John Attlee, 3rd Earl Attlee explained

Honorific-Prefix:Major The Right Honourable
The Earl Attlee
Honorific Suffix:TD
Office1:Lord-in-Waiting
Government Whip
Primeminister1:David Cameron
Term Start1:11 May 2010
Term End1:8 April 2014
Predecessor1:The Lord Tunnicliffe
Successor1:The Baroness Williams of Trafford
Office2:Member of the House of Lords
Status2:Lord Temporal
Term Label2:as a hereditary peer
Term Start2:2 March 1992
Term End2:11 November 1999
Predecessor2:The 2nd Earl Attlee
Successor2:Seat abolished
Term Label3:as an elected hereditary peer
Term Start3:11 November 1999
Predecessor3:Seat established
Birth Date:3 October 1956
Spouse:
    Party:Conservative (from 1997)
    Otherparty:Crossbench (until 1997)
    Allegiance:United Kingdom
    Branch:British Army Reserve
    Serviceyears:1974–2017
    Rank:Major
    Unit:Royal Corps of Transport
    Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

    John Richard Attlee, 3rd Earl Attlee (born 3 October 1956), styled Viscount Prestwood between 1967 and 1991, is a British Conservative Party peer and member of the House of Lords. He is the grandson of Clement Attlee, the Labour Prime Minister, who was the first Earl Attlee.

    Early life

    Attlee was educated at Stowe School, trained with Smiths Industries, and worked mainly in materials management.

    Professional career

    In 1985, Attlee went into business in the field of commercial vehicle recovery and repair.[1] In this connection he is president of the Heavy Transport Association and Patron of the Road Rescue Recovery Association.

    He undertook a tour with the non-governmental organisation British Direct Aid in Bosnia during the winter of 1993–94, and then ran British Direct Aid's operation in Rwanda for most of 1995.

    Military service

    A member of the Territorial Army, Attlee served in Bosnia with an aid agency during 1993–1994. He has also served in the Gulf War.[2]

    Political career

    Attlee inherited his title following his father's death in 1991 and entered the House of Lords in 1992, initially as a crossbencher. Shortly before the general election of 1997 he joined the Conservative Party. He is one of the ninety elected hereditary peers that remain in the House of Lords after the passing of the House of Lords Act 1999.

    He served as an Opposition spokesman on various subjects; immediately prior to the 2010 general election he was spokesman for transport and an Opposition whip.[3] Following the Conservative victory in that election Earl Attlee was appointed a Lord-in-waiting or Government whip in the House of Lords.[4] He continued in that role until April 2014, when he left the government. He was replaced by Susan Williams, Baroness Williams of Trafford.[5]

    Personal life

    Earl Attlee married Teresa Ahern on 27 September 2008, in the Crypt Chapel of St Mary Undercroft, Palace of Westminster.[6] Lady Attlee is the younger daughter of Mortimer Ahern, of Malvern, Worcestershire. Should Lord Attlee die without a son, the earldom will become extinct.

    Notes and References

    1. Web site: John Attlee. Conservative Party. 28 January 2010. 5 April 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130405061752/http://www.conservatives.com/People/Peers/Attlee_John.aspx. dead.
    2. News: 2003-06-20 . The Tory peer who went to war . en-GB . 2022-04-17.
    3. News: Earl Attlee. BBC News. Democracy Live. 28 January 2010. 8 April 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140408214644/http://news.bbc.co.uk/democracylive/hi/representatives/profiles/26830.stm. dead.
    4. News: Who's who: Cameron's government . BBC News . 3 June 2010.
    5. News: Appointment to the government: Baroness Williams of Trafford. GOV.uk. 8 April 2014.
    6. News: Earl Attlee and Miss T. M. Ahern. https://web.archive.org/web/20110723072525/http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/marriages/121377/earl-attlee-and-miss-t.m.-ahern. dead. 23 July 2011. Telegraph Media Group. Telegraph Announcements. 6 September 2010 . London.