Mitford was educated at Milton Abbey and Highgate School, before going up to Newcastle University, where he graduated with the degree of BA. He succeeded his father as 6th Baron Redesdale, of Redesdale, County Northumberland, in 1991. Following the removal of hereditary peers' automatic right to a seat in Parliament by the House of Lords Act 1999, the Liberal Democrats took advantage of an offer from the New Labour Government for some of their hereditary peers to return to the House as working peers. Redesdale was created a life peer on 18 April 2000, as Baron Mitford, of Redesdale in the County of Northumberland. At the age of 32, he was the youngest person ever to receive a life peerage. By convention, the House of Lords refer to peers holding multiple titles by whichever is senior within the peerage. Thus Mitford is known in the House as 'Lord Redesdale'. He is a first cousin once removed of the famous Mitford sisters, daughters of the 2nd Baron Redesdale. The youngest of the sisters, Deborah, Duchess of Devonshire, was, with her husband, the 11th Duke, active in the Social Democratic Party. This later merged with the Liberal Party to become the Liberal Democrats, for whom Redesdale sits in the House of Lords. He has spoken on various issues on behalf of the Lib Dem Parliamentary Party, such as the environment, international development, science and technology. He is patron of various societies, including one encouraged by his parliamentary colleagues, namely the Red Squirrel Protection Partnership, which advocates strict control of the grey squirrel population so as to enhance the chance of red squirrels' survival. Redesdale is currently the CEO of the Carbon Management Association and the Energy Managers Association. Since 2012, Redesdale has been founding Chairman of the Carbon Management Association and of the Energy Managers Association. In 2014, he, along with Jason Franks, founded Heelec, which launched the Energy Management Exhibition. The show attracts over 4500 professionals from the Energy Managers Association's 25,000 community. In 2016 the association with Heelec launched the EMA magazine, serving its members and community on a bi-monthly basis. Redesdale is a popular figure on social media sites, such as LinkedIn, where he has a following of around 25,000 like-minded industry professionals. He lives with his wife and four children near Tufnell Park, north London, as well as in Northumberland. The heir apparent to the title is the Hon. Bertram Mitford, born in 2000. The other three children are the Hon. Clementine Mitford, the Hon. Amelia Mitford and the Hon. Edward Mitford.
