James Bethell, 5th Baron Bethell

James Nicholas Bethell, 5th Baron Bethell (born 1 October 1967), is a British hereditary peer and junior minister in the House of Lords.

The Right Honourable The Lord Bethell
Bethell in 2019
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Innovation
Incumbent
Assumed office 9 March 2020
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	The Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford
Lord-in-waiting Government Whip
In office 24 July 2019 – 9 March 2020
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	The Viscount Younger of Leckie
Succeeded by	The Baroness Penn
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 19 July 2018 Hereditary Peerage
Preceded by	The 3rd Lord Glentoran
Personal details
Born	James Nicholas Bethell 1 October 1967
Political party	Conservative
Education	Harrow School
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh

Early life

The Hon. James Nicholas Bethell was educated at the independent, fee-paying Harrow School before going on to study for a Scottish Master of Arts (an undergraduate degree) at the University of Edinburgh.[1]

Bethell worked as a journalist, and then managed the Ministry of Sound nightclub, before founding Westbourne Communications which he sold to Cicero Group after succeeding to his family titles.[2]

He unsuccessfully contested Tooting in 2005, losing to Labour candidate and future Mayor of London Sadiq Khan.

Bethell contested the 2009 primary to become the Conservative Party's prospective parliamentary candidate for the constituency of Gosport. He came second behind Caroline Dinenage, who went on to become the Member of Parliament in the 2010 general election.[3]

Public life

Bethell entered the House of Lords in July 2018, after successfully contesting a Conservative hereditary peers' by-election.[4]

In July 2019, he was appointed a Lord-in-Waiting and, in March 2020, was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Innovation at the Department of Health and Social Care.[5][6] As of August 2020 his responsibilities included:[7]

• the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA),
• COVID-19 response:
  • NHS Test and Trace,
  • supply,
  • treatments and vaccines,
  • research into long term health impacts
• Life Sciences
• Medicines
• Research
• Antimicrobial resistance
• Global Health
• International Diplomacy and relations
• Data and Technology
• Rare Diseases
• NHS security management, including cyber security
• Blood and transplants and organ donation

It was reported in November 2020 by the Times of London that Bethell is the Minister for NHS Test and Trace, a novelty formed as part of the Johnson ministry's efforts to control the coronavirus. He "was a surprise appointment in March having chaired Matt Hancock's leadership campaign in 2019 and giving [him] a ₤5,000 donation."[8] He opened himself to charges of "cronyism" published in The Guardian over his selection to an advisory role of lobbyists like George Pascoe-Watson, whose clients include the Boston Consulting Group "which has won several large government contracts during the pandemic."[9]

Personal life

Bethell is married to Melissa (née Wong), a businesswoman,[10] Lord and Lady Bethell have four children.[11] He succeeded his father Nicholas as Baron Bethell in 2007.

References

1. "James Bethell". DeSmog UK. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
2. Harrington, John (19 June 2018). "Cicero buys Westbourne to form 'UK's biggest independent public affairs shop'". PR Week.
3. "ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog". ConservativeHome's Seats & Candidates blog. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
4. "Conservative hereditary peers' by-election, July 2018: result" (PDF). House of Lords. 18 July 2018.
5. "Contact information for Lord Bethell - MPs and Lords - UK Parliament". members.parliament.uk. Retrieved 26 March 2020.
6. Bethell, Lord (9 March 2020). "Honoured to be appointed a health minister today. Responsible for life sciences. Committed to supporting @DHSCgovuk response to the #coronavirus challenge. Proud to be part of government's @UKHouseofLords front bench team.pic.twitter.com/0G6MD4KZB1". @JimBethell. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
7. "LIST OF MINISTERIAL RESPONSIBILITIES Including Executive Agencies and Non-Ministerial Departments" (PDF). https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk. CABINET OFFICE. August 2020. External link in |website= (help)
8. Pogrund, Gabriel (15 November 2020). "George Pascoe-Watson among lobbyists given secret access to Covid meetings". Times Newspapers Limited.
9. Hill, Sophie (21 November 2020). "The Tories' 'chumocracy' over Covid contracts is destroying public trust". Guardian News & Media Limited.
10. "Tesco announces appointment of Melissa Bethell as non-executive Director". Tesco plc.
11. www.burkespeerage.com

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