It was with very great sadness that we learned of the death of Frank Field, Lord Field of Birkenhead CH PC DL. Lord Field had been an Advisory Board member of Global Strategy Forum since 2008.  He chaired one of GSF’s early keynote lectures, when our President, Johan Eliasch, gave a comprehensive lecture on the threats posed by climate change and the opportunities that it presented, particularly in combating deforestation.

Throughout his long membership of our Advisory Board, Lord Field was always very supportive of the aims of GSF and he will be greatly missed.

A statement from Lord Field’s family, issued by his Parliamentary office, can be read here.

House of Lords official portrait

The Rt Hon the Lord Field of Birkenhead (1942-2024)
Advisory Board member

From 1969-79, Frank Field worked as Director of the Child Poverty Action Group, during which time it became one of the premier pressure groups in the country. In 1974 he became Director of the Low Pay Unit until 1980. In 1979, he was elected Member of Parliament for Birkenhead. Between 1980 and 1981 he served as Shadow Education and Social Security spokesman under the leadership of Michael Foot. In 1990 he took up the chairmanship of the Social Security Select Committee and continued in this role up to 1997. From 1997-1998 he accepted the position of Minister for Welfare Reform in Tony Blair’s first cabinet. He served as a member of the Public Accounts Committee between 2002-2005. He was appointed to the House of Lords in 2020. Outside Parliament, he was busy and committed. In 1999 he helped set up the Pension Reform Group which he chaired. The group acted as an important independent think tank for the cause of a long-term, investment led reform to the pension system. He also chaired the Church Conservation Trust and helped to develop the trust from being one primarily concerned with conserving the best architectural gems of the Church to one which tried to open up such places for alternative use. From 2005, he was also chairman of the Cathedral Fabrics Commission, is the planning authority for English cathedrals.