Paul Boateng
Encyclopedia
Paul Yaw Boateng, Baron Boateng (born 14 June 1951) is a British
Labour Party
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Brent South from 1987
to 2005
, becoming the UK's first black Cabinet Minister
in May 2002, when he was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury
. Following his departure from the House of Commons, he served as the British High Commissioner to South Africa from March 2005 to May 2009. He was introduced as a member of the House of Lords
on 1 July 2010.
, London
of mixed Ghana
ian and Scottish
heritage; his family later moved to Ghana when Boateng was four years old. His father, Kwaku Boateng
, was a lawyer and cabinet minister under Kwame Nkrumah
. There, Boateng attended Accra Academy High School. Boateng's life in Ghana came to an abrupt end with the jailing of his father in 1966 after a coup against Nkrumah. His father was imprisoned without trial for four years. Boateng, then 15, and his sister fled to Britain with their mother.
They settled in Hemel Hempstead
where he attended Apsley Grammar School. He read law at the University of Bristol
and began his career in civil rights
, originally as a solicitor
, though he later retrained as a barrister
. He worked primarily on social and community cases, involving women's rights, housing and police complaints, including a period from 1977-1981 as the legal advisor for the Scrap Sus Campaign. He represented Cherry Groce, a mother of six who was shot and paralysed by a police officer during a raid on her home in the search for her son. He became a partner at the firm B M Birnberg & Co, and as a barrister, he practiced at Eight King's Bench Walk.
for Walthamstow
in 1981, which was then under the leadership of Ken Livingstone
. Boateng was only the second person of Afro-Caribbean descent to be elected to the GLC
. As chair of the GLC's police committee and vice-chair of its ethnic minorities committee, he advocated greater accountability in the Metropolitan Police
and spoke out against racism in relation to their dealings with the black
and Asian
communities.
. He won in the general election of 1987
, when he became the MP
for Brent South
in succession to Laurence Pavitt
, being one of the first three black MPs (the others being Bernie Grant
and Diane Abbott
). During his victory speech he said "We can never be free in Brent until South Africa is free too." He then famously declared, "Today Brent South, tomorrow Soweto
!"
Like many other members of the left in the 1980s, he became more moderate under the leadership of Neil Kinnock
, who made him a junior Treasury spokesman in 1989, making him the first black person to join the front bench as a party spokesperson. His portoflio included economics, industrial strategies and corporate responsibility. In 1992, he became shadow minister for the Lord Chancellor's Department
, a post he held until the 1997 general election
, where he was a strong advocate for increasing pro bono
legal services among UK law firms.
In 1998 Boateng became a Minister of State
at the Home Office
and subsequently became Number 2 Minister at the home Office. He was made a Privy Councilor
in 1999. He earned a reputation for being tough on crime, particularly with regards to aggressive begging on the streets. He also worked with Eric Holder
, who was then Deputy Attorney General, and Louis Freeh
, then Director of the FBI on issues related to international drug trafficking and interdiction.
His portfolio was expanded in 2000, and he became the first Minister for Young People, where his priority was to listen to and be a voice for Britain's youth. He launched the Youth, Citizenship and Social Change programme, then the UK's largest research project designed to examine social exclusion and promoting citizenship among young people. He also played a leading role in establishing and launching the £450m Children's Fund designed to tackle child poverty. Boateng's ministerial colleagues encouraged him to stand as the Labour candidate to be the Mayor of London
; however, he ruled himself out and strongly criticised his former GLC colleague Ken Livingstone. Boateng supported the candidacy of Frank Dobson
, with whom he had served in the Department of Health.
, and was promoted to the position of Chief Secretary to the Treasury
in May 2002, making history as Britain's first black cabinet minister. He was quoted as saying "My colour is part of me but I do not choose to be defined by my colour." His appointment was greeted with praise by civil rights activists who said that his appointment gave hope to young black youths and would inspire them to become involved in politics. To commemorate this historic achievement, Parliament commissioned a painting of Boateng by Jonathan Yeo
, which is displayed in the collection of 21st Century Parliamentarians.
In his role as Chief Secretary to the Treasury
, he was responsible for finalising the Spending Review of 2002 and leading the Spending Review of 2004. Boateng, coordinating with Sir Peter Gershon
's report, announced in 2004 the government's efficiency programme to save over £20 billion in the public sector.
Boateng played a leading role in coordinating the Every Child Matters
policy paper, which called for the reform of children's services, including greater accountability and coordination among government agencies. He was also a passionate advocate for increasing development aid to Africa and the developing nations. Foreshadowing his future role, he made numerous trips to Africa, meeting with business and government leaders in an effort to highlight the fact that international aid and the Millenium Development Goals were key priorities for the government. Boateng also assisted Gordon Brown in drafting the Africa Commission report, which called for increasing aid to Africa from Western nations to $50 billion a year
In March 2005, Boateng announced that he would not stand for re-election as an MP in the May 2005 general election
. Dawn Butler
was selected by the Constituency Labour Party
to replace him and was elected in Brent South.
named him to be the next High Commissioner to South Africa for a term of four years. Many Africans praised the appointment, stating that it was an important symbolic break from Britain's colonial past and saw it as a symbol of Tony Blair's commitment to the continent. Boateng is credited with building a close relationship to South Africa's ANC government, and it was reported that he privately worked to bring together bitter rivals in the crisis in Zimbabwe,
although he publicly condemned the Zimbabwean government's illegal occupation of land from white farmers and the resulting turmoil, which Boateng labeled a "human rights crisis."
He has also addressed the World Economic Forum
on issues concerning Africa. In 2008, he participated in a number of talks with political leaders in the United States to encourage them to support the Doha Development Round trade negotiations that would open Western markets to goods from Africa and other developing countries. His tenure as High Commissioner ended in May 2009.
that Boateng would become a member of the House of Lords
. He was introduced as Lord Boateng of Akyem and Wembley
on 1 July 2010; he was supported by Lord Ouseley and Lord Janner
. His maiden speech to the House of Lords highlighted the needs of poor and disadvantaged children, both in rural and urban areas. He called on the Government to examine the impact that the Budget and forthcoming Spending Review would have on children at risk.
(1984 to 1997) and the English Touring Opera
(1993 to 1997). During the historic South African General Elections of 1994, he was a member of the delegation sent by the Association of Western European Parliamentarians Against Apartheid to monitor the elections. In 1993, he also wrote the foreword to the Harper Collins collected works edition of Jane Austen
's Sense and Sensibility
. He's been a commentator and television presenter, most notably for Channel 4
's "Nothing But The Truth" and the BBC Radio 4
's "Looking Forward to the Past." In November 2009, Boateng took up his position as a non-executive Director of Aegis Defence Services
.
In 1988, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
honored Boateng as the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for his contributions to the field of civil rights. He received an honorary Doctor of Law
s degree from Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
in 2004 and the University of Bristol
in 2007. He is currently (2011) a non executive Director of Aegis Defence Services, a Private Military Company founded by Tim Spicer
after a night-out on the 19th August 2010. He was also placed on the sex offenders register. Benjamin had previously been accused of raping an 18-year old girl in South Africa
in 2006.
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|-
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
politician, who was the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Brent South from 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
to 2005
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
, becoming the UK's first black Cabinet Minister
Cabinet of the United Kingdom
The Cabinet of the United Kingdom is the collective decision-making body of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom, composed of the Prime Minister and some 22 Cabinet Ministers, the most senior of the government ministers....
in May 2002, when he was appointed as Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
. Following his departure from the House of Commons, he served as the British High Commissioner to South Africa from March 2005 to May 2009. He was introduced as a member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
on 1 July 2010.
Background and early life
Boateng was born in HackneyLondon Borough of Hackney
The London Borough of Hackney is a London borough of North/North East London, and forms part of inner London. The local authority is Hackney London Borough Council....
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
of mixed Ghana
Ghana
Ghana , officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country located in West Africa. It is bordered by Côte d'Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, Togo to the east, and the Gulf of Guinea to the south...
ian and Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
heritage; his family later moved to Ghana when Boateng was four years old. His father, Kwaku Boateng
Kwaku Boateng (politician)
Kwaku Boateng was a Ghanaian barrister, politician, Christian evangelist and cabinet minister.-Politics:Kwaku Boateng was a member of the Convention People's Party and served in various capacities in the Nkrumah government....
, was a lawyer and cabinet minister under Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah
Kwame Nkrumah was the leader of Ghana and its predecessor state, the Gold Coast, from 1952 to 1966. Overseeing the nation's independence from British colonial rule in 1957, Nkrumah was the first President of Ghana and the first Prime Minister of Ghana...
. There, Boateng attended Accra Academy High School. Boateng's life in Ghana came to an abrupt end with the jailing of his father in 1966 after a coup against Nkrumah. His father was imprisoned without trial for four years. Boateng, then 15, and his sister fled to Britain with their mother.
They settled in Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead
Hemel Hempstead is a town in Hertfordshire in the East of England, to the north west of London and part of the Greater London Urban Area. The population at the 2001 Census was 81,143 ....
where he attended Apsley Grammar School. He read law at the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
and began his career in civil rights
Civil rights
Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...
, originally as a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
, though he later retrained as a barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
. He worked primarily on social and community cases, involving women's rights, housing and police complaints, including a period from 1977-1981 as the legal advisor for the Scrap Sus Campaign. He represented Cherry Groce, a mother of six who was shot and paralysed by a police officer during a raid on her home in the search for her son. He became a partner at the firm B M Birnberg & Co, and as a barrister, he practiced at Eight King's Bench Walk.
Political career
Boateng was elected to the Greater London CouncilGreater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
for Walthamstow
Walthamstow
Walthamstow is a district of northeast London, England, located in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It is situated north-east of Charing Cross...
in 1981, which was then under the leadership of Ken Livingstone
Ken Livingstone
Kenneth Robert "Ken" Livingstone is an English politician who is currently a member of the centrist to centre-left Labour Party...
. Boateng was only the second person of Afro-Caribbean descent to be elected to the GLC
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
. As chair of the GLC's police committee and vice-chair of its ethnic minorities committee, he advocated greater accountability in the Metropolitan Police
Metropolitan Police Service
The Metropolitan Police Service is the territorial police force responsible for Greater London, excluding the "square mile" of the City of London which is the responsibility of the City of London Police...
and spoke out against racism in relation to their dealings with the black
Black people
The term black people is used in systems of racial classification for humans of a dark skinned phenotype, relative to other racial groups.Different societies apply different criteria regarding who is classified as "black", and often social variables such as class, socio-economic status also plays a...
and Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
communities.
Member of Parliament
He stood, and lost, as a parliamentary candidate for Hertfordshire West (which included his former home town of Hemel Hempstead) in the 1983 general electionUnited Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
. He won in the general election of 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
, when he became the MP
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Brent South
Brent South
Brent South was a parliamentary constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom; it was replaced by Brent Central for the 2010 general election. It elected one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.Since its creation in 1974,...
in succession to Laurence Pavitt
Laurence Pavitt
Laurence Anstice Pavitt was a Labour and Co-operative Party politician in the United Kingdom.Pavitt was a lifelong pacifist and a conscientious objector in the Second World War...
, being one of the first three black MPs (the others being Bernie Grant
Bernie Grant
Bernard Alexander Montgomery Grant , known simply as Bernie Grant, was a politician in the United Kingdom, and was Labour member of Parliament for Tottenham at the time of his death....
and Diane Abbott
Diane Abbott
Diane Julie Abbott is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Hackney North and Stoke Newington since 1987, when she became the first black woman to be elected to the House of Commons...
). During his victory speech he said "We can never be free in Brent until South Africa is free too." He then famously declared, "Today Brent South, tomorrow Soweto
Soweto
Soweto is a lower-class-populated urban area of the city of Johannesburg in Gauteng, South Africa, bordering the city's mining belt in the south. Its name is an English syllabic abbreviation for South Western Townships...
!"
Like many other members of the left in the 1980s, he became more moderate under the leadership of Neil Kinnock
Neil Kinnock
Neil Gordon Kinnock, Baron Kinnock is a Welsh politician belonging to the Labour Party. He served as a Member of Parliament from 1970 until 1995 and as Labour Leader and Leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition from 1983 until 1992 - his leadership of the party during nearly nine years making him...
, who made him a junior Treasury spokesman in 1989, making him the first black person to join the front bench as a party spokesperson. His portoflio included economics, industrial strategies and corporate responsibility. In 1992, he became shadow minister for the Lord Chancellor's Department
Lord Chancellor's Department
The Lord Chancellor's Department was a United Kingdom government department answerable to the Lord Chancellor with jurisdiction over England and Wales....
, a post he held until the 1997 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
, where he was a strong advocate for increasing pro bono
Pro bono
Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...
legal services among UK law firms.
Ministerial career
With Labour's victory, Boateng became the UK's first black government minister as Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Health, where he was responsible for social services and mental health. In that position, he published guidelines to end the denial of adoptions purely on the basis of race.In 1998 Boateng became a Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the Home Office
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
and subsequently became Number 2 Minister at the home Office. He was made a Privy Councilor
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1999. He earned a reputation for being tough on crime, particularly with regards to aggressive begging on the streets. He also worked with Eric Holder
Eric Holder
Eric Himpton Holder, Jr. is the 82nd and current Attorney General of the United States and the first African American to hold the position, serving under President Barack Obama....
, who was then Deputy Attorney General, and Louis Freeh
Louis Freeh
Louis Joseph Freeh was the 5th Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, serving from September 1993 to June 2001....
, then Director of the FBI on issues related to international drug trafficking and interdiction.
His portfolio was expanded in 2000, and he became the first Minister for Young People, where his priority was to listen to and be a voice for Britain's youth. He launched the Youth, Citizenship and Social Change programme, then the UK's largest research project designed to examine social exclusion and promoting citizenship among young people. He also played a leading role in establishing and launching the £450m Children's Fund designed to tackle child poverty. Boateng's ministerial colleagues encouraged him to stand as the Labour candidate to be the Mayor of London
Mayor of London
The Mayor of London is an elected politician who, along with the London Assembly of 25 members, is accountable for the strategic government of Greater London. Conservative Boris Johnson has held the position since 4 May 2008...
; however, he ruled himself out and strongly criticised his former GLC colleague Ken Livingstone. Boateng supported the candidacy of Frank Dobson
Frank Dobson
Frank Gordon Dobson, is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras since 1979...
, with whom he had served in the Department of Health.
Cabinet history
In 2001, he was made Financial Secretary to the TreasuryFinancial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a junior Ministerial post in the British Treasury. It is the 4th most significant Ministerial role within the Treasury after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Paymaster General...
, and was promoted to the position of Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
in May 2002, making history as Britain's first black cabinet minister. He was quoted as saying "My colour is part of me but I do not choose to be defined by my colour." His appointment was greeted with praise by civil rights activists who said that his appointment gave hope to young black youths and would inspire them to become involved in politics. To commemorate this historic achievement, Parliament commissioned a painting of Boateng by Jonathan Yeo
Jonathan Yeo
Jonathan Yeo is a British artist who rose to prominence in the 2000s as a contemporary portraitist, responsible for iconic paintings of Nicole Kidman, Dennis Hopper, Prince Philip, Erin O'Connor, Tony Blair, and David Cameron among his sitters...
, which is displayed in the collection of 21st Century Parliamentarians.
In his role as Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
, he was responsible for finalising the Spending Review of 2002 and leading the Spending Review of 2004. Boateng, coordinating with Sir Peter Gershon
Peter Gershon
Sir Peter Gershon KBE is a British business executive and former civil servant. He is chiefly known for conducting the Gershon Review in 2004/2005 which recommended savings across the UK's public services and for being an adviser to the Conservative Party during the run up to the 2010 General...
's report, announced in 2004 the government's efficiency programme to save over £20 billion in the public sector.
Boateng played a leading role in coordinating the Every Child Matters
Every Child Matters
Every Child Matters is a UK government initiative that was launched in 2003, at least partly in response to the death of Victoria Climbié...
policy paper, which called for the reform of children's services, including greater accountability and coordination among government agencies. He was also a passionate advocate for increasing development aid to Africa and the developing nations. Foreshadowing his future role, he made numerous trips to Africa, meeting with business and government leaders in an effort to highlight the fact that international aid and the Millenium Development Goals were key priorities for the government. Boateng also assisted Gordon Brown in drafting the Africa Commission report, which called for increasing aid to Africa from Western nations to $50 billion a year
In March 2005, Boateng announced that he would not stand for re-election as an MP in the May 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
. Dawn Butler
Dawn Butler
Dawn Petula Butler is a British Labour Party politician who was the Member of Parliament for Brent South from 2005 to 2010, and was Minister for Young Citizens and Youth Engagement in the Cabinet Office...
was selected by the Constituency Labour Party
Constituency Labour Party
A Constituency Labour Party is an organisation of members of the British Labour Party who live in a particular UK parliamentary constituency in England, Scotland and Wales. The Labour Party in Northern Ireland has, since February 2009, been organised as a province-wide Constituency Labour Party...
to replace him and was elected in Brent South.
High Commissioner to South Africa
Due to Boateng's passion and enthusiasm for the government's Africa Commission Report and his associations with African leaders Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
named him to be the next High Commissioner to South Africa for a term of four years. Many Africans praised the appointment, stating that it was an important symbolic break from Britain's colonial past and saw it as a symbol of Tony Blair's commitment to the continent. Boateng is credited with building a close relationship to South Africa's ANC government, and it was reported that he privately worked to bring together bitter rivals in the crisis in Zimbabwe,
although he publicly condemned the Zimbabwean government's illegal occupation of land from white farmers and the resulting turmoil, which Boateng labeled a "human rights crisis."
He has also addressed the World Economic Forum
World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum is a Swiss non-profit foundation, based in Cologny, Geneva, best known for its annual meeting in Davos, a mountain resort in Graubünden, in the eastern Alps region of Switzerland....
on issues concerning Africa. In 2008, he participated in a number of talks with political leaders in the United States to encourage them to support the Doha Development Round trade negotiations that would open Western markets to goods from Africa and other developing countries. His tenure as High Commissioner ended in May 2009.
Appointment to the House of Lords
On 28 May 2010, it was announced in the 2010 Dissolution Honours2010 Dissolution Honours
The 2010 Dissolution Honours List was issued on 28 May 2010 at the advice of outgoing Prime Minister Gordon Brown. The list was gazetted on 15 June.-Life Peerages:Conservative* Timothy Boswell* Angela Browning* John Gummer* Michael Howard...
that Boateng would become a member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
. He was introduced as Lord Boateng of Akyem and Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
on 1 July 2010; he was supported by Lord Ouseley and Lord Janner
Greville Janner
Greville Ewan Janner, Baron Janner of Braunstone is a British Labour politician, lawyer and author. A QC since 1971, he was a Labour MP from 1970 to 1997...
. His maiden speech to the House of Lords highlighted the needs of poor and disadvantaged children, both in rural and urban areas. He called on the Government to examine the impact that the Budget and forthcoming Spending Review would have on children at risk.
Career outside of politics
Boateng is an active Methodist and Methodist lay preacher; he served as a Methodist delegate to the World Council of Churches and as Vice-Moderator of its program to combat racism. He previously served on the board of the English National OperaEnglish National Opera
English National Opera is an opera company based in London, resident at the London Coliseum in St. Martin's Lane. It is one of the two principal opera companies in London, along with the Royal Opera, Covent Garden...
(1984 to 1997) and the English Touring Opera
English Touring Opera
English Touring Opera is an opera company in the United Kingdom. From 1979 to 1992 it was known as Opera 80.- About the company :Opera 80 was founded in 1979 by the Arts Council of Great Britain as the successor to Opera For All; in 1992 the company changed its name to English Touring Opera...
(1993 to 1997). During the historic South African General Elections of 1994, he was a member of the delegation sent by the Association of Western European Parliamentarians Against Apartheid to monitor the elections. In 1993, he also wrote the foreword to the Harper Collins collected works edition of Jane Austen
Jane Austen
Jane Austen was an English novelist whose works of romantic fiction, set among the landed gentry, earned her a place as one of the most widely read writers in English literature, her realism and biting social commentary cementing her historical importance among scholars and critics.Austen lived...
's Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility
Sense and Sensibility, published in 1811, is a British romance novel by Jane Austen, her first published work under the pseudonym, "A Lady." Jane Austen is considered a pioneer of the romance genre of novels, and for the realism portrayed in her novels, is one the most widely read writers in...
. He's been a commentator and television presenter, most notably for Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
's "Nothing But The Truth" and the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
's "Looking Forward to the Past." In November 2009, Boateng took up his position as a non-executive Director of Aegis Defence Services
Aegis Defence Services
Aegis Defence Services is a British private military company with overseas offices in Afghanistan, Bahrain, Iraq, Kenya, Nepal and the United States. It was founded in 2004 by Tim Spicer, who was previously director of the controversial company Sandline International.Aegis provides security and...
.
In 1988, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference
Southern Christian Leadership Conference
The Southern Christian Leadership Conference is an African-American civil rights organization. SCLC was closely associated with its first president, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr...
honored Boateng as the recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for his contributions to the field of civil rights. He received an honorary Doctor of Law
Doctor of law
Doctor of Law or Doctor of Laws is a doctoral degree in law. The application of the term varies from country to country, and includes degrees such as the LL.D., Ph.D., J.D., J.S.D., and Dr. iur.-Argentina:...
s degree from Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
Lincoln University (Pennsylvania)
Lincoln University is the United States' first degree-granting historically black university. It is located near the town of Oxford in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania. The university also hosts a Center for Graduate Studies in the City of Philadelphia. Lincoln University provides...
in 2004 and the University of Bristol
University of Bristol
The University of Bristol is a public research university located in Bristol, United Kingdom. One of the so-called "red brick" universities, it received its Royal Charter in 1909, although its predecessor institution, University College, Bristol, had been in existence since 1876.The University is...
in 2007. He is currently (2011) a non executive Director of Aegis Defence Services, a Private Military Company founded by Tim Spicer
Son's arrest for rape
On the 14th November 2011 Lord Boateng's son, The Hon. Benjamin Boateng, 27, was jailed for 3 years and 10 months after a Judge found him guilty of a pre-planned sexual assualt on a 22yr-old as she slept on a sofa in BatterseaBattersea
Battersea is an area of the London Borough of Wandsworth, England. It is an inner-city district of South London, situated on the south side of the River Thames, 2.9 miles south-west of Charing Cross. Battersea spans from Fairfield in the west to Queenstown in the east...
after a night-out on the 19th August 2010. He was also placed on the sex offenders register. Benjamin had previously been accused of raping an 18-year old girl in South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
in 2006.
External links
- A Diplomat Who Could Yet Be the British Obama
- Parliament House Magazine: Breaking Down Barriers (Interview with Lord Boateng)
- Interview with British High Commissioner Paul Boateng Regarding Doha and International Trade
- 100 Great Black Britons: Paul Boateng
- Lord Boateng - UK Parliament Biography
- UK Web Archive: Website for Paul Boateng MP (2005)
- Every Child Matters: Speech by Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Paul Boateng
- Paul Boateng Reports on Children's and Young People's Unit
- Paul Boateng: We Understand the Vital Importance of Feedback
- Would You Give Paul Boateng Your Vote?
- Boateng to Step Down at Election
- Paul Boateng - Aristotle profile from The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
- Paul Boateng - profile from TheyWorkForYou.com
- New High Commissioner to South Africa - FCOForeign and Commonwealth OfficeThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
Announcement - United Kingdom High Commission to South Africa: introduction of the High Commissioner Paul Boateng; CV of Paul Boateng
- Artistic Portrait of Paul Boateng by Jonathan Yeo
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