Michael Farmer, Baron Farmer
| The Lord Farmer | |
|---|---|
| Born |
17 December 1944 Tonbridge, Kent, England |
| Occupation | Businessman, political activist |
| Title | Baron Farmer |
| Relatives |
Suzan Farmer (sister) |
Michael Stahel Farmer, Baron Farmer (born 17 December 1944) is a British businessman, senior treasurer of the Conservative Party, and life peer in the House of Lords.
Early life
Michael Stahel Farmer was born on 17 December 1944 in Tonbridge, Kent, England. He has a sister, Suzan Farmer, who is an actress.
Business career
He is a founding Partner of the Red Kite Hedge Fund and Mine Finance Group. He is known in the commodities world as "Mr Copper" for his long term involvement with the world copper market.[1] Red Kite manages $2.3bn of assets as of the end of 2013 and is one of the largest commodities hedge funds in the world.[2]
He serves on the Board of Trustees of the Kingham Hill Trust.
Political career
He has donated more than £6.5m to the Conservative Party.[3]
In August 2014 he was nominated to become a working peer in the House of Lords.[4] On 5 September 2014 he was created a life peer as Baron Farmer, of Bishopsgate in the City of London.[5]
He has spoken extensively on social mobility and social issues. In November 2015, he contributed to a House of Lords debate on the impact of pornography by noting that "greater numbers of...teenage girls...in a leafy suburb of Surrey...[were] suffering from after effects of frequent anal sex, like incontinence". [6]
In January 2016 Farmer was subject to controversy when he described the £300 daily allowance for Members of the House of Lords as 'inadequate'.[7][8]
Personal life
According to the Sunday Times Rich List, Farmer has a net worth of £150 million, and owns a private jet.[9]
His son, George, was President of the Bullingdon Club at Oxford University.[10]
References
- ↑ "Mr Copper in world's copper market". Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
- ↑ "Red Kite Hedge Fund". Reuters. Retrieved 11 August 2014.
- ↑ "Cameron in cash-for-peerages row". Mail Online. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ "David Cameron in spotlight over two more peerages to Tory party donors". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 August 2014.
- ↑ The London Gazette: no. 60986. p. 17674. 10 September 2014.
- ↑ "Tory peer says anal sex has spread from 'the concrete jungle of the inner city' to England's Home Counties". The Independent. Retrieved 5 November 2015.
- ↑ "Lords' £300-a-day allowance isn't enough to live on, complains Tory peer who has donated more than £7million to the party". Mail Online. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
- ↑ "House of Lords £300 daily allowance 'inadequate' says millionaire Tory peer". Daily Mirror. Retrieved 12 February 2016.
- ↑ Associated Newspapers Limited (2 September 2013). "Private jet, morning suits and champagne for desert grouse shoot - move over Boris, it's... Bullingdon Club 2013". Daily Mail (London).
- ↑ "New Tory treasurer funded his son's membership of the Bullingdon Club". Mail Online. Retrieved 12 February 2016.