Lord Bates biography

Lord Bates is a Conservative Peer and Founder of the ‘Walk for Truce’ initiative. He was stood for Parliament in 1987 and was elected MP for Langbaurgh in 1992. He served as Government Whip (1995-6) and as Deputy Chair of the Conservative Party (2007-10).

Since 2010, Lord Bates has been campaigning on the Olympic Truce and its implementation by members of the UN General Assembly. In April 2011 he set out on a 'Walk for Truce' from Olympia in Greece to Westminster, London to raise awareness of the truce and to secure support for its observance at the London 2012 Games. He completed the 3,000-mile walk in February 2012, having walked through 13 countries, met the Pope and secured the backing of the United Nations, the IOC, the UK government and London Mayor, Boris Johnson.