Susan Kramer, Baroness Kramer

Susan Kramer
Susan Kramer
Born	Susan Veronica Richards; July 21, 1950 (age 76); Holborn, London, England
Other names	Baroness Kramer
Occupation(s)	Politician, investment banker
Years active	1997–present
Known for	Member of Parliament for Richmond Park (2005–2010), Minister of State for Transport, Liberal Democrat Treasury Spokesperson

Susan Veronica Kramer, Baroness Kramer PC (born Richards; 21 July 1950) is a British life peer and politician who represented Richmond Park as a Member of Parliament (MP) between 2005 and 2010. As a member of the Liberal Democrats, she held the role of Treasury Spokesperson during two periods: from 2015 to 2017 and again from 2017 to 2019.

Kramer was born in Holborn and received her education privately at St Paul's Girls' School before attending St Hilda's College, Oxford, followed by studies at the University of Illinois. Prior to her parliamentary career, she established herself in infrastructure finance and stood as a candidate in the 2000 London mayoral race. Additionally, she served as Minister of State for Transport within the Cameron–Clegg coalition government.

Early life and career

Susan Veronica Richards entered the world in Holborn, London, on 22 July 1950. She was educated at St Paul's Girls' School and pursued Philosophy, Politics and Economics at St Hilda's College, Oxford. In 1971, she became only the second woman to be elected President of the Oxford Union. She further advanced her education by obtaining an MBA from the University of Illinois. Kramer's professional journey in finance saw her rise to Vice-President at Citibank's Chicago office. Together with her husband, she co-founded Infrastructure Capital Partners, a consultancy focusing on infrastructure projects primarily across Central and Eastern Europe.

Initial electoral attempts

Kramer stood as the Liberal Democrat candidate for Dulwich and West Norwood in the 1997 general election, finishing third behind Labour's incumbent Tessa Jowell and Conservative Roger W. Gough. In 1999, she appeared on the Liberal Democrat list for the London constituency during the European Parliament elections but was not successful in securing a seat. She contested the 2000 London mayoral election as a Liberal Democrat candidate, finishing fourth with 11.9% of votes cast. In 2003, she sought her party’s nomination for Mayor of London once more but was defeated by Simon Hughes.

Parliamentary tenure

In September 2003, Kramer was chosen as the prospective parliamentary candidate for Richmond Park following the decision of Liberal Democrat MP Jenny Tonge to step down. She won the seat in the 2005 general election. Under leader Sir Menzies Campbell, she was appointed Liberal Democrat spokesperson for International Development in March 2006. Subsequently, she took over from Ed Davey as Trade & Industry spokesperson before becoming Transport spokesperson in 2007. With Nick Clegg’s leadership, she was initially reassigned to Cabinet Office spokesperson but later returned to her Transport portfolio. Kramer stepped down from the front bench in January 2009 to concentrate on retaining her seat amid a strong challenge from Conservative opponents. She was also a contributor to the notable Orange Book published in 2004.

Kramer came under examination after it emerged that her son had made four monthly donations totaling £1,328 to her campaign despite not being registered on the electoral roll; these contributions were refunded once identified.

Legislative record and stances

Throughout her parliamentary service, Kramer largely aligned with Liberal Democrat positions, opposing national ID cards and Trident renewal while supporting reforms such as an elected House of Lords. Her parliamentary focus included transport issues affecting London, notably high-speed rail initiatives and the Thameslink Programme. Although initially endorsing High Speed 1, she later voiced concerns regarding its adverse effects on business travelers from south-west London due to extended journey times to St Pancras compared with Waterloo station serving her Richmond Park constituency. She advocated for utilising both stations and raised issues about Thameslink’s operational management and financial stability.

As a member of the Crossrail Bill Committee, Kramer consistently backed Crossrail. She opposed Heathrow Airport expansion efforts, tabling an early day motion that garnered support from 54 MPs across political parties; this opposition featured prominently from her first parliamentary speech onward.

On civil liberties matters, Kramer voted in favour of amendments prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender reassignment under the Equality Act 2006. She also supported granting permanent settlement rights within the UK to Gurkhas, aligning with all fellow Liberal Democrat MPs.

Local matters

In January 2009, Kramer resigned from her position on the Liberal Democrat Front Bench to dedicate more attention to issues affecting her constituency, with a key focus on opposing additional expansion at Heathrow Airport, due to the impact of its flight routes on the local area.

Post-2010 developments

During the 2010 general election, Kramer was unseated in Richmond Park by Conservative candidate Zac Goldsmith, who won by a margin of 4,091 votes. Later that year, she narrowly lost the Liberal Democrat Presidential election to Tim Farron. Following this, on 22 December 2010, she was elevated to the peerage as a life peer with the title Baroness Kramer of Richmond Park.

Kramer featured as a panelist on BBC's Question Time in October 2012 and was appointed Minister of State at the Department for Transport in October 2013, a role she held until the General Election in May 2015. Afterward, she took on the role of Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson under the leadership of Tim Farron.

Personal background

In 1972, Kramer wed American banker John Davis Kramer, who died in 2006. She is a mother of two and grandmother to three grandchildren. Her patronages include Friends of Richmond Park, Home Start, the Suzy Lamplugh Trust, the Three Wings Trust, and the Environment Trust. She currently resides in Barnes, London.

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