Lord Boateng
The Rt. Hon. the Lord Boateng studied law at the University of Bristol from 1971 to 1973, residing at Badock Hall during his first year of study. After working as a barrister in London, he served as a member of the Greater London Council for Walthamstow (including chairing the GLC's police committee and acting as vice-chair of its ethnic minorities committee) and became an MP in Brent South in London in 1987. In 1992, he was made shadow Minister for the Lord Chancellor’s Department, a government minister as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health in 1997, then Minister of State at the Home Office, Financial Secretary to the Treasury in 2001 and Chief Secretary to the Treasury in 2002.
In 2005, Lord Boateng was named as next High Commissioner to South Africa for a term of four years and was instrumental in Gordon Brown’s work to deliver the Africa Commission report in 2005, which included advocating increased support for Africa’s development.
He has served in the House of Lords since July 2010, including on the parliamentary committee on Privacy & Injunctions and until recently on the Joint Committee on National Security Strategy. In addition, he is currently:
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chair of the African Enterprise Challenge Fund (which provides funds to private sector enterprises in 24 countries African countries to create jobs boost resilience of rural communities, esp. in the face of climate change),
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trustee & chairman of Planet Earth Institute (a London-based international NGO and charity working for the scientific independence of Africa),
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a director of the Ghana International Bank based in the City,
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chair of the English Speaking Union,
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chair of the International Council of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award,
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chair of BookAid International,
and has previously served on the Board of English National Opera, as a Methodist delegate to the World Council of Churches and Vice-Moderator of its programme to combat racism.
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Given the extent and intensity of his commitments, we were greatly honoured when Lord Boateng agreed to become a Patron of the Badock Hall Association in 2014.