Alistair Burt
A moderate Conservative MP known for his thoughtful, cross-bench approach to foreign policy and social welfare over a four-decade parliamentary career.
Born 1955 (age 71)·British politician·Birthday: May 25·Baby Boomers
Biography
Alistair Burt's political life defied the stereotype of the partisan firebrand. Elected as MP for Bury North in 1983, he cultivated a reputation as a compassionate One Nation Tory, deeply engaged in the granular details of social security and international relations. His first ministerial role was at the Department of Social Security, where he handled the complex policy of disability benefits. After losing his seat in the 1997 Labour landslide, he returned to Parliament in 2001 and later served as a Foreign Office minister, focusing on the Middle East. Colleagues often described him as a listener, a diplomat who preferred quiet negotiation to public grandstanding. His final ministerial post was at the Department of Health, but he is perhaps best remembered for resigning from the government in 2019 over Brexit, a principled stand that reflected his commitment to a cooperative international order.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Alistair was born in 1955, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Alistair Was Born
The biggest hits of 1955
#1 Movie
Lady and the Tramp
Best Picture
Marty
#1 TV Show
The $64,000 Question
Alistair's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1955Born
Rosa Parks refuses to give up her bus seat
Gas: $0.29/galHome: $9,550Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Rock Around the Clock" — Bill Haley & His CometsBest Picture: Marty
1960Started school
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1968Became a teenager
Martin Luther King Jr. and Robert Kennedy assassinated
Gas: $0.34/galHome: $14,950Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Hey Jude" — The BeatlesBest Picture: Oliver!
1971Could drive
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $18,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Joy to the World" — Three Dog NightBest Picture: The French Connection
1973Could vote
US withdraws from Vietnam; Roe v. Wade decided
Gas: $0.39/galHome: $22,100Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree" — Tony Orlando & DawnBest Picture: The Sting
1976Turned 21
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1985Turned 30
Live Aid concerts raise money for Ethiopian famine
Gas: $1.12/galHome: $62,900Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Careless Whisper" — Wham!Best Picture: Out of Africa
1995Turned 40
Oklahoma City bombing; Windows 95 released
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $96,500Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Gangsta's Paradise" — CoolioBest Picture: Braveheart
2005Turned 50
Hurricane Katrina devastates New Orleans; YouTube launches
Gas: $2.30/galHome: $167,500Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"We Belong Together" — Mariah CareyBest Picture: Crash
2015Turned 60
Paris climate agreement; same-sex marriage legalized in the US
Gas: $2.43/galHome: $171,900Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Uptown Funk" — Mark Ronson ft. Bruno MarsBest Picture: Spotlight
2025Turned 70
AI agents go mainstream
Gas: $3.10/galHome: $385,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"APT." — Rose & Bruno Mars
2026Age 71 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the UK's Minister of State for the Middle East at the Foreign Office from 2010 to 2013.
- Was the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security from 1992 to 1997.
- Represented constituents in Parliament for over 30 years across two constituencies: Bury North and North East Bedfordshire.
- Served as Minister of State for Community and Social Care at the Department of Health from 2015 to 2016.
Did You Know?
He is a committed Christian and has spoken openly about his faith's role in his politics.
He resigned as a Foreign Office minister in 2019 in protest against the government's handling of Brexit.
Before politics, he worked as a solicitor.
He served as the President of the One World Trust charity.
“The test of a good policy is how it treats the most vulnerable person it affects.”
