Anthony Gueterbock, 18th Baron Berkeley

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Anthony Fitzhardinge Gueterbock, 18th Baron Berkeley, Baron Gueterbock, OBE (born 20 September 1939), otherwise known as Tony Berkeley, is a British aristocrat and Labour parliamentarian.

The Lord Berkeley
Lord Berkeley in 2019
Member of the House of Lords
as a hereditary peer
17 October 1992 – 11 November 1999
Preceded byThe 17th Baroness Berkeley
Succeeded bySeat abolished
as a Life Peer
19 April 2000
Personal details
Born (1939-09-20) 20 September 1939 (age 85)
Sutton, Surrey, UK
Political partyLabour
SpouseMarian Keyes
RelationsEarls of Berkeley
Alma materEton College
Trinity College, Cambridge
OccupationCivil engineer; parliamentarian
Websitewww.parliament.uk

Holder of an ancient English hereditary peerage title created in 1421, Lord Berkeley sits in the House of Lords by virtue of being created a Life Peer in 2000.

Background

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Of Jewish descent, the Güterbocks originally hailed from Prussia in former East Germany, before moving to Brandenburg to establish a Berlin bank, Güterbock Moritz & Co.

His grandfather, Alfred Güterbock (1845–1929), emigrated to England marrying in 1880, Anna née Prüßmann (1858–1928), and had four sons, including Sir Paul Gueterbock (1886–1954) and Brigadier Ernest Gueterbock (1897–1984).

His mother, the Hon. Cynthia Ella Foley (1909–1991), married 4 August 1937 Brigadier Ernest Gueterbock (late Royal Engineers), becoming styled "The Hon. Mrs Gueterbock". The younger of the two daughters of Eva, 16th Baroness Berkeley MBE, her elder sister succeeded as Mary, 17th Baroness Berkeley, who died unmarried in 1992.[1]

Life

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Gueterbock was educated at Eton College, before going up to Trinity College, Cambridge, where he graduated as a BA (proceeding MA). He then took a career in civil engineering with George Wimpey plc as an engineer until 1985. For the next ten years he worked as an engineer for Eurotunnel 1985–95.

Gueterbock inherited his maternal ancestors' ancient title of Baron Berkeley in 1992, succeeding his aunt Mary Foley-Berkeley, 17th Baroness Berkeley. Lord Berkeley additionally became Baron Gueterbock, of Cranford in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in 2000, but remains known in Parliament as Lord Berkeley. His life peerage enables him to continue sitting as a Labour peer in the House of Lords, following the ejection of the vast majority of hereditary peers in 1999; he was not elected a hereditary representative peer.

Since his introduction to the House of Lords in 1992, Lord Berkeley has served as Opposition Spokesman for Transport 1996–97 and Opposition Whip 1996–97.[2] He is the Secretary of the All-Party Parliamentary Cycling Group and has tabled many questions in the House of Lords on Transport policy, including about bicycles on trains.[3] Berkeley has also tabled questions about police conduct with regards to civil liberties.[4][5] Berkeley queried restrictions on peers bringing guests into the House of Lords during President Barack Obama's visit to London.[6]

Lord Berkeley served as Chairman of the Rail Freight Group, the industry representative body for the rail freight sector, and is elected as a board member of the European Rail Freight Association. He is also a Trustee of Plymouth Marine Laboratory,[7] President of the UK Maritime Pilots' Association.[8]

Appointed an OBE in 1989 "for services to the construction industry", Lord and Lady Berkeley divide their time between homes in London and Cornwall.

In 2019 Berkeley became Vice-Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Whistleblowing.[9] He was named as Co-Chairman when the group reconstituted in 2020.[10] All current and former members of the group have been subject to criticism from some campaigners on whistleblowing law reform, questioning their transparency and accountability, following Sir Norman Lamb's resignation from the group.[11]

Arms

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Coat of arms of Anthony Gueterbock, 18th Baron Berkeley
 
Coronet
That of a Baron
 
Crest
Out of ducal coronet Or a Demi Man Proper affronté in Armour Or his dexter hand holding a Halberd also Proper
Helm
That of a Peer
Escutcheon
Quarterly, 1. Güterbock patrilineal arms; 2. Argent a Fesse engrailed between three Cinquefoils Sable all within a Bordure of the Last (Foley); 3. Azure a Snake nowed Or between three sinister Gauntlets open Argent (Milman); 4. Gules a Chevron between ten Crosses Pattées six in chief and four in base Argent (Berkeley)
Supporters
On either side a Lion Argent the sinister collared chained and ducally crowned Or
Motto
Dieu avec Nous
(Fr. God with Us)
Other elements
Suspended below the Shield by its ribbon the insignia of an Officer of the Order of the British Empire
 

See also

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References

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  1. ^ www.burkespeerage.com
  2. ^ "Lord Berkeley". BBC. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
  3. ^ how many dedicated cycle-carrying spaces are planned
  4. ^ pass on my congratulations to the police for the way in which they controlled this demonstration without using masks and batons, or covering up their numbers and other things which they did at the G20 protests? | 12 May 2009
  5. ^ www.theyworkforyou.com 29 Apr 2009
  6. ^ London Evening Standard Archived 5 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ "Governance". Plymouth Marine Laboratory. Archived from the original on 8 January 2014. Retrieved 8 January 2014.
  8. ^ www.ukmpa.org
  9. ^ "House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 5 November 2019: Whistleblowing". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  10. ^ "House of Commons - Register Of All-Party Parliamentary Groups as at 20 May 2020: Whistleblowing". publications.parliament.uk. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Home". The Whistler. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
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Peerage of England
Preceded by Baron Berkeley
1992–present
Incumbent