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Michael Farmer, Baron Farmer

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The Right Honourable
The Lord Farmer
Lord Farmer in 2024
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 September 2014
as a life peer
Personal details
Born
Michael Stahel Farmer

(1944-12-17) 17 December 1944 (age 79)
Tonbridge, Kent, England
Political partyConservative
Spouse
Jennifer Potts
​
(m. 1975)​
Children3, including George
RelativesSuzan Farmer (sister)
Candace Owens (daughter-in-law)
OccupationBusinessman, politician
Websitewww.lordmichaelfarmer.co.uk Edit this at Wikidata

Michael Stahel Farmer, Baron Farmer (born 17 December 1944), nicknamed Mr. Copper, is a British businessman, former Treasurer of the Conservative Party, and life peer in the House of Lords.[1] He is active in combating family breakdown and its repercussions, supported Brexit, and is a devout born-again Christian. He is vocal in his opposition to antisemitism, and is supportive of Israel having the right to defend itself against Hamas.[2]

Early and personal life

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Farmer was born in Tonbridge, Kent, England. His sister, actress Suzan Farmer, died of cancer in 2017.[3] Michael has described how he and his sister had a violent and chaotic early childhood, characterised by "poverty, neglect and shame."[4] His father, David S. Farmer, a metals trader, was wounded in World War II and died at the age of 40 years old due to his alcoholism when Farmer was aged four, and he and his sister narrowly avoided removal from their mother's care due to her own struggle with alcohol.[5][6][7] Farmer was educated at Wantage Grammar School, as a boarder.[8] His mother died when he was 25 years old.[5]

In 1975, in the City of London, Farmer married Jennifer Potts.[9] They have three children.[8][10] His son George Farmer who ran unsuccessfully for the then Brexit Party in the 2019 European Parliament election and was CEO of the now-defunct conservative social networking app Parler, and in 2019 married the American political commentator Candace Owens.[11][12]

Farmer is a born-again Christian, having become religious when he was 35 years old, and preaches at the 800-year-old St Helen's Church, Bishopsgate, in the City, around the corner from the London Metal Exchange.[13][14][10][11] He became the Christian deputy chair and trustee of the Council of Christians and Jews in 2016.[15][16] He sponsors the Ark All Saints Academy in Camberwell, South London, created with the goal of improving education for disadvantaged children.[5]

Business career

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Farmer started working at eighteen.[17] He began as a difference account clerk and messenger in AJ Strauss, a London Metal Exchange member firm at which his father had worked, earning eight pounds a week.[18][19][5] He spent most of his career in the City of London, involved in the trading of base metals, especially copper.[14][20] He was a protégé of top metal trader Manfred Kopelman.[14]

In 1974 at 30 years of age he was named a managing director of Cerro Metals Ltd. in London, a position he held until 1983.[21][22] In 1983 he joined Anglo Chemical, which was part of Philipp Brothers/Salomon Brothers -- now Phibro, the commodities trading unit of Citigroup Inc., as head of its global base metal trading until 1989.[22][21]

He left it in 1989 to form the Metal & Commodity Company Ltd trading company, a subsidiary of German metal trader Metallgesellschaft AG, which became the world’s largest trader in physical copper and nickel, and he was its CEO from 1989-2000.[23] In 1999 the company went public as it was floated on the London Stock Exchange under the title MG Plc with Farmer as its co-CEO; it was the first metals trader to be listed on the exchange.[22][19][21][24] In 2000 he sold it to trading company Enron for $448 million, and Enron renamed it Enron Metals (in 2002, Enron sold the firm, which is now called Sempra Metals, and based in London).[22][23][10] Farmer then took two years off to study the Bible.[10][19]

In 2005 he was a founding partner of the Red Kite Group of hedge funds, which provides mine finance and futures investment opportunities for funds.[8][25][10] In 2013, the firm returned over 50 percent on its metals fund.[1] In 2022 his net worth was estimated at £150 million.[10][11]

Political career

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Farmer was the co-Treasurer of the Conservative Party from 2011-15.[11] From 2012-22, he gave at least £6m to the Conservatives.[11] He is a former Chairman of the Conservative Foundation.[26]

On 5 September 2014 Farmer was created a life peer as Baron Farmer, of Bishopsgate in the City of London and in the House of Lords joined the Conservative benches.[27][28] His maiden speech was about women's homelessness, domestic violence, and social exclusion.[6] He cycles from his office to the House of Lords.[5]

The frequency of Farmer's speaking appearances, voting record, and tabling of written questions is above average in the House of Lords.[29]

Family and prisoner issues

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Farmer supported the former leader, David Cameron when he accepted the think tank Centre for Social Justice's Breakthrough Britain report emphasising the wider social repercussions of family breakdown.[30][31]

As a parliamentarian Farmer has spoken about family hubs and other measures to ensure families who need it receive early help;[32][33][34] boosting statutory help for children leaving local authority care;[35][36][37] improving children and young people's mental health and wellbeing,[38][39][40] including by reducing family breakdown and regulating access to pornography;[41] enabling upwards social mobility and better life chances;[42][43][44] and addressing the persecution of Christians in North Korea,[45] the Middle East [46][47] and the United Kingdom.[48]

He and Samantha Callan founded the Family Hubs Network in 2019 to support the spread of Family Hubs across the whole of the United Kingdom.[49]

Farmer introduced a Private Member's Bill which would make family impact assessments statutory for all changes to government policy and spending and that would ensure the Government keeps track of family stability rates (the number of children who grow up with both their parents).[50]

He was a member of the Select Committee on Social Mobility, and the Joint Committee on the Draft Domestic Abuse Bill.[51][52]

Farmer is a vocal supporter of welfare and prison reform. He was commissioned by the United Kingdom Ministry of Justice (MoJ) to carry out a review and make a report of how supporting men in prison to have better family and other relationships can reduce reoffending rates.[53][54] Following the acceptance of his recommendations, The Farmer Review (2017), the MoJ commissioned a further review and report from Lord Farmer on the importance of relationships for female offenders' rehabilitation, The Farmer Review for Women (2019), which is also being implemented.[55][54] He continues to work with the MOJ to implement the recommendations of the reviews.[54]

Brexit

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Farmer was an active and vocal supporter of Brexit. In 2017 he donated £300,000 to the Vote Leave campaign, which supported a "Leave" vote in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.[11][56][57][58][59][60]

Antisemitism and Israel

[edit]

In August 2024, Farmer wrote a lengthy thread on X, on the subject of antisemitism, and on Israel's war against Hamas, and in response to comments by his daughter-in-law Candace Owens, saying: "In view of public comments from a high-profile member of my family, I want to put my own views on antisemitism and Israel’s current military campaign in Gaza on public record."[61][62][63] Within two days, his post had attracted over one million views.[64][65]

He wrote, as to antisemitism:

As a teenager, growing up in the wake of WW2, I became very aware of the cruelty meted out, before and during that conflict, against Jewish people – because they were Jewish. I found it impossible to comprehend how humans could, intentionally, be as cruel as possible to others. Then, as a young man, I worked with many Jewish people in the city: the boss in one of my first jobs had come to Britain on a Kindertransport. I often experienced kindness and thoughtfulness from Jewish friends as well, at a time when I had few close relationships.... To conclude, I should point out that I am the Christian Deputy Chair of the Council for Christians and Jews. This was founded in 1942 as a bulwark against antisemitism, and our monarch has always been its patron.[61][62][63]

Continuing on, addressing Israel's war against Hamas, he wrote:

A recent letter from international military leaders said that the Israel Defence Forces were acting in a highly accountable way in an extremely complex and difficult environment. We cannot forget that they have been forced to prosecute this war... Israel [is a] rare example of a democracy in the Middle East, a liberal state governed by the rule of law. Of course, it has the right to defend its citizens when murderously attacked on its soil in one of the cruelest and most callous pogroms in history. We cannot forget the large number of innocent hostages that were taken, many have died, and some are still missing. Israel faces an existential threat as Hamas, the terrorist organization, has stated their intention to destroy it.[61][62][63]

He noted as well that: "the plight of civilians in Gaza is also utterly appalling, but I see Israel has little option but to fight its enemy where it chooses to hide itself — in tunnels under key infrastructure and behind innocent civilians. We cannot forget that they have been forced to prosecute this war."[61][62][63]

References

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  1. ^ a b Agnieszka de Sousa and Javier Blas (October 28, 2016). "Hedge Fund Exodus Sets Mr. Copper’s Business On Lonely Road," FA Mag.
  2. ^ "Candace Owens' father-in-law Lord Farmer reacts to her antisemitic comments," The Times of India, August 20, 2024.
  3. ^ "Suzan Farmer obituary," The Guardian, 24 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  4. ^ Hayward, Anthony (4 October 2017). "Suzan Farmer: actress and Hammer scream queen who livened up a series of movies". The Independent. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
  5. ^ a b c d e Margarette Driscoll (November 16, 2016). "Mr Copper pipes up in the fight for troubled families; Alcoholic parents scarred the childhood of the metals tycoon Michael Farmer. His maiden Lords speech has struck a blow for other blighted children," The Times.
  6. ^ a b Lord Farmer (6 November 2014). "Lord Farmer maiden speech, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  7. ^ "Suzan Farmer obituary". The Guardian. 24 October 2017. Retrieved 5 September 2020.
  8. ^ a b c "Farmer, Baron cr. 2014 (Life Peer), of Bishopsgate in the City of London (Michael Stahel Farmer)", in Who's Who, online edition, accessed 17 April 2021 (subscription required)
  9. ^ "Farmer Michael S. /Potts /London City 14 643"; "Potts Jennifer D. R. /Farmer /London City 14 643" in General Index to Marriages in England and Wales, 1975
  10. ^ a b c d e f Patrick Hosking (January 11, 2012). "Big shot: Michael Farmer of RedKite," The Times.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Rupert Neate (29 October 2022). "Finance, property and mining: the money behind Sunak’s £460,000 leadership bid," The Guardian.
  12. ^ "Candace Owens' father-in-law lord condemns antisemitism, antizionism; In light of Owens' controversial livestream featuring theories surrounding Judaism and criticisms of Israel, Her father-in-law, Lord Michael Farmer reiterated his support for Israel," The Jerusalem Post.
  13. ^ Jesse Westbrook and Chanyaporn Chanjaroen (January 21, 2012). "Hedge fund’s co-founder never hedges about his religious beliefs," The Washington Post.
  14. ^ a b c "Metals Trading: Red Kite buffeted by strong winds," Financial Times.
  15. ^ "Patron & Trustees". Council of Christians and Jews. Retrieved 24 September 2019.
  16. ^ "The Council of Christians and Jews," Charity Commission for England and Wales.
  17. ^ "From The City To Politics: The Role Of Religion And The Importance Of Family In Promoting Upward Social Mobility," LondonReal, October 22, 2020.
  18. ^ Ken Stier (December 14, 2014). "A Corner on the Copper Market," TED.
  19. ^ a b c Louise Armitstead (March 7, 2010). "Michael Farmer: the man known as Mr Copper is glad to give his brass to the Tories," Telegraph.
  20. ^ "Keeping Children Connected," partnersofprisoners.co.uk.
  21. ^ a b c Morris Susan (2020). "Farmer, Baron" Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage 2019.
  22. ^ a b c d "Michael Farmer, Copper and Red Kite," Rich Mind Rich Life.
  23. ^ a b Magnus Angenfelt. "Michael Farmer UK," Investing by the Books.
  24. ^ Saijel Kishan and Chanyaporn Chanjaroen (February 5, 2007). "Red Kite Fund Lost 30% on Metals Bet, Investors Say," Bloomberg.
  25. ^ "London’s ‘Mr Copper’ restructures his Red Kite fund," The Financial Times.
  26. ^ "Guess who came to dinner...PM reveals donors at his table," Express.
  27. ^ "No. 60986". The London Gazette. 11 September 2014. p. 17674.
  28. ^ "Parliamentary page for Lord Farmer". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  29. ^ "Lord Farmer Numerology in Parliament". TheyWorkForYou. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  30. ^ "Breakdown Britain: Fractured Families". The Centre for Social Justice. December 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  31. ^ "Breakthrough Britain: Family Breakdown". The Centre for Social Justice. July 2007. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  32. ^ "Early Years Intervention, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 8 January 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  33. ^ "Welfare Reform and Work Bill, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 21 December 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  34. ^ "A Manifesto to Strengthen Families, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 2 November 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  35. ^ "Young Care Leavers, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 12 March 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  36. ^ "Children and Social Work Bill, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 14 June 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  37. ^ "Children: Welfare, Life Chances and Social Mobility, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 1 November 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  38. ^ "Mental Health, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 15 January 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  39. ^ "Queen's Speech, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 4 June 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  40. ^ "Mental Health of Children and Young Adults, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  41. ^ "Pornography, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 5 November 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  42. ^ "Life Chances Strategy, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 11 May 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  43. ^ "Poverty: Metrics, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 21 January 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  44. ^ "Child Poverty Act 2010 (Persistent Poverty Target) Regulations 2014, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 25 November 2014. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  45. ^ "Korean Peninsula, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 13 July 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  46. ^ "Palestine: Recognition, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 29 January 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  47. ^ "Immigration Bill, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 21 March 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  48. ^ "Religious Persecution, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 11 July 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  49. ^ "Home". The Family Hubs Network. Retrieved 26 October 2020.
  50. ^ "Family Relationships (Impact Assessment and Targets) Bill [HL] 2017–19 – UK Parliament". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 19 July 2017.
  51. ^ "Social Mobility Committee - Membership". UK Parliament. June 2015. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  52. ^ "New appointments this week in UK politics, the civil service and public affairs". PoliticsHome. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  53. ^ "The Importance of Strengthening Prisoners' Family Ties to Prevent Reoffending and Reduce Intergenerational Crime" (PDF). Ministry of Justice. August 2017. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  54. ^ a b c "BEYOND PENAL POPULISM AND LIBERAL OPTIMISM: A SOCIAL JUSTICE APPROACH," The Centre for Social Justice, November 2023.
  55. ^ "The Importance of Strengthening Female Offenders' Family and other Relationships to Prevent Reoffending and Reduce Intergenerational Crime" (PDF). Ministry of Justice. June 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  56. ^ Michael Farmer (15 May 2016). "Lord Farmer: A Brexit will be a 'bright new beginning'". The Telegraph. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  57. ^ "Brexit: Domestic and International, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  58. ^ "Brexit: Preparations and Negotiations, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 23 July 2018. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  59. ^ "Don't blame Brexit for UK economic wobbles, says 'Mr Copper'". Financial Times. 15 January 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  60. ^ "Further Discussions with the European Union under Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union, House of Lords". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 27 February 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2019.
  61. ^ a b c d Ariel Zilber (August 19, 2024). "Candace Owens’ father-in-law defends Israel after controversial commentator is accused of antisemitism," Yahoo.
  62. ^ a b c d "Candace Owens Father-in-law Lord Farmer Reacts to her Antisemitic Comments," Times of India, August 20, 2024.
  63. ^ a b c d "Candace Owens’ Descent into Conspiracy and Anti-Semitism: A Family Member Speaks Out," 5TownsCentral, August 19, 2024.
  64. ^ Jules Gomes (August 21, 2024). "Christian Father-In-Law Shames Candace Owens for Anti-Semitism; Member of UK House of Lords distances himself from Catholic convert's remarks," Souls and Liberty.
  65. ^ Michael Lofton (August 19, 2024), "Candace Owens’ Father-In-Law Exposes Truth Behind Her Israel Claims," Analysis, Reason and Theology.
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