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Alex Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew

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"Lord Carlile" redirects here. For Lord Carlisle, see Lord Carlisle.

The Right Honourable
The Lord Carlile of Berriew
CBE KC
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office
12 October 1999
Life Peerage
Member of Parliament
for Montgomeryshire
In office
9 June 1983 – 8 April 1997
Preceded byDelwyn Williams
Succeeded byLembit Öpik
Personal details
Born
Alexander Charles Carlile

(1948-02-12) 12 February 1948 (age 76)
Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales
CitizenshipUnited Kingdom
NationalityBritish
Political partyLiberal Democrats (Before 2017)
Cross-Bench member (2017–present)
SpouseHer Honour Judge Alison Levitt KC (Lady Carlile)
Children3 children, 2 stepchildren
Alma materKing's College London
ProfessionBarrister and Consultant

Alexander Charles Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew, CBE, KC, FRSA (born 12 February 1948) is a British barrister and crossbench member of the House of Lords.[1] He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Montgomeryshire from 1983 to 1997.

Early life and career

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Alex Carlile, the son of Polish Jewish immigrants,[2] was born in Ruabon, Wrexham, Wales and brought up in Lancashire. He was educated at Epsom College and at King's College London where he graduated in law in 1969. He was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in 1970 and became a Queen's Counsel (QC) at the early age of 36.[3]

Lord Carlile of Berriew is a company director and barrister, and former head of chambers of Foundry Chambers, London, a set of barristers' chambers. He defended Diana, Princess of Wales's butler, Paul Burrell, against charges that Burrell had stolen some of her estate's belongings.[3] In 2001 he was appointed the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation.[4] Carlile stood down as head of chambers at 9–12 Bell Yard in March 2008.

Carlile was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2012 New Year Honours for services to national security law.[5]

Political career

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Carlile was created a life peer on 27 July 1999, as Baron Carlile of Berriew, of Berriew in the County of Powys,[6] having previously been a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire from 1983 to 1997; he had stood unsuccessfully as a Liberal for East Flintshire in February and October 1974.

Lord Carlile sat as a Liberal Democrat peer until 2016 when he left the party stating that he found himself "at odds" with the party's policies on many matters including national security issues. It was reported that civil liberties, especially the so-called Snooper's Charters, were at the core of the disagreement.[7]

According to the Register of Lords' Interests, Lord Carlile of Berriew was at various times a director of 5 Bell Yard Ltd and the Wynnstay Group of agricultural feed manufacturers, agricultural goods merchants and fuel oil distributors; a deputy High Court judge; and a chairman of the Competition Appeals Tribunal. He was president of the Howard League for Penal Reform in 2006–9.[8][9]

He is an Honorary Professor in the Universities of St Andrews and Swansea, and a Fellow of King's College London. He is a Honorary Doctor of Laws in the Universities of Swansea, South Wales, Chester, Manchester Metropolitan, and the Hungarian Institute of Criminology.[10]

Carlile is a co-director and co-owner of a strategy and political risks consultancy, SC Strategy Limited with Sir John Scarlett, the former chief of MI6 and William Jessett CBE (former Director of Strategy at UK Ministry of Defence.[11]

In 2014 Carlile mounted a legal challenge to the UK travel ban on Maryam Rajavi, leader of the People's Mujahedin of Iran (MeK) and president-elect of the National Council of Resistance of Iran.[12] The Supreme Court decided in favour of the UK government.[13]

In 2016 Carlile sat on the founding committee of National Opposition to Windfarms, and sponsored the launch event at the Houses of Parliament.[14]

Penal reform

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From 2006 to 2013, Carlile was President of the Howard League for Penal Reform.[15][16]

In 2006 he was chairman of the Carlile Inquiry into the use of force on children in custody. In 2011, Lord Carlile held a follow-up hearing in the House of Lords. He put together an expert panel who gave both written and oral evidence.[17]

Legislation

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Carlile was the first Member of Parliament to campaign for the rights of transgender people.[citation needed]

Lord Carlile acted from 2001 to 2011 as the UK's Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation. He was succeeded by David Anderson QC. The Director of Liberty, Shami Chakrabarti, called Carlile's support for control orders "disappointing" in a February 2006 press release condemning the introduction of control orders by the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005.[18] In 2015, he joined with a cross-party group of peers to reintroduce the Draft Communications Data Bill, known by its opponents as the "Snoopers' Charter".[19] He was an independent reviewer on the 2015 Assessment on Paramilitary Groups in Northern Ireland.[20]

He was vocal in his opposition to the UK coalition government's Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill, proposing many amendments.[21] He was one of five Lords who vehemently opposed the introduction of means testing for police advice (to cover the cost of lawyers consulting suspects in police stations). "A single moment of reflection leaves one open-mouthed at the absurdity of this proposal", he said.[22]

He was initially appointed to lead the independent review of the UK government's Prevent programme but resigned after a legal challenge was mounted against his appointment.[23]

Personal life

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He lists his recreations as politics, theatre, food and football, and is a member of the Athenaeum Club. He is a lifelong supporter of English football club Burnley FC.[24] He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Patron of The Security Institute, and Patron (previously Chairman) of the Chartered Security Professionals Registration Authority.[25] He has three children by his first wife Frances and nine grandchildren. He married his second wife, Alison Levitt KC, in December 2007. She was herself a barrister, until her appointment as a Circuit Judge.

Carlile is a Bencher of Gray's Inn.[26]

On 11 July 2018, Carlile (after being granted a visa) was refused entry to India at Indira Gandhi International Airport where he was due to address a press conference in defence of jailed Bangladeshi politician Khaleda Zia and meet a human rights body. India's foreign ministry said his "intended activity in India was incompatible with the purpose of his visit as mentioned in his visa application", though media reported the decision to refuse him entry was a political one to protect India-Bangladesh relations.[27]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Lord Carlile of Berriew". UK Parliament. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  2. ^ Mosley, Charlestown and, editor. Burke's Peerage, Baronetage & Knightage, 107th edition, 3 volumes. Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.A.: Burke's Peerage (Genealogical Books) Ltd, 2003.
  3. ^ a b Butler, Carl (29 January 2007). "Welsh peer leaves wife for high-flyer". Wales Daily Post.
  4. ^ Lord Carlile of Berriew QC (2005). "Report on the operation in 2005 of the Terrorism Act 2000". Home Office. Archived from the original on 3 September 2008.
  5. ^ "No. 60009". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2011. p. 7.
  6. ^ "No. 55569". The London Gazette. 2 August 1999. p. 8301.
  7. ^ Williamson, David (13 January 2017). "Former Welsh Lib Dem leader parts company with party". walesonline. Retrieved 13 January 2017.
  8. ^ "Register of Interests for Lord Carlile of Berriew". UK Parliament. 31 July 2024. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  9. ^ "Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE QC". Competition Appeal Tribunal. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  10. ^ "Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE, QC". Woolf Institute (en-GB). Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  11. ^ "SC STRATEGY LIMITED – Overview (free company information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
  12. ^ "May 'is appeasing Iran' by blocking dissident's visit". Evening Standard. London. 22 February 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  13. ^ "(2014) UKSC 60 On appeal from: (2013) EWCA Civ 199" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  14. ^ Hickman, Leo (19 April 2012). "National body opposing wind power to launch in Westminster". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 October 2020.
  15. ^ "Trading places". Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  16. ^ "Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE QC". www.catribunal.org.uk. Competition Appeal Tribunal. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  17. ^ "Public hearing on the use of force on children in custody: The Howard League for Penal Reform". Archived from the original on 12 August 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  18. ^ "Independent Reviewer calls to renew Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005". Liberty press release. 2 February 2006. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008.
  19. ^ Patrick Wintour (22 January 2015). "'Snooper's charter': four Lords in bid to pass changed version before election". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
  20. ^ "Members of assessment panel on paramilitary activity in Northern Ireland announced". Newstalk. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  21. ^ "Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012". Parliament of the United Kingdom. 1 May 2012. Archived from the original on 27 June 2020.
  22. ^ Carlile, Lord (7 December 2011). "Proposed reforms to legal aid would put Britain back three decades, argues peer". Exaro News. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
  23. ^ Bowcott, Owen (20 December 2019). "Lord Carlile removed from Prevent review after legal challenge". the Guardian. Retrieved 2 November 2024.
  24. ^ "Examining football club finances". BBC News. 18 January 2010. Retrieved 23 April 2010.
  25. ^ "News in Brief: Special Edition" (PDF). The Security Institute. 13 May 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2011.
  26. ^ "Management Committee of Gray's Inn". 28 June 2011. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  27. ^ "British lawyer for jailed Bangladeshi ex-PM 'outraged' by India..." Reuters. 12 July 2018 – via www.reuters.com.
[edit]
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire
1983–1997 		Succeeded by
Party political offices
Preceded by
?
 Chairman of the Welsh Liberal Party
1980–1982 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats
1992–1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by President of the Welsh Liberal Democrats
1997–1999 		Succeeded by
?
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gentlemen
Baron Carlile of Berriew 		Followed by
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