Maurice Peston, Baron Peston

Personal

Peston was born in 1931 in London, the son of Abraham Peston, a "pleater" in the garment trade, and Yetta R. (née Malt) Peston. He was educated at Belle Vue Boys' School, Bradford, West Yorkshire, and Hackney Downs School. He graduated from the London School of Economics and undertook postgraduate study at Princeton University. He married Helen Conroy in London in 1958.

The couple believed passionately in state education, and sent all of their three children to the local comprehensive, Highgate Wood School, Crouch End, north London. One of their children is the journalist Robert Peston, currently ITV's political editor.

Career

Academia

Peston founded the economics department at Queen Mary College, London, and advised various government departments and Labour Secretaries of State from the 1960s through to the 1990s. He remained an Emeritus Professor of Economics at the College until his death in 2016.

In 1981, he was one of the 364 economists who signed a letter to The Times condemning Geoffrey Howe's 1981 Budget.

House of Lords

Peston was created a life peer as Baron Peston, of Mile End, in Greater London, on 24 March 1987. He immediately became Opposition Spokesperson for Energy (until 1997) and Education & Science (until 1997). He served as Opposition Spokesperson on the Treasury (1990–92) and Trade & Industry (1992–97). He chaired the House of Lords Offices Refreshments Sub-committee from 1993 to 1997.

When Labour took over government, he chaired the influential House of Lords Committee on Economic Affairs from 1998 until 2005. Since then he worked on the Lords Constitution Committee, and on the committee reviewing the BBC Charter.

Other interests

He was chairman of the Pools Panel during the 1990s, adjudicating on the expected results of football matches in case any were postponed.

Lord Peston was a patron of the British Humanist Association,{{cite web|url=https://humanism.org.uk/2016/04/25/bha-mourns-its-patron-lord-peston/|title=BHA mourns its patron, Lord Peston

References

References

1. (26 April 2016). "Lord Peston obituary". The Guardian.
2. (2003). "Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes". Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd.
3. (22 July 2008). "Department of Economics". Queen Mary College, London.
4. (26 April 2016). "Lord Peston obituary".
5. (24 April 2016). "Lord Peston – obituary". The Telegraph.
6. Grice, Elizabeth. (24 January 2008). "Robert Peston: 'I'm not going to become smooth and phoney'". The Telegraph.
7. Peston, Maurice. (11 January 2004). "Treasure our golden oldies". The Guardian.
8. "Economy: Letter of the 364 economists critical of monetarism (letter sent to academics and list of signatories) [released 2012]". [[Margaret Thatcher Foundation]].
9. Peston, Maurice. (2006). "Were all 364 Economists Wrong?". [[Institute of Economic Affairs]].
10. {{London Gazette. (3 April 1987)
11. "Member Profile – Lord Peston". UK Parliament.
12. Baker, Andrew. (27 March 1994). "Almanack: Pools panel draw a veil". [[The Independent]].