Virginia Bottomley, Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone

Virginia Bottomley (2011)

Virginia Hilda Brunette Maxwell Bottomley, Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone PC , DL , born Garnett (* 12. March 1948 in Dunoon , Scotland ) is a British politician of the Conservative Party .

life and career

Bottomley was born to W. John Garnett, former director of what was then The Industrial Society , and Barbara Rutherford-Smith, a teacher and elected member of the Inner London Schools Board . Her paternal aunt was Peggy Jay . She attended Putney High School in Putney, London, and the University of Essex before doing her Masters at the London School of Economics . From 1971 to 1984 Bottomley worked as a social scientist . From 1975 to 1984 Bottomley served as a justice of the peace in Inner London. From 1981 to 1984 she was President (Chairman) of the Juvenile Court in the London borough of Lambeth . During this time she also worked as a social worker .

Bottomley ran unsuccessfully in the 1983 election for the House of Commons for the Isle of Wight . From 1984 to 2005 she was there MP for the Conservatives of the South West Surrey district , after she was elected in a 1984 by- election. She held several positions as Parliamentary State Secretary . From 1985 to 1986 she held this position in the Department of Education and Science. From 1986 to 1987 she was State Secretary at the Overseas Development Administration (ODA), then from 1987 to 1988 at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office . From 1988 to 1989 she was Parliamentary State Secretary in the Department of Environment and from 1989 to 1992 Minister of State in the Department of Health.

From 1992 to 1995 she served in the government of Prime Minister John Major as Secretary of State for Health. From 1995 to 1997 she was then Minister in the Department for the Maintenance of Monuments and Historic Buildings (Department for National Heritage).

After the parliamentary elections in 1997 she was still a member of the parliament as a backbencher . From 1997 to 1999 she was a member of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Bottomley worked as a headhunter in the areas of public welfare and public administration during this period . In the 2005 election she did not run again.

She is assigned to the group of the "One Nation" Conservatives, the left wing of her party. She is a lifetime member of the Tory Reform Group. In 2007 she was among the signatories of a letter in support of the former chief executive officer of the oil company BP John Browne, Baron Browne of Madingley .

Membership in the House of Lords

Bottomley was promoted to Life Peer on June 24, 2005 as Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone, of St Helens in the County of Isle of Wight . Bottomley's political interests include health issues , universities , prison reform , pluralism , economic policy , legislative reform, and child and family policy.

Offices and honors

The politician holds numerous other offices. Bottomley has been a member of the Court of Governors of the London School of Economics since 1985 . In 1987 Bottomley was a Trustee and Fellow of the Industry and Parliament Trust . From 1987 to 1988 she was director of the Mid Southern Water Company . Since 1991 she has been a member of the board of directors of the Ditchley Foundation , which promotes international relations. From 1997 to 2000 Bottomley was Vice-Chair of the British Council and a member of its board of directors. She was a founding member of the Board of Directors of the University of the Arts London . She was a member of the council from 2000 to 2006. She has been a member of AkzoNobel's supervisory board since 2000 . Since 2004 she has lay ministers of the Cathedral of Guildford . Since 2005 she has been Deputy Chancellor ( Pro-Chancellor ) of the University of Surrey . In 2006 she was elected and introduced to office as Chancellor of the University of Hull, replacing Robert Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Ilminster . She has been an independent trustee at The Economist since 2006 . Since 2007 she has been the Non-Executive Director of Bupa .

Bottomley is on the Advisory Boards of the International Chamber of Commerce and the Judge School of Management in Cambridge . She is President of the Abbeyfield Society . She is Associate Patron of Carers.org and Cruse Bereavement Care. She is also a member of the Prince of Wales International Business Leaders Forum .

Currently (as of January 2010) she is Chair of the Board Practice of Odgers Ray and Berndtson, a well-known UK recruitment firm.

She received several honors and awards. In 1989 she became Freeman of the City of London . She was admitted to the Privy Council in 1992. She has been the Deputy Lieutenant of Surrey since 2006 .

family

Bottomley has been married to Peter Bottomley since 1967 , who has been an MP since 1975. They live in Milford , Surrey . They have one son and two daughters.

Her brother, Christopher Garnett , is a former chairman of the board of the Great North Eastern Railway (GNER). Peter Jay , the former British ambassador to the United States , is Bottomley's cousin. Julian Hunt, Baron Hunt of Chesterton , Matthew Oakeshott, Baron Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay, and Michael Jay, Baron Jay of Ewelme , the former British Ambassador to France , are also Bottomley's cousins. Her stepmother is Dame Julia Cleverdon .

Web links

• Virginia Bottomley at Hansard (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Vita Virginia Bottomley Debretts (available online)
2. ↑ Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone Virginia Bottomley on the House of Lords website