Alex Carlile

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Lord Carlile

Alexander Charles Carlile was born on 12 February 1948.

Alexander Charles Carlile, Baron Carlile of Berriew, Template:Post-nominals (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

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

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.Template:Cn

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.Template:Citation needed

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.[8]

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.[9] The Supreme Court decided in favour of the UK government.[10]

In his legal practice Carlile became known as one of the foremost jury advocates.Template:Cn

In 2016 Carlile sat on the founding committee of National Opposition to Windfarms, and sponsored the launch event at the Houses of Parliament.[11]

Penal reform

From 2006 to 2013, Carlile was President of the Howard League for Penal Reform.[12][13]

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.[14]

A Liberal Democrat politician and High Court judge, he became Baron Carlile of Berriew in 1999. In 2001 he was appointed the government's independent reviewer of terrorism legislation.[15]

Links to CSTPV

Carlile has links to the Centre for the Study of Terrorism and Political Violence - a research centre with close links with corporate security and arms companies - and its main figure, the terrorologist Paul Wilkinson. Wilkinson pushed for repressive anti-terror legislation for years, and was involved in the legislative process which led to the Terrorism Act 2000. [16]

In November 2005 Lord Carlile told the House of Lords he considered Paul Wilkinson 'the greatest non-lawyer expert in this country… on terrorist organisations around the world'. He also commented that he had 'sat in Professor Paul Wilkinson's interesting attic office in the University of St Andrew's Centre for the Study of Terrorism'. [17]

Carlile also attended CSTPV's International Terrorism and Intelligence conference in 2005 and 2006. [18]

Criticism

In February 2010 Carlile endorsed the use of control orders for terror suspects, a practice condemned by human rights groups. [19] This led the chair of the joint committee on human rights Andrew Dismore to question whether Carlile had lost credibility, saying: 'I think there is a risk of the perceptions of [Carlile's] independence being undermined'. Another member of the committee asked whether an official in such a post would 'go native' over time. [20]

Role as a counter-terror tsar?

In June 2011 the counter-extremism think tank Quilliam Foundation argued that the government's revised Prevent counter-terrorism strategy required an "overseer in Downing Street" and that Carlile, "given his experience and background, appears to be the best man for the job". [21] Former MP Paul Goodman and editor of ConservativeHome simultaneously made the same recommendation. [22]

SC Strategy

SC Strategy Limited is owned solely by Carlile and Sir John Scarlett, the former chief of MI6. It has no listed phone number or website, and Companies House lists its address at a City accountancy firm.[23]

Since forming the firm, which claims to offer 'strategic advice on UK policy and regulation',[23] the two have earned £400,000 each from its lucrative work.[23]

In an investigation by the Wall Street Journal on members of the House of Lords' interests, Carlile said SC Strategy 'are not involved in lobbying at all, nor do we provide services in government relations,' 'we give strategic advice to entities and individuals on UK regulatory issues, on the structure and working of government, and how best to place themselves in the UK'.

Clients include the Qatar Investment Authority and on this he says, 'we give advice to a sovereign wealth fund, which of course includes its subsidiaries according to need'.[24]

Defending the intelligence services

In November 2015 the Guardian questioned Carlile's impartiality because of his regular defence of the intelligence services since forming SC Strategy with Sir John Scarlett.

Carlile had recently called for an 'end to the demonisation of the security services', stating he 'cannot think of any example in which I have seen a politician make a decision that was against the interest of the privacy of the public'.[23] He also intervened in the debate over the extent of the security and intelligence services' powers just days ahead of the government’s publication of the controversial draft investigatory powers bill.

Carlile however has outright rejected the suggestion that his support for the intelligence services may be influenced by his association with the former head of MI6. The Liberal Democrats supporters website, LibDemVoice published his response:

'My relations with former intelligence chiefs have at times involved criticism…Our business relationship developed for reasons totally unconnected with Sir John (Scarlett) having been chief of MI6.'[25]

The firm has also had private meetings with cabinet secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood, a pivotal player in David Cameron's No. 10 team, treating him to breakfast on two separate occasions according to the government's hospitality register. [26]

Carlile however insists that he has 'certainly not'[23] held meetings with Heywood since forming SC Strategy.

Revolving Door.jpg This article is part of the Revolving Door project of Spinwatch.



Affiliations

Notes

  1. ↑ Lord Carlile of Berriew.
  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. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Welsh peer leaves wife for high-flyer.  Wales Daily Post.
  4. ↑ Report on the operation in 2005 of the Terrorism Act 2000.  Home Office.
  5. ↑ Template:London Gazette
  6. ↑ Template:London Gazette
  7. ↑ Former Welsh Lib Dem leader parts company with party. 13 January 2017. 
  8. ↑ SC STRATEGY LIMITED - Overview (free company information from Companies House).
  9. ↑ May 'is appeasing Iran' by blocking dissident's visit. 22 February 2012. 
  10. ↑ (2014) UKSC 60 On appeal from: (2013) EWCA Civ 199.
  11. ↑ National body opposing wind power to launch in Westminster. 19 April 2012. 
  12. ↑ Trading places.
  13. ↑ Lord Carlile of Berriew CBE QC.  Competition Appeal Tribunal.
  14. ↑ Public hearing on the use of force on children in custody: The Howard League for Penal Reform.  Retrieved 25 June 2011.
  15. ↑ Report on the operation in 2005 of the Terrorism Act 2000
  16. ↑ see section 'The Lloyd Inquiry and the Terrorism Act 2000' under Paul Wilkinson
  17. ↑ Hansard HL Volume 675 Column 1436 (21 November 2005)
  18. ↑ see International Terrorism and Intelligence 2005 (PDF) and International Terrorism and Intelligence 2006 (PDF)
  19. ↑ Maev Kennedy, 'Lord Carlile finds 'no alternative' to control orders for terrorism suspects', guardian.co.uk, 1 February 2010
  20. ↑ Paul Lewis, 'Lord Carlile's 'credibility' as terror watchdog questioned by MP', guardian.co.uk, 3 February 2010
  21. ↑ Quilliam Foundation, Quilliam's response to UK government's new 'Prevent' policy, 7 June 2011, accessed 8 June 2010
  22. ↑ Paul Goodman, The new Prevent policy won't succeed without an enforcer. I nominate Lord Carlile, June 07, 2011, accessed 08 June 2011.
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 23.3 23.4 Harry Davies, 'Former reviewer of anti-terror laws co-owns consultancy with ex-MI6 chief', TheGuardian, 3 November 2015, accessed 4 November 2015
  24. ↑ 24.0 24.1 House of Lords Wall Street Journal, 10 November 2014, accessed 18 December 2014
  25. ↑ NewsHound, 'Alex Carlile rejects suggestion support for intelligence agencies may have been influenced by business relationship with ex-spy chief',LibDemVoice, accessed 5 November 2015
  26. ↑ add ref
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 27.2 Lord Carlile of Berriew Parliament.UK, accessed 18 December 2014
  28. ↑ FoI Trustees and Patrons. Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 20 August 2017 on 13 August 2019.
  29. ↑ UK Lawyers for Israel Our Patrons. Retrieved from the Internet Archive of 13 August 2019 on 13 August 2019.
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