Joel Barnett, Baron Barnett
Encyclopedia
Joel Barnett, Baron Barnett, PC
(born 14 October 1923), is a Labour Party
member of the House of Lords
.
Barnett was educated at Manchester Central High School. He worked as an accountant. He was elected a councillor on Prestwich Borough Council 1956-1959 and was treasurer of Manchester
Fabian Society
.
Barnett stood in Runcorn
in 1959 without success.
He was elected Member of Parliament
for Heywood and Royton
in 1964. He was a member of the Public Accounts Committee from January 1966.
Barnett served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury
, from 1974 to 1979 gaining a seat in the cabinet from 1977 onwards and was Denis Healey
's right hand man in the Callaghan Government. During this time he oversaw the devising of what is known as the Barnett Formula
by which public spending is apportioned between England
, Scotland
, Wales
, and Northern Ireland
. He has since joked about the strange and unexpected form of immortality that has been accorded to him by "having his own formula" and in 2010 argued that the Formula is now unfair to the devolved regions and should be abandoned or revised.
In 1982 he published a memoir Inside the Treasury (Andre Deutsch).
Barnett held the Chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee from 1979-83.
In 1983, his Commons seat having been abolished by boundary changes, he was made a life peer
as Baron Barnett, of Heywood and Royton in Greater Manchester
.
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
(born 14 October 1923), is a Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
member of the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Barnett was educated at Manchester Central High School. He worked as an accountant. He was elected a councillor on Prestwich Borough Council 1956-1959 and was treasurer of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
Fabian Society
Fabian Society
The Fabian Society is a British socialist movement, whose purpose is to advance the principles of democratic socialism via gradualist and reformist, rather than revolutionary, means. It is best known for its initial ground-breaking work beginning late in the 19th century and continuing up to World...
.
Barnett stood in Runcorn
Runcorn (UK Parliament constituency)
Runcorn was a parliamentary constituency centred on the town of Runcorn in Cheshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.- History :...
in 1959 without success.
He was elected Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Heywood and Royton
Heywood and Royton (UK Parliament constituency)
Heywood and Royton was a parliamentary constituency centred on the Heywood and Royton districts in the north-west of Greater Manchester. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
in 1964. He was a member of the Public Accounts Committee from January 1966.
Barnett served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Chief Secretary to the Treasury is the third most senior ministerial position in HM Treasury, after the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer . In recent years, the office holder has usually been given a junior position in the British Cabinet...
, from 1974 to 1979 gaining a seat in the cabinet from 1977 onwards and was Denis Healey
Denis Healey
Denis Winston Healey, Baron Healey CH, MBE, PC is a British Labour politician, who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1964 to 1970 and Chancellor of the Exchequer from 1974 to 1979.-Early life:...
's right hand man in the Callaghan Government. During this time he oversaw the devising of what is known as the Barnett Formula
Barnett formula
The Barnett formula is a mechanism used by The Treasury in the United Kingdom to adjust the amounts of public expenditure allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales automatically to reflect changes in spending levels allocated to public services in England, England and Wales or Great...
by which public spending is apportioned between England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, and Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. He has since joked about the strange and unexpected form of immortality that has been accorded to him by "having his own formula" and in 2010 argued that the Formula is now unfair to the devolved regions and should be abandoned or revised.
In 1982 he published a memoir Inside the Treasury (Andre Deutsch).
Barnett held the Chairmanship of the Public Accounts Committee from 1979-83.
In 1983, his Commons seat having been abolished by boundary changes, he was made a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Barnett, of Heywood and Royton in Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester
Greater Manchester is a metropolitan county in North West England, with a population of 2.6 million. It encompasses one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United Kingdom and comprises ten metropolitan boroughs: Bolton, Bury, Oldham, Rochdale, Stockport, Tameside, Trafford, Wigan, and the...
.