John Olav Kerr, Baron Kerr of Kinlochard (born 22 February 1942) is a British former diplomat and civil servant, and is a
crossbench
A crossbencher is a minor party or independent politician, independent member of some legislatures, such as the Parliament of Australia. In the British House of Lords the term refers to members of the parliamentary group of non-political peers. ...
member of the
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...
. He was a member of the
European Convention that first drafted what became
Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which came into force in December 2009. He later served for a period as Deputy Chairman of
Scottish Power
Scottish Power Limited, trading as ScottishPower, is a vertically integrated energy company based in Glasgow, Scotland. It is a subsidiary of Spanish utility firm Iberdrola.
ScottishPower is the distribution network operator for Central an ...
.
Background and education
Born in
Grantown-on-Spey
Grantown-on-Spey () is a town in the Highland Council Area, Counties of Scotland, historically within the county of Moray. It is located on a low plateau at Freuchie beside the river Spey at the northern edge of the Cairngorms, Cairngorm mounta ...
, he was educated at
Glasgow Academy
The Glasgow Academy is a coeducational private day school for pupils aged 3–18 in Glasgow, Scotland. In 2016, it had the third-best Higher level exam results in Scotland. Founded in 1845, it is the oldest continuously fully private school in ...
and at
Pembroke College, Oxford
Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located on Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England and VI of Scotland, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale ...
(BA modern history 1963). He has Honorary degrees from the Universities of St Andrews,
Aston
Aston is an area of inner Birmingham, in the county of the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Located immediately to the north-west of Birmingham city centre, Central Birmingham, Aston constitutes a wards of the United Kingdom, war ...
and Glasgow. He is a Fellow of
Imperial College London
Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...
and of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...
, and an Honorary Fellow of Pembroke College, Oxford.
Diplomatic career
He served in the
British Diplomatic Service
His Majesty's Diplomatic Service (HMDS) is the diplomatic service of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, dealing with foreign affairs and representing British interests overseas, as opposed to the Civil Service, which deals ...
from 1966 until 2002. This included postings at the
British Embassy in
Moscow
Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...
, and at the
High Commission in
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi is the List of cities in Punjab, Pakistan by population, third-largest city in the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is a commercial and industrial hub, being the list of cities in P ...
, Pakistan. He was
Private secretary to the
Permanent Under Secretary at the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom.
The office was created on 2 ...
from 1974 until 1979, and was on secondment to
HM Treasury
His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury or HMT), and informally referred to as the Treasury, is the Government of the United Kingdom’s economic and finance ministry. The Treasury is responsible for public spending, financial services policy, Tax ...
from 1979 until 1984, during which time he was Principal Private Secretary to the
Chancellor of the Exchequer
The chancellor of the exchequer, often abbreviated to chancellor, is a senior minister of the Crown within the Government of the United Kingdom, and the head of HM Treasury, His Majesty's Treasury. As one of the four Great Offices of State, t ...
from 1981 until 1984. He was Head of Chancery at the British Embassy in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, from 1984 until 1987, then Assistant Under Secretary at the
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is the ministry of foreign affairs and a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom.
The office was created on 2 ...
from 1987 until 1990.
He was Ambassador and UK Permanent Representative to the
European Communities
The European Communities (EC) were three international organizations that were governed by the same set of Institutions of the European Union, institutions. These were the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC), the European Atomic Energy Co ...
/
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational union, supranational political union, political and economic union of Member state of the European Union, member states that are Geography of the European Union, located primarily in Europe. The u ...
in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
from 1990 until 1995, and Ambassador to the United States in Washington from 1995 to 1997. Returning to London in 1997, he was
Permanent Under-Secretary at the Foreign Office
This is a list of Permanent Under-Secretary of State, Permanent Under-Secretaries in the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (and its predecessors) since 1790.
Not to be confused with Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State f ...
and Head of the Diplomatic Service until 2002. After leaving UK Government service he was Secretary General of the
European Convention in 2002/3.
He was appointed to the
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is a British order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince of Wales (the future King George IV), while he was acting as prince regent for his father, King George III ...
as a Companion in the
1987 Birthday Honours
Queen's Birthday Honours are announced on or around the date of the Queen's Official Birthday in Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom. The dates vary, both from year to year and from country to country. All are published in sup ...
, was promoted to be a Knight Commander in the
1991 New Year Honours, and to be a Knight Grand Cross in the
2001 Birthday Honours. Three years later, his
life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
age was announced on 1 May and was raised to the
peerage
A peerage is a legal system historically comprising various hereditary titles (and sometimes Life peer, non-hereditary titles) in a number of countries, and composed of assorted Imperial, royal and noble ranks, noble ranks.
Peerages include:
A ...
as Baron Kerr of Kinlochard, of Kinlochard in Perthshire. In the House of Lords he has served on the EU Select Committee and three of its Sub-Committees, and currently is a member of its Economic Select Committee.
He is a Trustee of the
Refugee Council
The Refugee Council is a UK-based organisation which works with refugees and asylum seekers. The organisation provides support and advice to refugees and asylum seekers, as well as support for other refugee and asylum seeker organisations. The ...
, and a Trustee, and deputy chairman, of the
Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland. He was Chairman of the Court and Council of
Imperial College London
Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a Public university, public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a Al ...
from 2005 to 2011; a Trustee of the National Gallery from 2002 to 2010, and the Rhodes Trust from 1997 to 2010; a Fulbright Commissioner from 2003 to 2009; a member of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group from 2004 to 2016 (3); and UK President of the UK/Korea Forum for the Future from 2007 to 2013.
He is Chairman of the
Centre for European Reform
The Centre for European Reform (CER) is a London-based think tank that focuses on matters of European integration. In 2021 it was ranking 58th among the top think tanks worldwide (non-US) in the Global Go To Think Tank Index Report published by th ...
, a member of the executive committee of the
Trilateral Commission
The Trilateral Commission is a nongovernmental international organization aimed at fostering closer cooperation between Japan, Western Europe and North America. It was founded in July 1973, principally by American banker and philanthropist David ...
, and President of St Andrew's Clinics for Children.
Business career
He became a Director of
Shell Transport and Trading
Shell plc is a British Multinational corporation, multinational petroleum, oil and natural gas, gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and second ...
in 2002, and chaired the group of Directors who brought about the creation in 2005 of
Royal Dutch Shell
Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New ...
plc, of which he was deputy chairman and Senior Independent Director until 2012.
He was a Director of Rio Tinto from 2003 to 2015. He has been a Director of the
Scottish American Investment Trust
The Scottish American Investment Company is a publicly traded investment trust. It invests in a broad range of UK and international assets. The Scottish American Investment Company is managed by Baillie Gifford & Co Limited, the Edinburgh-based ...
since 2002, and of Scottish Power Ltd since 2009. He became Deputy Chairman of Scottish Power in 2012.
Views on Brexit
Before the 2016 Referendum, Lord Kerr had argued that leaving would mean that "our influence across the world would shrink", and looking back in a lecture at the
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a public research university in Bath, England. Bath received its royal charter in 1966 as Bath University of Technology, along with a number of other institutions following the Robbins Report. Like the University ...
on 26 January 2017 he remarked, "We have been strong in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
because we have been strong in Washington, and we have been strong in Washington because we have been strong in Brussels."
He has maintained, in House of Lords speeches and in a BBC interview, that since an Article 50 notification is revocable during the two-year negotiation period, the UK could change its mind and choose to stay in the EU even after exit negotiations had begun. Speaking at an event organised by the
Institute for Government
The Institute for Government (IfG) is a British independent think tank which aims to improve government effectiveness through research and analysis. Based at 2 Carlton Gardens in central London and founded as a charity in 2008, it was initiall ...
, Lord Kerr said: "In my view, immigration is the thing that keeps this country running. We native Brits are so bloody stupid that we need an injection of intelligent people, young people from outside who come in and wake us up from time to time." In response to the remarks,
Peter Lilley
Peter Bruce Lilley, Baron Lilley, PC (born 23 August 1943) is a British politician and life peer who served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major. A member of the Conservative Party, he was Member of Pa ...
MP (a Eurosceptic
Conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...
) walked out of the event, and said he had considered reporting the peer to the police for hate speech and being "racially abusive of the British people".
Boris Johnson
In an August 2017 article, Lord Kerr criticised
Boris Johnson
Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (born 19 June 1964) is a British politician and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He wa ...
, "Callaghan, Carrington, Howe, Hurd... Foreign Secretaries used to cut ice abroad, particularly in Europe and America. But maybe that’s not Boris’s game".
Personal
In 1965, he married Elizabeth Mary Kalaugher, daughter of the late New Zealand athlete
Wilfrid Kalaugher. They have two sons and three daughters.
Biodata
archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk. Accessed 30 November 2022.
References
Further reading
House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 14 September 2004
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerr of Kinlochard, John Kerr, Baron
1942 births
Living people
Nobility from Moray
People educated at the Glasgow Academy
Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford
Ambassadors of the United Kingdom to the United States
Civil servants in HM Treasury
Crossbench life peers
Diplomatic peers
Directors of Shell plc
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Knights Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George
Members of HM Diplomatic Service
Members of the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg Group
Permanent representatives of the United Kingdom to the European Union
Permanent Under-Secretaries of State for Foreign Affairs
Private secretaries in the British Civil Service
20th-century Scottish businesspeople
21st-century Scottish businesspeople
Scottish politicians
20th-century British diplomats
Life peers created by Elizabeth II