Ivor Richard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Richard
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_Richard.jpeg) |
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| In office 2 May 1997 – 27 July 1998 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair |
| Preceded by | The Viscount Cranborne |
| Succeeded by | The Baroness Jay of Paddington |
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| In office 18 July 1992 – 2 May 1997 |
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| Leader |
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| Preceded by | The Lord Cledwyn of Penrhos |
| Succeeded by | The Viscount Cranborne |
| European Commissioner for Employment and Social Affairs | |
| In office 6 January 1981 – 5 January 1985 |
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| President | Gaston Thorn |
| Preceded by | Henk Vredeling |
| Succeeded by | Peter Sutherland |
| British Ambassador to the United Nations | |
| In office 2 June 1974 – 21 December 1979 |
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| Prime Minister | |
| Preceded by | Donald Maitland |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Parsons |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Army | |
| In office 13 October 1969 – 19 June 1970 |
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| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Preceded by | James Boyden |
| Succeeded by | Ian Gilmour |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| In office 14 May 1990 – 18 March 2018 Life peerage |
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| Member of Parliament for Barons Court |
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| In office 15 October 1964 – 8 February 1974 |
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| Preceded by | Bill Carr |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Ivor Seward Richard
30 May 1932 Cardiff, Wales |
| Died | 18 March 2018 (aged 85) Lambeth, London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouses |
Geraldine Moore
(m. 1956, divorced)Alison Imrie
(m. 1962; div. 1983)Janet
(m. 1989) |
| Children | 4 |
| Education |
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| Alma mater | Pembroke College, Oxford |
Ivor Seward Richard, Baron Richard (born May 30, 1932 – died March 18, 2018) was an important British politician. He was a member of the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1964 to 1974. He also worked for the European Commission and later became a life peer in the House of Lords. A life peer is someone given a special title for life, allowing them to sit in the House of Lords, but the title cannot be passed down to their children.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ivor Richard was born in Cardiff, Wales. He went to St. Michael's School in Llanelli. After that, he studied at Cheltenham College in Cheltenham. He then attended Pembroke College at the University of Oxford.
Political Journey
Becoming an MP (1959–1974)
Ivor Richard was very active in the Labour Party from his university days. He first tried to become an MP in 1959 but didn't win. In the 1964 election, he successfully became the MP for Baron's Court. This area was known for close elections.
In Parliament, he worked as an assistant to Denis Healey, who was the Secretary of State for Defence. In 1969, Ivor Richard was made Minister for the Army. He managed to keep his seat in the 1970 election. Later, he became a spokesperson for the opposition on telecommunications. He briefly lost this role because he supported Britain joining the European Communities, which was not popular with everyone in his party at the time. However, he was soon reappointed as a spokesperson for foreign affairs.
In 1974, his constituency, Baron's Court, was changed due to new boundaries. He tried to find a new area to represent but faced challenges. He eventually ran in Blyth but was not elected.
Working for the UN and Europe (1974–1985)
After leaving Parliament, the Labour Government appointed Ivor Richard as the UK's Permanent Representative to the United Nations in June 1974. He held this important role for five years. He worked to help resolve conflicts in the Middle East and Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe).
In 1976, he chaired the Geneva Conference on Rhodesia. This meeting aimed to create a temporary government and a new constitution for Rhodesia. However, the different groups involved could not agree, and the conference did not make progress.
In 1980, the Labour Party chose him to be a member of the European Commission. This is like a government for the European Union. He was responsible for areas like employment, social policy, education, and training.
Return to the UK and the House of Lords (After 1985)
Ivor Richard returned to Wales in 1985. In 1990, he was made a life peer, which meant he could sit in the House of Lords. His new title was Baron Richard, of Ammanford. In the House of Lords, he became a spokesperson for the Labour Party.
From 1992, he became the Leader of the Labour Peers. This role also made him a member of the Privy Council, a group of important advisors to the Queen. He led the Labour Party in the House of Lords during their time in opposition. In 1993, he led a special debate called a Motion of No Confidence in the government. This was a symbolic move to show that Labour disagreed with the government's actions.
When the Labour Party won the election in 1997, Ivor Richard became Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords. He started working on plans to change how the House of Lords worked, especially by removing the hereditary peers (people who inherited their titles). However, he was removed from his position in 1998. He later wrote a book about his ideas for reforming the House of Lords.
He also chaired a parliamentary committee that looked at a new law for reforming the House of Lords.
Richard Commission
In 2002, the government in the National Assembly for Wales asked Ivor Richard to lead a special group called the Richard Commission. This group looked at what powers the Assembly should have in the future. Their report, published in 2004, suggested that the Assembly should have more power to make its own laws from 2011.
Death
Lord Richard passed away in Lambeth, London, in March 2018. He was 85 years old.
See also
In Spanish: Ivor Richard para niños
