The Reverend and Right Honourable
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Assumed office
15 June 2004
Life Peerage
Personal details
Born (1935-10-23) 23 October 1935
NationalityWelsh
Political partyLiberal Democrats
Websitewww.lordrogerroberts.uk

John Roger Roberts, Baron Roberts of Llandudno (born 23 October 1935), is a Welsh Liberal Democrat politician, Methodist minister, and life peer. He was for many years President of the Welsh Liberals, and later, the Welsh Liberal Democrats.

Education

Lord Roberts was educated at John Bright Grammar School,[1] in Llandudno, the University College of North Wales, and Handsworth Methodist College, Birmingham.

Career

Ordained ministry

In 1957, he became a Methodist minister, and was the superintendent Methodist minister at Llandudno for twenty years before serving as minister at the Dewi Sant (Welsh United) Church, Toronto. He is an active supernumerary minister in North Wales.

Political career

He was a councillor and a leader of the Liberal Democrats on Aberconwy Borough Council for a number of years, and stood as a candidate for the parliamentary seat of Conwy five times. He narrowly missed being elected the last two times he stood, first coming close to beating the Conservatives, with only a margin of 995 votes, and then being beaten by Labour in the General Election of 1997, when the Conservatives lost their majority in the House of Commons.

On 15 June 2004, Roberts was created a life peer as Baron Roberts of Llandudno, of Llandudno in the County of Gwynedd.[2] A former whip and spokesperson on International Development, he now speaks on youth democratic engagement, unemployment, asylum, migration and Welsh affairs for the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords.

Roberts is currently president of Wales International, is honorary president of Bite The Ballot, Liberal Democrats for Seekers of Sanctuary (LD4SOS) and Friends of Barka UK and is also vice-president of Llangollen International Music Eisteddfod.

Personal life

Roberts' latest book, Hel Tai, is only available in Welsh.

He is a widower with three children and lives in Llandudno on the Creuddyn peninsula, North Wales. His son, Gareth Roberts, also stood for the same seat for the Liberal Democrats in 2005. His two daughters, Rhian Roberts and Sian Roberts work for the BBC and the Electoral Reform Services respectively.

References

  1. ↑ "Ysgol John Bright - Comprehensive School in Llandudno, North Wales". johnbright.uk.
  2. ↑ "No. 57329". The London Gazette. 18 June 2004. p. 7621.
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