Sally Oppenheim-Barnes, Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes - Biography

Sally Oppenheim-Barnes, Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes PC (born 26 July 1930), née Viner, is a British Conservative politician.

Born in Dublin and educated in Sheffield, where her father was a diamond cutter, Sally Viner worked as a social worker in London before entering politics.

In the 1970 general election, she defeated John Diamond in the constituency of Gloucester; Diamond was the only cabinet minister to be defeated in the election. Some found her previous occupation to be somewhat appropriate — she had worked as a diamond cutter. She went on to represent Gloucester as Member of Parliament until 1987 and Minister of State for Consumer Affairs in the Department of Trade from 1979 to 1982.

Oppenheim-Barnes was created a life peer as Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes, of Gloucester in the County of Gloucestershire on 9 February 1989. Her son Phillip Oppenheim was formerly Conservative MP for Amber Valley. From 1983-1987, mother and son served in the House of Commons simultaneously.

External links

• Women's Rights: Radical Change – video of Oppenheim appearing in a BBC debate first televised in 1974