Lord McKenzie of Luton
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State
Lord Bill McKenzie was appointed as the Department for Work and Pensions Lords Minister on 8 January 2007.
He became a life peer in July 2004, and in May 2005 became a Government Spokesperson in the House of Lords for the Treasury and a Whip for the Department of Trade and Industry. He was an adviser to Labour’s Shadow Treasury team for a number of years, and was a member of the original Fabian Society Taxation Review Committee.
Lord McKenzie was an elected member of Luton Borough Council from 1976 to 1992 and from 1999 to 2005. He was Leader of the Council until May 2003 and contested Luton South for Labour in the 1987 and 1992 General Elections. He covered a number of roles during his Council service, particularly relating to local governance finance. He was also Chairman of London Luton Airport.
Born in 1946, Lord McKenzie’s accountancy career began in 1968 when he joined Martin Rata and Partners as an articled clerk. He moved to Price Waterhouse in 1973, where he became a partner. He worked for them in many locations, including London, Hong Kong and Vietnam up to 1998.
Lord McKenzie is married and lives in Luton. He is the patron of several art groups.