Alex Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew

Infobox Politician
honorific-prefix = The Right Honourable
name=The Lord Carlile of Berriew
honorific-suffix =
QC

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constituency_MP3 = Montgomeryshire
parliament3 =
majority3 =
predecessor3 = Delwyn Williams
successor3 = Lembit Opik
term_start3 = 1983
term_end3 = 1997
birth_date = Birth date and age|1948|02|12|df=yes
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nationality = British
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party = Liberal Democrats
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alma_mater = King's College London
occupation =
profession = Barrister
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Alexander Charles Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew, QC (born 12 February 1948) is a Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords.

Early life and career

Alex Carlile, the son of Polish Jewish immigrants Dr. Erwin and Sabina Falik, was brought up in north Wales and Lancashire. He was educated at Epsom College and King's College London. He was called to the Bar by Gray's Inn in 1970, and became a QC at the relatively young age of 36.cite web |url= http://icnorthwales.icnetwork.co.uk/dailypost/news/wales/tm_headline=welsh-peer-leaves-wife-for-high-flyer&method=full&objectid=18544526&siteid=50142-name_page.html|title= Welsh peer leaves wife for high-flyer|author= Butler, Carl|date= 2007-01-29|publisher= "Wales Daily Post"]

Lord Carlile of Berriew is a practising barrister and former head of chambers of 9–12 Bell Yard, a leading set of barristers' chambers. He successfully defended Princess Diana's butler, Paul Burrell, against charges that Burrell had stolen some of her estate's belongings. In 2001 he was appointed the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation.cite web |url= http://security.homeoffice.gov.uk/news-publications/publication-search/terrorism-act-2000/tact-2005-review?view=Binary|title= Report on the operation in 2005 of the Terrorism Act 2000|author= Lord Carlile of Berriew QC|date= 2005|publisher= "Home Office"] Lord Carlile stood down as head of chambers at 9-12 Bell Yard in March, 2008. He was succeeded by popular vote by Philip Katz QC.

Political career

He was created a life peer in 1999, as Baron Carlile of Berriew, of Berriew in the County of Powys. He is a barrister and was previously a Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Montgomeryshire from 1983 to 1997.

According to the Register of Lords' Interests, Lord Carlile of Berriew is "inter alia" an adviser to Mr. R. Hobson; a paid 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; a member of Council at JUSTICE, the British section of the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ); and a trustee of Nuffield Trust, a UK health care think tank. He became President of the Howard League for Penal Reform in 2006.

Howard League for Penal Reform

Chair of the 2006 Inquiry into physical restraint, solitary confinement and forcible strip searching of children in prisons, secure training centres and local authority secure children's homes. Now President of the Howard League [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_children%27s_rights_in_the_United_Kingdom]

Legislation

Carlile was the first Member of Parliament to campaign for the rights of transsexuals.

Lord Carlile has acted since 2005 as the independent reviewer of British anti-terrorist laws. 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. [ [http://www.liberty-human-rights.org.uk/news-and-events/1-press-releases/2006/carlile-calls-for-renew-of-pta.shtml Independent Reviewer calls to renew Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005] Liberty press release, 2 February 2006] . Chakrabarti later won a round of applause at the 2007 Liberal Democrat party conference [ [http://politics.guardian.co.uk/backbencher/story/0,,2171127,00.html Priceless Ming | Backbencher] The Guardian, 17 September 2007] , after denouncing Carlile's support for extending the period of detention without chargecite web | title=The King Is Dead | url=http://www.economist.com/world/britain/displaystory.cfm?story_id=9441642 | publisher= "The Economist" | date=2007-07-05 | accessdate=2007-07-11 ] .Following the resignation of David Davis to fight a by-election on an "anti 42-day" paltform, Carlile wrote an article for the Sun criticising his stance.

Personal life

He lists his recreations as politics, theatre, food and Association Football, and is a member of the Athenaeum Club. He has three children by his first wife Frances, and six grandchildren. He married Alison Levitt in December 2007.

References

ee also

* Timeline of children's rights in the United Kingdom

External links

* [http://www.libdems.org.uk/party/people/lord-carlile-of-berriew-qc.html Lord Carlile of Berriew QC] profile at the site of Liberal Democrats
* [http://www.parliament.uk/directories/house_of_lords_information_office/alphabetical_list_of_members.cfm#C Biography at the House of Lords]
* [http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld199899/minutes/991013/ldminute.htm Announcement of his introduction at the House of Lords] House of Lords minutes of proceedings, 12 October 1999
* [http://www.thepeerage.com/p19111.htm#i191102 Alexander Charles Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew] , thepeerage.com
* [http://babcnc.hypermart.net/conference.htm British American Business Council conference, 2001] (page no longer available, cached at [http://cache.zoominfo.com/cachedpage/?archive_id=0&page_id=173292840&page_url=%2f%2fbabcnc.hypermart.net%2fconference.htm&page_last_updated=7%2f21%2f2001+11%3a04%3a21+AM&firstName=Alex&lastName=Carlile zoominfo.com] )

Offices held