school in Belfast, Northern Ireland. With the support of Belfast's leading reformers and democrats, it opened its doors in 1814. Until 1849, when it was superseded by what today is ...

. Steinberg was the founder and Non-Executive chairman of

Stanley Leisure Stanley Leisure is a British casino firm. History The company was founded in the 1950s as a bookmakers in Belfast. It was originally run by Leonard Steinberg, Baron Steinberg. In 1977, Steinberg moved the business to Liverpool after an attempted ...

.Unlock Democracy website: Party Watch
''(accessed on 25 June 2007)'' The business was founded in Belfast in 1958, but Steinberg moved to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

in 1977 when he refused to pay

protection money A protection racket is a type of racket and a scheme of organized crime perpetrated by a potentially hazardous organized crime group that generally guarantees protection outside the sanction of the law to another entity or individual from viol ...

to either

republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

or loyalist paramilitaries, and after he was shot on 23 February 1977 by the

Provisional Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, facilitate Irish reu ...

.''Irish Times'', 24 February 1977 ''The Irish Times'' reported the next day that, "The attacks are believed to be part a campaign against leading figures in the North’s commercial life launched late last year by the Provisional IRA." Despite his move to England, he continued to describe himself thus: "I am Jewish, Northern Irish, and an

Ulster Unionist The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movem ...

" Since 2005, Stanley Leisure has seen changes of ownership, with William Hill buying the bookmaking operations and the

Genting Group The Genting Group is a company headquartered in the Wisma Genting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It comprises the holding company Genting Berhad (), its listed subsidiaries Genting Malaysia Berhad (), Genting Plantations Berhad (), Genting Singapore ...

buying the casino operation. Steinberg sold a large number of his shares in 2004, but retained 11.3% of the company's stake.Manchester Evening News
''(accessed on 25 June 2007)''. His personal fortune was estimated as being some £108 million in 2005. He was also the founder and chairman of trustees of the Steinberg Family Charitable Trust. Steinberg, who then lived in

Hale Hale may refer to: Places Australia *Hale, Northern Territory, a locality *Hale River, in southeastern Northern Territory Canada *Hale, Ontario, in Algoma District United Kingdom * Hale, Cumbria, a hamlet near Beetham, Cumbria *Hale, Greater Man ...

, was made a

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

life peer on 23 June 2004 with the title Baron Steinberg, of

in the

County of Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

, and had made contributions to the

. The Northern Ireland Friends of Israel group was launched with Steinberg as president in March 2009. He spoke of "the longstanding links which connect Northern Ireland and Israel" at that launch. Steinberg died in London on 2 November 2009 while travelling to attend a sitting of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...

. He was survived by his wife Beryl, two children and grandchildren. His wife, Lady Beryl Steinberg, died on 8 February 2022.

Arms

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steinberg, Leonard 1936 births 2009 deaths Businesspeople from Belfast Conservative Party (UK) life peers Jews from Northern Ireland People educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution British shooting survivors People of The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Ulster Unionist Party life peers Jewish British politicians Life peers created by Elizabeth II

Arms

See also

References