Michael Walton Bates, Baron Bates (born 26 May 1961) is a
Conservative Party politician in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
serving in 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 ...
since 2008 having previously represented the constituency of
Langbaurgh in the
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
from 1992 to 1997.
From 2014 to 2015, he was
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (or just Parliamentary Secretary, particularly in departments not led by a Secretary of State) is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the UK government, immediately junior to a Minister ...
for Criminal Information at the
Home Office. In May 2015 he was appointed
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a Minister of State is a Junior Minister of government, who is assigned to assist a specific Cabinet Minister. In ...
in the Home Office.
In March 2016, he resigned as Minister of State in order to undertake a 2000-mile solo walk from
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
to raise awareness for the
Olympic truce
The Olympic Truce is a tradition originating from ancient Greece that dates back to 776 BC. A " truce" (Ancient Greek: ékécheiria, meaning "laying down of arms") was announced before and during the Olympic Games to ensure the host city state (E ...
.
He returned to government as a Minister of State in the
Department for International Development in October 2016. He offered his resignation on 31 January 2018 for showing "discourtesy" after arriving one minute late for a debate in the chamber but it was not accepted by the
Prime Minister
A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister i ...
.
In April 2019, Bates submitted his second resignation from the position and vacated his role as Minister of State.
Early life and education
Born in
Gateshead in 1961, Bates attended
Heathfield Senior High School and
Gateshead College
Gateshead College is a further education college in the town of Gateshead, England. Established on November 15, 1955 at Durham Road in Low Fell, Gateshead. It was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh. The original campus was closed as part of a pla ...
. In 1987, he was part of a team who bid successfully for a
City Technology College
In England, a City Technology College (CTC) is an urban all-ability specialist schoolWalter (2007), p. 6 for students aged 11 to 18 specialising in science, technology and mathematics. They charge no fees and are independent of local authority ...
to be located in Gateshead and in 1990,
Emmanuel College was formally opened and is one of only three remaining CTCs in England not to convert into
academies
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...
. He also has an MBA from
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road.
Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...
.
Political career
Bates joined the Conservative Party in Gateshead in 1979, later becoming Chairman of Gateshead Conservative Association. He was a founder member of Gateshead
Young Conservatives, Chairman of Northern Area Young Conservatives and a member of the National Advisory Committee of the Young Conservatives from 1984 to 1989.
He contested several elections to
Gateshead Borough Council for the Conservative Party between 1983 and 1989. At the
1987 general election, he stood for parliament for the first time, contesting the
Tyne Bridge
The Tyne Bridge is a through arch bridge over the River Tyne in North East England, linking Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead. The bridge was designed by the engineering firm Mott, Hay and Anderson, who later designed the Forth Road Bridge, ...
parliamentary constituency, which was retained by the
Labour Party. Bates contested the
November 1991 by-election in Langbaurgh caused by the death of Conservative
MP Richard Holt. He lost the election to Labour's
Ashok Kumar
Kumudlal Ganguly (13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), better known by his stage name Ashok Kumar and also by Dadamoni, was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema and who was a member of the cinematic Ganguly family.
He ...
.
House of Commons
Five months after his defeat in the by-election, a
general election was held. Bates was elected for
Langbaurgh, defeating Kumar. Bates was appointed as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to
Nicholas Scott
Sir Nicholas Paul Scott (5 August 1933 – 6 January 2005) was a British Conservative Party politician.
He was a liberal, pro-European Conservative who became President of the Tory Reform Group. During his time in the House of Commons he ser ...
, Minister of State at the
Department of Social Security
The Department of Social Security (DSS) was a governmental agency in the United Kingdom from 1988 to 2001. The old abbreviation is still often used informally. Advertisements for rented accommodation used to describe prospective tenants who wou ...
in October, 1992. In November 1993, he voted against a government proposal to increase MP's salaries at a time when other public sector employees were receiving no increase and as a result was forced to resign his junior post in the government as a ministerial aide.
In May 1994, he returned to the government as a Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sir
John Wheeler, Minister of State in the
Northern Ireland Office
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO; ga, Oifig Thuaisceart Éireann, Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlann Oaffis'') is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for N ...
and two months later was appointed to his first full ministerial role as an Assistant Government
whip. In 1995, he was promoted to be a Government Whip (
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In the United Kingdom there are at least six Lords Commissioners of His Majesty's Treasury, serving as a commission for the ancient office of Treasurer of the Exchequer. The board consists of the First Lord of the Treasury, the Second Lord of the ...
), and in 1996 was appointed
Paymaster General
His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The incumbent Paymaster General is Jeremy Quin MP.
History
The post was created in 1836 by the merger of the posi ...
in the Cabinet Office and Sponsor Minister for the North-East of England, posts which he held until May 1997.
1997 to 2008
As the Langbaurgh constituency was abolished for the
1997 general election, Bates was selected as the candidate for the seat of
Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland, which contained most of the wards from Langbaurgh, but he lost to Ashok Kumar in the third contest between the two men in less than six years. After losing the election, Bates attended
Wadham College, Oxford
Wadham College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street and Parks Road.
Wadham College was founded in 1610 by Dorothy W ...
and
Saïd Business School
Saïd Business School (Oxford Saïd or SBS) is the business school of the University of Oxford. The School is a provider of management education and is consistently ranked as one of the world's top business schools.
Oxford School of Management ...
, graduating from
Oxford University
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...
in 1998 with a master's degree in Business Administration (MBA). Bates served as a member of SaÏd Business School's Business Advisory Forum from 1999 until 2011.
Between 1998 and 2005, Bates served as Director of Consultancy & Research at
Oxford Analytica
Oxford Analytica is an international consulting firm providing strategic analysis of world events. It was founded in 1975 by David Young, an American employee of the National Security Council during the Nixon administration.
Clients of Oxford ...
. Between 2006 and 2008, Bates researched ethics and foreign policy for a doctorate at Durham University's School of Government and International Affairs, and served as a non-resident tutor at St John's College.
Campaign North
In 2006, Bates was appointed Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party with specific responsibility for the North of England. Bates served as a deputy to
William Hague
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
in his role as Chairman of the Northern Board of the Conservative Party and Head of Campaign North.
House of Lords
Bates was awarded a
life peerage
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages A ...
on 30 June 2008; and was gazetted as Baron Bates, of Langbaurgh in the
County of North Yorkshire. Also beginning in 2008, he served as director of the
Emmanuel Schools Foundation and a director of
Bede Academy, Blyth;
Trinity Academy, Thorne and
The King's Academy, Middlesbrough
The King's Academy is an 11–19 secondary school and academy located in Coulby Newham in the Middlesbrough unitary authority, England, serving the community of South Middlesbrough. Established in 2003, it is run by the Emmanuel Schools ...
, holding these posts until 2010.
In December 2008, he was appointed an Opposition Whip in the House of Lords, and Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office and Energy & Climate Change. In March 2009, he became Shadow Minister for Communities & Local Government, and in January 2010 Shadow Minister for Children, Schools & Families.
In 2013, Lord Bates was appointed a Deputy Chairman and Deputy Speaker of the House of Lords.
In October 2013, he became a Government Whip (a Lord in Waiting in the Royal Household) and a Government Spokesman in the House of Lords, for the Departments of Work & Pensions; International Development; Culture Media and Sport (Broadcasting); and Business Innovation and Skills (Universities & Science).
On 6 August 2014, following the resignation of
Baroness Warsi
Sayeeda Hussain Warsi, Baroness Warsi, (; born 28 March 1971) is a British lawyer, politician, and member of the House of Lords who served as co-Chairwoman of the Conservative Party from 2010 to 2012. She served in the Cameron–Clegg coaliti ...
, Lord Bates succeeded
Lord Taylor of Holbeach.
as
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (or just Parliamentary Secretary, particularly in departments not led by a Secretary of State) is the lowest of three tiers of government minister in the UK government, immediately junior to a Minister ...
for Criminal Information at the
Home Office. He was promoted to Minister of State at the
Home Office in May 2015
and sworn of the Privy Council.
On 23 March 2016, Lord Bates resigned from the
Home Office in order to walk 2000 miles from
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
to promote the Olympic truce and raised over £260,000 for UNICEF.
In October 2016, he was appointed Minister of State at the
Department for International Development. On 31 January 2018, he offered his resignation after arriving a minute too late for a question from
Baroness Lister of Burtersett in the House of Lords, which had sat early that day.
Lord Bates said that he was "thoroughly ashamed at not being in
isplace", but his resignation surprised the House.
Baroness Smith of Basildon
Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than a lord or knig ...
, Labour leader in the Lords, said that an apology was all that was needed,
and Prime Minister
Theresa May
Theresa Mary May, Lady May (; née Brasier; born 1 October 1956) is a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2016 to 2019. She previously served in David Cameron's cabi ...
refused Lord Bates' resignation.
Lord Bates successfully resigned his office of Minister of State in April 2019.
Charity work
In 2009, Bates was appointed Patron of Tomorrow's People (North East) a charity specialising in getting 'hard to reach' young people into work or training. Bates undertook two sponsored walks called
Walk for Tomorrow for them in 2009 and 2010, raising over £25,000. In 2011, he was nominated for a Dods Charity Champion Award by Tomorrow's People and shortlisted.
On 27 July 2013, on the first anniversary of the
London Olympic Games, Lord Bates embarked upon a 518.8 mile walk from London to
Derry,
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...
to raise funds for
Save the Children
The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization established in the United Kingdom in 1919 to improve the lives of children through better education, health care, and economic ...
's work in Syria. The walk which took 35 days to complete raised over £50,000 for the charity's campaign. In 2013 Lord Bates was shortlisted for 'International Campaigner of the Year' in the Dods Parliamentary Awards
On 4 August 2014, Lord Bates embarked on a 1054 mile/two month walk from London to Berlin raising £41,000 for the German charity Friedensdorf International (Peace Village International) who provide emergency medical for child victims of conflict.
On 27 July 2015, the third anniversary of the London Olympics, Lord Bates embarked upon a 71-day, 1059 mile walk from Beijing to Hangzhou. The walk raised £90,000 for projects identified by the Red Cross Society in China.
Olympic truce
![Lord Bates with FCO staff (6880986849)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5a/Lord_Bates_with_FCO_staff_%286880986849%29.jpg)
Bates campaigned for the Olympic Truce for the
London 2012 Olympic &
Paralympic Games to be taken seriously by the signatories to the
Olympic Truce
The Olympic Truce is a tradition originating from ancient Greece that dates back to 776 BC. A " truce" (Ancient Greek: ékécheiria, meaning "laying down of arms") was announced before and during the Olympic Games to ensure the host city state (E ...
Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly. In April 2011, he set out on a 'Walk for Truce' from Olympia in Greece to Westminster, London to raise awareness of the truce and to secure support for its observance at the London 2012 Games.
In 2012, Lord Bates received the Open Fields Award from the Olympic Truce Foundation USA for his work in raising awareness for the truce.
On 6 April 2016, the UN International Day of Sport for Development and Peace Lord Bates embarked upon a 2000-mile, 140-day, solo-walk from
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
(Host city for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games)
to
Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
, host city for the 2016 Olympic & Paralympic Games
.
The purpose of the walk, as in 2012, was to raise awareness for the UN Resolution declaring the 2016
Olympic truce
The Olympic Truce is a tradition originating from ancient Greece that dates back to 776 BC. A " truce" (Ancient Greek: ékécheiria, meaning "laying down of arms") was announced before and during the Olympic Games to ensure the host city state (E ...
. and to raise funds for
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
work with Children in Danger around the world.
Personal life
Bates married Carole (née Whitfield) in 1983; the couple had two sons, Matthew (born 1987) and Alex (born 1990), but divorced in 2008.
Bates married Xuelin (née Li) in 2012.
He currently lives in London and the North East of England.
Honours
* He was sworn of
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council in 2015. This gave him the Honorific Prefix
The Right Honourable
''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific Style (form of address), style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth ...
and the
Post Nominal Letters
Post-nominal letters, also called post-nominal initials, post-nominal titles, designatory letters or simply post-nominals, are letters placed after a person's name to indicate that the individual holds a position, academic degree, accreditation, ...
"PC" for Life.
References
External links
Lord Bates – UK Parliament
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bates, Michael Walton
1961 births
Living people
Conservative Party (UK) life peers
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
United Kingdom Paymasters General
UK MPs 1992–1997
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Alumni of Saïd Business School
Alumni of Wadham College, Oxford
Life peers created by Elizabeth II