Rupert Bertram Mitford, 6th Baron Redesdale, Baron Mitford (born 18 July 1967), is a British

hereditary peer The hereditary peers form part of the peerage in the United Kingdom. As of September 2022, there are 807 hereditary peers: 29 dukes (including five royal dukes), 34 marquesses, 190 earls, 111 viscounts, and 443 barons (disregarding subsid ...

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 and member of the prominent

Mitford family The Mitford family is an aristocratic English family, whose principal line had its seats at Mitford, Northumberland. Several heads of the family served as High Sheriff of Northumberland. A junior line, with seats at Newton Park, Northumberland, ...

Biography

Mitford was educated at

Milton Abbey Milton Abbey school is an independent school for day and boarding pupils in the village of Milton Abbas, near Blandford Forum in Dorset, in South West England. It has 224 pupils , in five houses: Athelstan, Damer, Hambro, Hodgkinson and Tregonw ...

and

Highgate School Highgate School, formally Sir Roger Cholmeley's School at Highgate, is an English co-educational, fee-charging, independent day school, founded in 1565 in Highgate, London, England. It educates over 1,400 pupils in three sections – Highgate ...

, before going up to

Newcastle University Newcastle University (legally the University of Newcastle upon Tyne) is a UK public university, public research university based in Newcastle upon Tyne, North East England. It has overseas campuses in Singapore and Malaysia. The university is ...

, where he graduated with the degree of BA. He succeeded his father as the 6th

Baron Redesdale Baron Redesdale, of Redesdale in the County of Northumberland, is a title that has been created twice, both times in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was firstly created in 1802 for lawyer and politician Sir John Mitford (later Freeman-Mi ...

, of

Redesdale Redesdale is a valley in western Northumberland, England. It is formed by the River Rede, which rises in the Cheviots and flows down to join the North Tyne at Redesmouth. Redesdale is traversed by the A68 trunk road, which enters Scotland vi ...

in the County of Northumberland, in 1991. Following the removal of

s' automatic right to a seat in Parliament by the

House of Lords Act 1999 The House of Lords Act 1999 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that reformed the House of Lords, one of the chambers of Parliament. The Act was given Royal Assent on 11 November 1999. For centuries, the House of Lords ...

, the Liberal Democrats took advantage of an offer from the New Labour Government for some of their hereditary peers to return to the House as

working peer 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 ...

s. Redesdale was created a

life peer 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 ...

on 18 April 2000, as Baron Mitford, of

in the County of Northumberland. At the age of 32, he was the youngest person ever to receive a life peerage. By convention, the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...

refer to peers holding multiple titles by whichever is senior within the

peerage A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted noble ranks. Peerages include: Australia * Australian peers Belgium * Belgi ...

. Thus Mitford is known in the House as Lord Redesdale. He is a

first cousin once removed Most generally, in the lineal kinship system used in the English-speaking world, a cousin is a type of familial relationship in which two relatives are two or more familial generations away from their most recent common ancestor. Commonly, " ...

of the famous

Mitford sisters The Mitford family is an aristocratic English family, whose principal line had its seats at Mitford, Northumberland. Several heads of the family served as High Sheriff of Northumberland. A junior line, with seats at Newton Park, Northumberlan ...

, daughters of the 2nd Baron Redesdale. The youngest of the sisters, Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, was, with her husband, the 11th Duke, active in the

Social Democratic Party The name Social Democratic Party or Social Democrats has been used by many political parties in various countries around the world. Such parties are most commonly aligned to social democracy as their political ideology. Active parties For ...

. This later merged with 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 ...

to become the Liberal Democrats, for whom Redesdale sits in the House of Lords.

Career

He has spoken on various issues on behalf of the Liberal Democrats Parliamentary Party, such as the environment, international development, and science and technology. He is

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of various societies, including one encouraged by his parliamentary colleagues, namely the Red Squirrel Protection Partnership, which advocates strict control of the

grey squirrel The eastern gray squirrel (''Sciurus carolinensis''), also known, particularly outside of North America, as simply the grey squirrel, is a tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is native to eastern North America, where it is the most prodi ...

population so as to enhance the chance of

red squirrel The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris'') is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus'' common throughout Europe and Asia. The red squirrel is an arboreal, primarily herbivorous rodent. In Great Britain, Ireland, and in Italy numbers ...

s' survival. Lord Redesdale was the Energy Spokesman for the Liberal Democrats for the House of Lords 2000-2008. In 2009 he founded the

Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association The Anaerobic Digestion and Bioresources Association (ADBA), formerly the Anaerobic Digestion and Biogas Association, is a United Kingdom-based trade association for the anaerobic digestion and associated industries. ADBA was founded in Septemb ...

. Redesdale is currently the CEO of the Carbon Management Association and the Energy Managers Association. Since 2012, Redesdale has been founding Chairman of the Carbon Management Association and of the Energy Managers Association. In November 2013, he, along with Jason Franks (formerly of the

Daily Mail and General Trust Daily Mail and General Trust (DMGT) is a British multinational media company, the owner of the ''Daily Mail'' and several other titles. The 4th Viscount Rothermere is the chairman and controlling shareholder of the company. The head office is ...

events division), founded Heelec, which launched the Energy Management Exhibition (EMEX). The show attracts over 4,500 professionals from the Energy Managers Association's 25,000-large community.

Personal life

He lives with his wife, Helen (née Shipsey), Lady Redesdale, who is a lawyer, and four children near

Tufnell Park Tufnell Park is an area in north London, England, in the London boroughs of Islington and Camden. The neighborhood is served by Tufnell Park tube station on the Northern Line. History Origins and boundary ;Medieval and later manor Tufnell ...

, north London, as well as in

Northumberland Northumberland () is a county in Northern England, one of two counties in England which border with Scotland. Notable landmarks in the county include Alnwick Castle, Bamburgh Castle, Hadrian's Wall and Hexham Abbey. It is bordered by land on ...

. The

heir apparent An heir apparent, often shortened to heir, is a person who is first in an order of succession and cannot be displaced from inheriting by the birth of another person; a person who is first in the order of succession but can be displaced by the b ...

to the title is the Hon. Bertram Mitford, born in 2000. Lord Redesdale is a lifelong supporter of

Arsenal FC Arsenal Football Club, commonly referred to as Arsenal, is a professional football club based in Islington, London, England. Arsenal plays in the Premier League, the top flight of English football. The club has won 13 league titles (inclu ...

Arms

Notes

References

External links

Hansard entry

Debrett's People of Today

The Energy Managers Association

The Energy Management Exhibition
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Redesdale, 6th Baron Mitford, Rupert 1967 births Living people Rupert English environmentalists Rupert People educated at Highgate School Mitford Liberal Democrats (UK) hereditary peers Mitford Life peers created by Elizabeth II Hereditary peers removed under the House of Lords Act 1999