| The Right Honourable The Lord Grocott PC |
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| Chief Whip in the House of Lords Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms |
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| In office 29 May 2002 – 24 January 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Tony Blair Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | The Lord Carter |
| Succeeded by | The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon |
| Member of Parliament for Telford The Wrekin (1987–1997) |
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| In office 11 June 1987 – 7 June 2001 |
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| Preceded by | Warren Hawksley |
| Succeeded by | David Wright |
| Member of Parliament for Lichfield and Tamworth |
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| In office 10 October 1974 – 3 May 1979 |
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| Preceded by | James d'Avigdor-Goldsmid |
| Succeeded by | John Heddle |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1 November 1940 Watford, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Labour |
| Alma mater | University of Leicester University of Manchester |
Bruce Joseph Grocott, Baron Grocott PC (born 1 November 1940) is a Labour Party politician in the United Kingdom.
Grocott was born in Kings Langley near Watford, and was educated at Leicester University. He obtained an MA from Manchester University after conducting research on Local Government. He was appointed to the post of lecturer, and later a senior lecturer, at the City of Birmingham College of Commerce (which then became Birmingham Polytechnic and is now called Birmingham City University). During this time he was elected to Bromsgrove Urban District Council. From 1972 to 1974 he was a principal lecturer at North Staffordshire Polytechnic.
His first attempt to become a member of Parliament was in the 1970 election when he stood unsuccessfully for South West Hertfordshire. He was then selected as a candidate and was elected as Member of Parliament for Lichfield and Tamworth in October 1974,[1] in which position he became Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister for Local Government and Planning, and later the Minister of Agriculture.[2] He lost his seat at the 1979 general election and joined Central Television as a presenter and producer, working on programmes such as 'Left, Right and Centre', 'Central Lobby' and 'Central Weekend'.
He was re-elected for The Wrekin in 1987[1] and he was very shortly thereafter appointed Deputy Shadow Leader of the House to Jack Cunningham before becoming advisor to the Leader of the Opposition, Neil Kinnock and, later, a Foreign Affairs Spokesman under John Smith. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Tony Blair from 1994 until 2001.[3]
He transferred to Telford in 1997 when The Wrekin was divided. He served this seat until the 2001 general election, when he stepped down from the Commons and was made a life peer under the title of Baron Grocott, of Telford, in the County of Shropshire, on 2 July 2001, quickly being promoted to a government whip in the House of Lords. From 2002 to 2008 he was the Government Chief Whip in the House of Lords as well as Captain of the Gentlemen-at-Arms, the honorary post usually held by the Chief Whip.
He is married with two married sons and lives in Staffordshire.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by James d'Avigdor-Goldsmid |
Member of Parliament for Lichfield and Tamworth 1974–1979 |
Succeeded by John Heddle |
| Preceded by Warren Hawksley |
Member of Parliament for Telford The Wrekin (1987–1997) 1987–2001 |
Succeeded by David Wright |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by The Lord Carter |
Chief Whip in the House of Lords 2002–2008 |
Succeeded by The Baroness Royall of Blaisdon |
| Captain of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen-at-Arms 2002–2008 |
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