Michael Bates, Baron Bates
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Michael Walton Bates, Baron Bates (born 26 May 1961) is a British Conservative Party
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
. He has served in 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 ...
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 Bicameralism, 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 ...
from 1992 to 1997. From 2014 to 2015, he was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Criminal Information at the
Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...
. In May 2015 he was appointed
Minister of State Minister of state is a designation for a government minister, with varying meanings in different jurisdictions. In a number of European countries, the title is given as an honorific conferring a higher rank, often bestowed upon senior minister ...
at 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, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
to
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
to raise awareness of the
Olympic Truce The Olympic Truce is a tradition originating from ancient Greece that dates back to 776 BC. A " truce" () was announced before and during the Olympic Games to ensure the host city state ( Elis) was not attacked and athletes and spectators could t ...
. He returned to government as a Minister of State in the
Department for International Development The Department for International Development (DFID) was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom, from 1997 to 2020. It was responsible for administering foreign aid ...
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 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. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. 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 Gateshead () is a town in the Gateshead Metropolitan Borough of Tyne and Wear, England. It is on the River Tyne's southern bank. The town's attractions include the twenty metre tall Angel of the North sculpture on the town's southern outskirts, ...
in 1961, Bates attended Heathfield Senior High School and
Gateshead College Gateshead College is a further education college in the town of Gateshead, England. It offers further education for 16-18 year olds as well as higher education, apprenticeships, part-time adult learning and training for employers. Established o ...
. 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 that have not converted into
academies An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
. He also has an MBA from
Wadham College, Oxford Wadham College ( ) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street, Oxford, Broad Street and Parks Road ...
.


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 Ashok Kumar (born Kumudlal Ganguly; 13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. He is considered to be the first Super-st ...
.


House of Commons

Five months after his defeat in the by-election, a
general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...
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), also known as Nick Scott, was a Conservative Party (UK), British Conservative Party politician. He was a liberal, pro-European Conservative who became President of the Tory Reform G ...
, Minister of State at the
Department of Social Security A ministry of social security or department of social security is a government entity responsible for social security affairs. It may be a ministry office, a department, or, as in the United States, a nominally independent agency. Notable ones ar ...
, 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; , Ulster-Scots: ''Norlin Airlann Oaffis'') is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for handling Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of S ...
, and two months later was appointed to his first full ministerial role as an Assistant Government
whip A whip is a blunt weapon or implement used in a striking motion to create sound or pain. Whips can be used for flagellation against humans or animals to exert control through pain compliance or fear of pain, or be used as an audible cue thro ...
. 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 (or Ladies) 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 ...
), 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 position is currently held by Nick Thomas-Symonds of the Labour Party (UK), Labour Party. History The post was ...
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 Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland is a constituency created in 1997 represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Luke Myer of the Labour Party. Boundaries 1997–2010 * The Redcar and Cleveland Borough Cou ...
, 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 a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. It is located in the centre of Oxford, at the intersection of Broad Street, Oxford, Broad Street and Parks Road ...
, 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. Business and management classes started at Oxford in 1965 when the Centre of Management Studies, ...
, graduating from
Oxford University The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
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 A ...
. Between 2006 and 2008, Bates researched ethics and foreign policy for a doctorate at Durham University's
School of Government and International Affairs A school is the educational institution (and, in the case of in-person learning, the Educational architecture, building) designed to provide learning environments for the teaching of students, usually under the direction of teachers. Most co ...
, 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. He served as a deputy to
William Hague William Jefferson Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond (born 26 March 1961) is a British politician and life peer who was Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1997 to 2001 and Deputy Leader from 2005 to 2010. He was th ...
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. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...
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 The Emmanuel Schools Foundation (ESF) is a charitable trust which has been involved in education since 1989. ESF currently run six schools. The four original members of the ESF are: Emmanuel City Technology College in Gateshead (opened 1990), The ...
and a director of
Bede Academy, Blyth Bede Academy is a 3–18 academy in Blyth, Northumberland, England. Opened in September 2009, it is run by the Emmanuel Schools Foundation. It was one of the first all-through academies to be set up in the United Kingdom, and the first ...
; 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, Lord Bates succeeded Lord Taylor of Holbeach as
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. T ...
for Criminal Information at the
Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...
. He was promoted to Minister of State at the
Home Office The Home Office (HO), also known (especially in official papers and when referred to in Parliament) as the Home Department, is the United Kingdom's interior ministry. It is responsible for public safety and policing, border security, immigr ...
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, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
to
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
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 The Department for International Development (DFID) was a Departments of the Government of the United Kingdom, ministerial department of the government of the United Kingdom, from 1997 to 2020. It was responsible for administering foreign aid ...
. 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, Labour leader in the Lords, said that an apology was all that was needed, and Prime Minister
Theresa May Theresa Mary May, Baroness May of Maidenhead (; ; 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 as Home Secretar ...
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 Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
,
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
, to raise funds for
Save the Children The Save the Children Fund, commonly known as Save the Children, is an international non-governmental organization. It was founded in the UK in 1919; its goal is to improve the lives of children worldwide. The organization raises money to imp ...
'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 1,054 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, 1,059-mile walk from Beijing to Hangzhou. The walk raised £90,000 for projects identified by the Red Cross Society in China.


Olympic Truce

Bates campaigned for the Olympic Truce for the London 2012 Olympic and
Paralympic Games The Paralympic Games or Paralympics is a periodic series of international multisport events involving athletes with a range of disability, disabilities. There are Winter Paralympic Games, Winter and Summer Paralympic Games, which since the 1988 ...
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" () was announced before and during the Olympic Games to ensure the host city state ( Elis) was not attacked and athletes and spectators could t ...
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, controlled by the government of the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− glob ...
(Host city for the 2018 Youth Olympic Games) to
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
, host city for the 2016 Olympic and 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" () was announced before and during the Olympic Games to ensure the host city state ( Elis) was not attacked and athletes and spectators could t ...
and to raise funds for
UNICEF UNICEF ( ), originally the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund, officially United Nations Children's Fund since 1953, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Development a ...
's 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 The Privy Council, formally His Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, is a privy council, formal body of advisers to the sovereign of the United Kingdom. Its members, known as privy counsellors, are mainly senior politicians who are curre ...
on 14 May 2015 at
Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a royal official residence, residence in London, and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and r ...
. This gave him the honorific prefix
The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' (abbreviation: The 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 Commonwealt ...
and the Post Nominal Letters "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