Greg Barker, Baron Barker of Battle
A Conservative politician who steered UK energy policy through a pivotal decade, championing climate action and market reform from within government.
Born 1966 (age 60)·British Conservative Party politician & life peer (b.1966)·Birthday: March 8·Generation X
Biography
Greg Barker’s political journey took him from the backbenches to the heart of a defining policy challenge. Elected as MP for Bexhill and Battle in 2001, he established himself as a modernizer with a keen interest in environmental issues. His moment of significant influence came with the formation of the coalition government in 2010, when he was appointed Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change. In this role, Barker became the public face of the government's green agenda, tasked with the complex job of driving investment in renewable energy while managing political and economic pressures. He was a key architect of policies like the Electricity Market Reform and the Green Deal, initiatives that aimed to reshape Britain's energy landscape. After stepping down as an MP in 2015, his elevation to the House of Lords as Baron Barker of Battle allowed him to continue advocating for sustainable business and finance, bridging his political experience with the private sector.
Generation X
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Greg was born in 1966, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Greg Was Born
The biggest hits of 1966
#1 Movie
The Bible: In the Beginning
Best Picture
A Man for All Seasons
#1 TV Show
Bonanza
Greg's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1966Born
Star Trek premieres on television
Gas: $0.32/galHome: $14,200Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"The Ballad of the Green Berets" — SSgt Barry SadlerBest Picture: A Man for All Seasons
1971Started school
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
1979Became a teenager
Iran hostage crisis begins; Three Mile Island accident
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $37,900Min wage: $2.90/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"My Sharona" — The KnackBest Picture: Kramer vs. Kramer
1982Could drive
Michael Jackson releases Thriller
Gas: $1.22/galHome: $55,200Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Physical" — Olivia Newton-JohnBest Picture: Gandhi
1984Could vote
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1987Turned 21
Black Monday stock market crash
Gas: $0.90/galHome: $72,400Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Walk Like an Egyptian" — The BanglesBest Picture: The Last Emperor
1996Turned 30
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 40
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 50
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 60
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Served as the UK's Minister of State for Energy and Climate Change from 2010 to 2014, a critical period for climate policy.
- Was a leading figure in the development and passage of the UK's landmark Electricity Market Reform legislation.
- Appointed as the Prime Minister's Climate Finance Envoy in 2014, focusing on international green investment.
- Elevated to the House of Lords in 2015, taking the title Baron Barker of Battle.
Did You Know?
Before politics, he worked in Russia during the 1990s, running his own corporate advisory firm.
He is a committed environmentalist who installed solar panels on his home in the 1990s.
Barker served as a director of the Conservative Party under David Cameron's leadership.
“The green economy isn't a cost to be managed, but a race to be won.”
