Daniel Finkelstein

Daniel William Finkelstein, also known as Baron Finkelstein, OBE, was born on August 30, 1962. He is a British journalist, author, political advisor, and politician. Finkelstein’s early life was influenced by his family’s history; his mother was a Holocaust survivor and his father, Ludwik Finkelstein OBE, was a professor at City University London. He pursued his education at University College School, the London School of Economics (BSc, 1984), and City University London (MSc, 1986). This background shaped his subsequent career in politics and journalism.

Finkelstein’s career in politics began in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), where he was a member from 1981 to 1988. He served as Chair of the Young Social Democrats and was a parliamentary candidate for Brent East in the 1987 general election. After the proposed merger with the Liberal Party, he joined the ‘continuing’ SDP and later the Conservative Party in 1992 following David Owen’s resignation. He directed the Social Market Foundation think-tank for three years, introducing UK politicians to new strategies for policing. Between 1995 and 1997, Finkelstein was Director of the Conservative Research Department, advising Prime Minister John Major and attending Cabinet meetings. He further served as political adviser to William Hague, Leader of the Opposition, from 1997 to 2001, co-secretary to the Shadow Cabinet with George Osborne. In 2013, he was appointed to the House of Lords.

His journalism career at The Times began in 2001 as part of the leader writing team, becoming Comment Editor in 2004 and Chief Leader Writer in 2008. He writes a weekly political column for The Times and has been a regular columnist at The Jewish Chronicle since 2010. Finkelstein is also the author of “Hitler, Stalin, Mum and Dad: A Family Memoir of Miraculous Survival,” a memoir published in 2023. He is currently Chairman of the centre-right public policy think tank Onward and a director of Chelsea football club. He has been recognized with an OBE in 1997, the PSA 2011 Journalist of the Year Award, and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from City University London in 2011. He was also appointed a working life peer in 2013, becoming Baron Finkelstein of Pinner.