Robert Wilfrid "Wilf" Stevenson, Baron Stevenson of Balmacara (born 19 April 1947) is a Labour Party life peer and former adviser to

Gordon Brown James Gordon Brown (born 20 February 1951) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party (UK), Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 to 2010. He previously served as Chance ...

Early life

Stevenson is the son of James Alexander Stevenson and Elizabeth Anne Stevenson (née Macrae). He was born with

hypospadias Hypospadias is a common variation in fetal development of the penis in which the urethra does not open from its usual location in the head of the penis. It is the second-most common birth abnormality of the male reproductive system, affecting abou ...

, which he talked about in a parliamentary debate in 2018.

Education

Stevenson was educated at

Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an Independent school (United Kingdom), independent day school in Edinburgh, Scotland, which was opened in 1824. The original building, on Henderson Row in the city's New Town, Edinburgh, New Town, is now part of the Se ...

, at the time an independent

boarding school A boarding school is a school where pupils live within premises while being given formal instruction. The word "boarding" is used in the sense of "room and board", i.e. lodging and meals. As they have existed for many centuries, and now exten ...

for boys (now a co-educational day school). He then went on to study at

University College, Oxford University College (in full The College of the Great Hall of the University of Oxford, colloquially referred to as "Univ") is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. It has a claim to being the oldest college of the univer ...

, obtaining an MA in Chemistry, and later at Napier Polytechnic (now

Edinburgh Napier University , mottoeng = Without knowledge, everything is in vain , established = 1992 – granted University status 1964 – Napier Technical College , type = Public , academic_staff = 802 , administrative_staff = 562 , chancellor = Will Whitehorn , ...

), where he received an accountancy diploma (ACCA).

Career

Stevenson began his career as a Research Officer at the

Edinburgh University Students' Association Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of ...

(1970–74). He then spent thirteen years as a secretary at Napier College of Commerce and Technology in Edinburgh, before becoming Deputy Director (1987–88) and then Director (1988–97) of the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

. From 1997 to 2008 he was the Director of the

Smith Institute The Smith Institute is a left-wing think tank in the United Kingdom. It was founded in memory of John Smith (Labour Party leader), John Smith Queen's Counsel, QC Member of Parliament, MP, former leader of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. His ...

, a social-democratic think-tank named in honour of former Labour Party leader John Smith. After leaving government in 2010 he became the Chairman of the Foundation for Credit Counselling, remaining in that role until his retirement in 2015. Stevenson was a Governor of Prestwood Lodge School from 2008 to 2010. In 2008 he was awarded a Hon. DArts from Napier University.

Political career

Stevenson is a long-term friend and confidant of the former Prime Minister Gordon Brown; the two first met when Brown was an undergraduate student in the early 1970s. From 2008 to 2010, he was a Senior Policy Adviser at the Prime Minister's Office. Stevenson 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 13 July 2010, taking the title Baron Stevenson of Balmacara, of

Little Missenden Little Missenden is a village and civil parish on the River Misbourne in Buckinghamshire, England. It is in the Chiltern Hills, about southeast of Great Missenden and west of Amersham. The village lies on the River Misbourne in the Misbourne v ...

in the County of Buckinghamshire. He has served as an

Opposition Whip A whip is an official of a political party whose task is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. This means ensuring that members of the party vote according to the party platform, rather than according to their own individual ideology ...

since 2011.

Family

In 1972, he married Jennifer Grace Antonio, whom he later divorced in 1979. In 1991, he married Ann Minogue; they have one son, Tobin, and two daughters, Iona and Flora.

Bibliography

* Gordon Brown,

Kofi Annan Kofi Atta Annan (; 8 April 193818 August 2018) was a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh secretary-general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2006. Annan and the UN were the co-recipients of the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. He was the founder ...

and Wilf Stevenson (eds.), ''Gordon Brown, speeches 1997–2006'' (London: Bloomsbury, 2006). * Gordon Brown and Wilf Stevenson (eds.), ''Moving Britain Forward: Selected Speeches, 1997–2006'' (London: Bloomsbury, 2006). * Gordon Brown and Wilf Stevenson (eds.), ''The Change We Choose: speeches 2007–2009'' (Edinburgh: Mainstream Publications, 2010)

References

Sources

The Lord Stevenson of Balmacara
Debrett's {{DEFAULTSORT:Stevenson, Wilfrid 1947 births Living people Labour Party (UK) life peers Life peers created by Elizabeth II Alumni of University College, Oxford People educated at Edinburgh Academy