Clifton Wrottesley, 6th Baron Wrottesley

Clifton Hugh Lancelot de Verdon Wrottesley, 6th Baron Wrottesley (born 10 August 1968) is an Irish and British peer and former Conservative member of the House of Lords. He represented Ireland in men's skeleton at the 2002 Winter Olympics, finishing fourth.

Early life and education Wrottesley was born at Hatch Street, Dublin, in 1968 to Hon. Richard Francis Gerard Wrottesley, eldest surviving son of 5th Baron Wrottesley. His mother was Georgina Anne Clifton, daughter of Lt.-Col. Peter Thomas Clifton, late Grenadier Guards, of Dummer House, Hampshire, and Patricia Mary Adela, sister of David Gibson-Watt, Baron Gibson-Watt. Through his paternal grandmother, he is a descendant of the Stratford family,

He was educated at Eton College, the University of Edinburgh and Royal Military Academy Sandhurst before serving in the Grenadier Guards.

He inherited the Wrottesley titles in 1977 on the death of his grandfather, his father having died when he was two. He became eligible to sit in the House of Lords on his 21st birthday.

Career Wrottesley works in property and fine wine.

Wrottesley was Chair of British Skeleton from 2012 to 2017, was a board member of the British Bobsleigh and Skeleton Association (BBSA) from 2012 to 2019, and Chair from 2012 to 2014. He continues to be involved in overseeing the British Skeleton World Class Programme, and Chairs the Selection Committee.

In March 2021, Wrottesley was appointed Chair of Ice Hockey UK (IHUK), and in January 2022 was appointed to the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Finance Committee for a period of five years.

Sporting career

Skeleton Wrottesley competed as an Irish skeleton racer on the Fédération Internationale de Bobsleigh et de Tobogganing (FIBT, now the International Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation or IBSF) Skeleton Continental circuits in the 2000–01 season and the FIBT World Cup circuit in the 2001–02 season. He finished fourth in the men's skeleton at the 2002 Winter Olympics. As of 2022, this remains the best result of any Irish athlete at the Olympic Winter Games.

Wrottesley and his father both competed in bobsleigh for Great Britain before competing for Ireland.

Personal life He lives in St Moritz, Switzerland, and Henley-on-Thames, England. He is married to Sascha Wrottesley (née Schwarzenbach), the daughter of Urs Schwarzenbach, the Swiss billionaire financier. The couple have four children: three sons and a daughter.

After voluntary declarations by Wrottesley to HM Revenue and Customs, HMRC issued tax demands for 2000 to 2008 on the basis that Wrottesley was domiciled in the UK. Wrottesley has appealed, contending that his domicile of origin is in the Republic of Ireland. The first-tier tribunal issued a preliminary ruling but had not issued a final decision in the case, so the matter is effectively in abeyance.

Political career Removed from the House of Lords in 1999 under the provisions of the House of Lords Act which abolished hereditary peers' automatic memberships, Baron Wrottesley won a by-election to the House of Lords in 2022, taking the place of Roger Swinfen Eady, 3rd Baron Swinfen.