Russell Rook, Baron Rook

Last updated
The Reverend and Right Honourable
The Lord Rook
OBE
Official portrait of Lord Rook crop 2, 2025.jpg
Official portrait, 2025
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage
20 January 2025
Personal details
BornRussell David Rook
June 1972 (age 53)
Party Labour
Children2
Education The Portsmouth Grammar School
Alma mater Royal College of Music (BMus)
King's College London (MA)
University of St Andrews (PhD)

Russell David Rook, Baron Rook, OBE , (born June 1972) [1] is a British Anglican priest and life peer.

Contents

Early life

Russell was educated at the Portsmouth Grammar School and spent his gap year after graduation working for The Salvation Army. [2] He then studied at the Royal College of Music and King's College London before completing his PhD at the University of St Andrews. [3]

Career

Rook is a partner in the Good Faith Partnership and has been involved with various charities. [4] He served as a Parliamentary aide to Maeve Sherlock, and was an adviser on faith and civil society to Ed Miliband when he was Leader of the Opposition. [5] In 2022, he was ordained a priest in the Church of England, and appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for services to social action. [4] [6]

In late 2024, Rook was nominated for a life peerage by Prime Minister Keir Starmer for the Labour Party. [7] [8] He was created Baron Rook, of Wimbledon in the London Borough of Merton, on 20 January 2025, [9] and was introduced to the House of Lords on 23 January. [10]

Personal life

Rook is married to Charlotte Eksteen, a professional cellist. They have two sons. [11]

References

  1. ↑ "Russell David ROOK personal appointments - Find and update company information - GOV.UK". find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk.
  2. ↑ "OP Russell Rook Awarded OBE". Portsmouth Grammar School. 4 February 2022. Retrieved 4 February 2022.
  3. ↑ "Political Peerages December 2024" (PDF). assets.publishing.service.gov.uk.
  4. 1 2 "OP Russell Rook Awarded OBE". Portsmouth Grammar School. 2022-02-04. Retrieved 2024-12-20.
  5. ↑ "Dr Russell Rook". Concordia. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  6. ↑ "2022 New Year's Honours" (PDF). Retrieved 24 February 2025.
  7. ↑ "Political Peerages December 2024". GOV.UK (Press release). Prime Minister's Office, 10 Downing Street. 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  8. ↑ Pollock, Laura (20 December 2024). "See the 38 new lifetime peers announced by the UK Government". The National . Archived from the original on 20 December 2024. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
  9. ↑ "No. 64639". The London Gazette . 24 January 2025. p. 1182.
  10. ↑ "Introduction: Lord Rook". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) . Vol. 842. Parliament of the United Kingdom: House of Lords. 23 January 2025. col. 1803.
  11. ↑ "St Dionis | St Dionis church, church, Jesus, Parsons Green, Fulham". www.stdionis.org.uk. Retrieved 2024-12-20.


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