Alan Beith
Revision as of 18:28, 8 November 2026 by Surveillance research (talk | contribs) (Expand with sourced Intelligence and Security Committee material, infobox and portrait; existing content preserved)
British politician and former member of the Intelligence and Security Committee
| Alan Beith
| |
|---|---|
| Image |  Alan Beith; official parliamentary portrait. © UK Parliament, CC BY 3.0. |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | House of Lords parliamentarian[1] |
| Known for | Intelligence and Security Committee; committee member |
| Website | Parliamentary profile |
Alan Beith was the Liberal Democrats MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed from 1973 to 2015.[2] He announced that he would stand down at the 2015 general election, when the Liberal Democrat candidate was Julie Pörksen who lost the seat to the Conservative's Anne-Marie Trevelyan.[3] [4]
He was former Chief Whip of the Liberal Party and a former Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party and the Liberal Democrats (1992-2002).[5]
He is also Vice Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for the UK Aluminium Industry run by the Aluminium Federation.[6]
He was educated at Nuffield and Balliol colleges, Oxford University and went on to be a Politics lecturer before becoming MP. He is now married to Baroness Maddock (formerly Diana Maddock, Liberal Democrat MP for Christchurch, 1993-1997).[7]
According to 'your next MP' website:
- 'He is currently Chairman of the Justice Committee of the House of Commons, and was a member of the Parliamentary Intelligence and Security Committee from its creation in 1994 to 2008. In the House of Commons he served for 18 years as a member of the House of Commons Commission, and previously served on the Treasury Select Committee and the Procedure Committee. He was made a Privy Counsellor in 1992, and served as Deputy Chairman of the Committee of Privy Counsellors to review the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 and the Privy Council Review of the use of telephone intercept as evidence in prosecutions (2007) and currently serving of the Advisory Group on the implementation of its proposals. [8]
- He has held a wide range of posts within the Liberal Democrats' Parliamentary Party. Was Northern Ireland Spokesman from 1974 to 1976 and again in 1982. Between 1977 and 1983 covered the Education and Fisheries portfolios and from 1985 to 1987 was Foreign Affairs Spokesman, before taking on the Treasury portfolio which he held until 1994. From 1994 to 1999 Alan Beith was the Liberal Democrats' Home Affairs Spokesman.[9]
- Alan Beith was the Chief Whip of the Liberal Party from 1976 to 1985 when he became the party's Deputy Leader. In 1988 he stood against Paddy Ashdown for the leadership of the Social and Liberal Democrats (later shortened to the Liberal Democrats), the party formed following the merger of the Liberal Party and the SDP. Alan Beith was Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1992 to 2003 under Paddy Ashdown and subsequently Charles Kennedy's leadership.'[10]
Intelligence and Security Committee service
| Parliament / office | Recorded service |
|---|---|
| 1994–1997 | Listed in the Committee’s membership archive for this Parliament |
| 1997–2001 | Listed in the Committee’s membership archive for this Parliament |
| 2001–2005 | Listed in the Committee’s membership archive for this Parliament |
| 2005–2010 | until 2008 |
Other public roles
| Role | Dates recorded by Parliament |
|---|---|
| Deputy Speaker (Lords) | 16 April 2024 – present |
| Deputy Chairman of Committees (Lords) | 19 May 2022 – present |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 UK Parliament, Parliamentary career record for Lord Beith, Members API, accessed 8 November 2026.
- ↑ Alan Beith, Liberal Democrats Website Parliamentary candidates Accessed 16/05/10
- ↑ BBC News Sir Alan Beith MP to step down after 40 years, 7 August 2013, accessed 11 May 2015.
- ↑ BBC News Berwick-upon-Tweed, accessed 11 May 2015.
- ↑ Your Next MP website, Candidates Alan Beith Accessed 16/05/10
- ↑ All party parliamentary groups, subject groups All-Party Parliamentary Group for the UK Aluminium Industry House of Commons website. Accessed 07/04/10
- ↑ Alan Beith, Liberal Democrats Website Parliamentary candidates Accessed 16/05/10
- ↑ Your Next MP website, Candidates Alan Beith Accessed 16/05/10
- ↑ Your Next MP website, Candidates Alan Beith Accessed 16/05/10
- ↑ Your Next MP website, Candidates Alan Beith Accessed 16/05/10
- ↑ Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament, Committee Membership, accessed 8 November 2026.