Diana Warwick, Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe

{{Short description|British politician and trade unionist (born 1945)}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=February 2025}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = The Right Honourable

| name = The Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe

| honorific_suffix =

| image = Official portrait of Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe crop 2, 2023.jpg

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| caption = Official portrait, 2023

| order =

| office = Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal

| term_start = 10 July 1999
Life peerage

| term_end =

| birth_name = Diana Mary Warwick

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1945|07|16|df=y}}

| birth_place = Bradford, Yorkshire, England

| death_date =

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| citizenship =

| party = Labour

| spouse =

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| education =

| alma_mater = Bedford College (BSc)

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}}

Diana Mary Warwick, Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe (born 16 July 1945) is a British politician and Labour member of the House of Lords. She was formerly a trade unionist and the Chief Executive of Universities UK.

Background

Warwick was born in Bradford, Yorkshire and was educated at a local grammar school.{{Cite web |last=Hodges |first=Lucy |date=14 July 1999 |title=The baroness sparks a battle in academia |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/education/education-news/the-baroness-sparks-a-battle-in-academia-1106423.html |access-date=15 April 2025 |website=The Independent}} She then attended Bedford College, University of London (now part of Royal Holloway, University of London), graduating with a BSc Sociology 1967.Royal Holloway College, Higher Magazine No.17, autumn 2012, accessed 24 November 2012

Career

Previously, Warwick was Assistant Secretary of the Civil and Public Services Association from 1972, General Secretary of the Association of University Teachers from 1983 to 1992 and Chief Executive of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy from 1992 to 1995. In 1992, Warwick left trade unions to become chief executive of the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, and was also Chair of the international development charity Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). Warwick was Chief Executive of Universities UK for 14 years.{{cite news|url=http://education.guardian.co.uk/students/overseasstudents/story/0,12743,1466587,00.html|title=Universities protest at plan to raise visa costs|date=22 April 2005|work=The Guardian|accessdate=15 June 2010 | location=London | first=Donald | last=MacLeod}}

On 10 July 1999, she was created a life peer as Baroness Warwick of Undercliffe, of Undercliffe in the County of West Yorkshire.{{London Gazette |issue=55555 |date=16 July 1999 |page=7715}}{{cite news |last=Clement |first=Barrie |date=18 July 1999 |title=Men rule the union roost |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/focus-equality--men-rule-the-union-roost-1107198.html |accessdate=15 June 2010 |work=Times Higher Education |location=London}}

When she was created a life peer, some commentators felt that she could not combine running the Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals (CVCP) alongside being a Labour baroness in the House of Lords, and there were calls for her resignation.{{Cite web |last=Russell |first=Ben |date=9 July 1999 |title=Academics urge leader to resign over Labour whip |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/academics-urge-leader-to-resign-over-labour-whip-1105408.html}}{{Cite web |last=Crequer |first=Ngaio |title=Call for Warwick to resign |url=https://www.tes.com/magazine/archive/call-warwick-resignfe-focus |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=Tes Magazine |language=en}}

Warwick was Chair of the Human Tissue 2 Authority from 2010 to 2014.{{Cite web |date=21 July 2022 |title=Baroness Warwick Oration |url=https://warwick.ac.uk/services/gov/hongrads/summer2022/baroness_warwick_oration_-_21_july_2022.pdf |access-date=15 April 2025 |website=University of Warwick]]}} From 2020 to 2022, Warwick was Chair of the National Housing Federation.{{Cite web |last=Warwick |first=Diana |title=As board members, your leadership will help our sector – and our country – thrive |url=https://www.housing.org.uk/news-and-blogs/blogs/diana-warwick/board-members-leadership-help-sector-and-country-thrive/ |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=National Housing Federation |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Brown |first=Carl |title=NHF appoints education sector leader as new chair |url=https://www.housingtoday.co.uk/news/nhf-appoints-education-sector-leader-as-new-chair/5118028.article |access-date=2025-04-15 |website=Housing Today |language=en}} She is also Chair of International Students House, London.

Warwick was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Science (Hon DSc) degree by the University of Warwick in 2022.

Personal life

Her husband was Sean Terence Bowes Young (1943–2021), son of the director Terence Young and writer Dorothea Bennett.Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 3, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 4084

References