Richard Newby, Baron Newby

{{Short description|British politician and life peer (born 1953)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Use British English|date=August 2020}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = [[The Right Honourable]] | name = The Lord Newby | honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE|PC}} | image = Official portrait of Lord Newby crop 2, 2023.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2023 | office = [[Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords]] | leader = [[Tim Farron]] [[Sir Vince Cable]] [[Jo Swinson]] [[Ed Davey|Davey]] and [[Sal Brinton|Brinton]] {{small|(Acting)}} Davey and [[Mark Pack|Pack]] {{small|(Acting)}} Ed Davey | deputy = [[Navnit Dholakia, Baron Dholakia|The Lord Dholakia]] [[Joan Walmsley, Baroness Walmsley|The Baroness Walmsley]] | term_start = 13 September 2016 | term_end = 24 July 2025 | predecessor = [[The Lord Wallace of Tankerness]] | successor = [[Jeremy Purvis|The Lord Purvis of Tweed]] | office1 = [[Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats#House of Lords|Chief Whip of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords]] | leader1 = [[Nick Clegg]] [[Tim Farron]] | term_start1 = 3 May 2012 | term_end1 = 13 September 2016 | predecessor1 = [[David Shutt, Baron Shutt of Greetland|The Lord Shutt of Greetland]] | successor1 = [[Ben Stoneham, Baron Stoneham of Droxford|The Lord Stoneham of Droxford]] | office2 = [[Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard|Deputy Chief Whip of the House of Lords Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard]] | prime_minister2 = [[David Cameron]] | term_start2 = 3 May 2012 | term_end2 = 8 May 2015 | predecessor2 = [[David Shutt, Baron Shutt of Greetland|The Lord Shutt of Greetland]] | successor2 = [[John Gardiner, Baron Gardiner of Kimble|The Lord Gardiner of Kimble]] | office3 = [[Member of the House of Lords]] | status3 = [[Lord Temporal]] | term_label3 = [[Life peer]]age | term_start3 = 25 September 1997 | term_end3 = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|2|14|df=y}} | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | party = [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrats]] (since 1988) | other_party = [[Social Democratic Party (UK)|Social Democratic]] (1981–1988) | alma_mater = [[St Catherine's College, Oxford]] }} '''Richard Mark Newby, Baron Newby''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|OBE|PC}} (born 14 February 1953) is a British politician who served as the [[leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords]]<ref>{{cite web|title=Dick Newby is new Lib Dem Lords leader|date = 13 September 2016|author= Lindsay, Caron| url=https://www.libdemvoice.org/dick-newby-is-new-lib-dem-lords-leader-51846.html|website=Lib Dem Voice|access-date=22 November 2023}}</ref> between September 2016 and July 2025.<ref>{{cite web|title=Lord Newby – UK Parliament|url=http://www.parliament.uk/biographies/lords/lord-newby/1916|website=UK Parliament|access-date=23 September 2016}}</ref> He served as [[Chief Whip|Government Deputy Chief Whip]] in the [[House of Lords]], as Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard between 2012 and 2015, as and [[Liberal Democrats (UK)|Liberal Democrat]] Chief Whip in the House of Lords from 2012 to 2016.

== Early life, education and career == Newby was born in February 1953,<ref>{{cite news|url = https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/london-playbook/aliens-china-threat-power-couples/|title = London Playbook: Aliens — China threat — Power couples|last = Prince|first = Rosa|work = [[Politico Europe]]|date = 14 February 2023|accessdate = 14 February 2023|quote = BIRTHDAYS [...] Lib Dem Lords leader Dick Newby turns 70}}</ref> the son of Frank and Kathleen Newby. He was educated at the [[Rodillian High School|Rothwell Grammar School]] in the village of [[Lofthouse, West Yorkshire|Lofthouse]] in [[West Yorkshire]], followed by [[St Catherine's College, Oxford|St Catherine's College]] at the [[University of Oxford]], where he received a [[Bachelor of Arts]] degree in [[philosophy, politics and economics]] in 1974 and was later awarded a [[Master of Arts (Oxbridge)|Master of Arts]] degree.

On leaving university, Newby joined [[HM Customs and Excise]] where he became principal in charge of budget coordination in 1980. He was then director of corporate affairs at Rosehaugh plc, at one time a major property developer. He subsequently became a consultant on corporate social responsibility.

Newby worked extensively on programmes which used the power of sport to help motivate and educate children and young people. He was chair of sport at [[The Prince's Trust]] (1997–2012), chair of International Development Through Sport (a [[UK Sport]] charity) and chair of Sport for Life International, of which he remains patron.

== Political career == [[File:Lord_Newby_(51111275899).jpg|thumb|left|300px|Newby speaks from the backbenches, 2021]] Newby was Secretary of the [[Social Democratic Party (UK)|Social Democratic Party]] Parliamentary Committee in 1981, David Owen described him as 'an able young civil servant who resigned to come and work for us',<ref>{{Cite book|title=Time to declare|last=Owen|first=David|publisher=Michael Joseph|year=1991|isbn=0-7181-3514-8|location=486|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/timetodeclare0000owen}}</ref> and National Secretary of the SDP from 1983 to 1988. He had parliamentary ambitions, seeking the candidacy for [[Twickenham (UK Parliament constituency)|Twickenham]], challenging [[Vince Cable]], in 1997.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Free Radical|last=Cable|first=Vince|publisher=Atlantic Books|year=2009|isbn=978-184887-046-8|pages=226}}</ref> From 1999 to 2006, Newby was [[Chief of Staff]] to [[Charles Kennedy]]. He was instrumental in the process of managing the succession of leadership from Kennedy to [[Menzies Campbell]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Hurst|first1=Greg|title=Charles Kennedy – a tragic flaw|date=2006|publisher=Politico's|isbn=1-84275-176-X|pages=18–19, 22,49,96,148,153–4, 160–1}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Campbell|first1=Menzies|title=An autobiography|date=2008|publisher=Hodder and Stoughton|isbn=978-0-34089866-6|pages=208}}</ref>

He was appointed an [[Officer of the Order of the British Empire]] (OBE) in the [[1990 New Year Honours]]<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=51981 |date=30 December 1989 |page=10 |supp=y}}</ref> and was created a [[life peer]] with the title '''Baron Newby''', of [[Rothwell, West Yorkshire|Rothwell]] in the County of [[West Yorkshire]] on 25 September 1997.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=54907 |date=1 October 1997 |page=11063}}</ref>

At the beginning of May 2012, Lord Newby was appointed the [[Liberal Democrats Chief Whip|Liberal Democrat Chief Whip in the House of Lords]], and at the same time was appointed the Deputy Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords and [[Captain of the Yeomen of the Guard]].

In September 2012, he was appointed [[HM Treasury|Treasury]] spokesman in the House of Lords.

In September 2016 he was elected [[Leader of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords]], replacing [[Lord Wallace of Tankerness]].

== Personal life == Lord Newby has been married since 1978 to Ailsa Ballantyne (''née'' Thomson), a priest and [[Canon Residentiary]] of [[Ripon Cathedral]]; they have two sons. According to the House of Lords register of members' interests, he jointly owns, with his wife, two flats in Lambeth, London, which are rented out.

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== {{Commons category|Richard Newby, Baron Newby}} *{{cite web | url= http://www.dodonline.co.uk/engine.asp?lev1=4&lev2=38&menu=81&biog=y&id=26532| title= DodOnline| access-date=15 October 2006}} *[http://www.libdems.org.uk/peers_detail.aspx?name=Lord_Newby&pPK=5237cdbc-e2cd-4387-a7ee-b615b6d95d6b Lord Newby] profile at the site of Liberal Democrats *The They Work For You website [https://www.theyworkforyou.com/peer/lord_newby]

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Newby, Richard}} [[Category:1953 births]] [[Category:20th-century English businesspeople]] [[Category:20th-century British civil servants]] [[Category:21st-century English politicians]] [[Category:Alumni of St Catherine's College, Oxford]] [[Category:Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers]] [[Category:Life peers created by Elizabeth II]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Officers of the Order of the British Empire]] [[Category:People from Rothwell, West Yorkshire]] [[Category:Social Democratic Party (UK) politicians]]