Alan Beith
Encyclopedia
Sir
Alan James Beith (born 20 April 1943) is a British
Liberal Democrat politician and Member of Parliament
(MP) for Berwick-upon-Tweed
.
, in Cheshire
. He was educated at The King's School, Macclesfield
, Balliol College, Oxford
, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics graduating in 1964, and Nuffield College
where he obtained a Bachelor of Letters (BLitt) degree.
In 1966 he began his career as a politics lecturer
at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1969 he was elected a councillor on the Hexham
District Council. In 1970 he was elected to the Corbridge
Town Council. He contested the 1970 general election
at Berwick-upon-Tweed but was defeated heavily by the Conservative
MP Antony Lambton.
District Council, and later in the year Antony Lambton resigned as the MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed in great scandal. At the by-election
later that year, Beith secured a victory and was elected as the Liberal
Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed on 8 November 1973 by just 57 votes.
The next year was to prove a major campaigning act for the now Alan Beith MP, just three months after his by-election victory he had to face his electors again at the February 1974 general election
, his majority increased to 443. Less than a year after he was elected for the first time, Beith had to face his constituents for a third time at the October 1974 general election
and his majority reduced back to double figures at just 73.
Advisory Council in 1974 and held the position until 1984. On the election of David Steel
as the Leader of the Liberal Party in 1976, Alan Beith became the Liberal Chief Whip
in the Commons. After the 1983 general election
he also became the Liberal spokesman for Constitutional Affairs. He was elected as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in 1985, in both cases alongside his duties as Chief Whip.
After the United Kingdom general election, 1987
, Beith concentrated his efforts as the spokesman on Treasury Affairs
and stood down as the Chief Whip after eleven years in post. In 1988 the Liberal Party joined with the Social Democratic Party
finally to produce the new party of (initially) the Social and Liberal Democrats.
in the first leadership election in 1988
, an election that Ashdown won by a large margin. Beith stayed on as Deputy Leader
of the Liberal Democrats from after the 1992 general election
under Ashdown until 2003, and became a Member of the Privy Council
in 1992. In 1994, he became the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary
, a job which he carried on under Charles Kennedy
. After the 2001 general election
he briefly became the spokesman on the Lord Chancellor
's Department, but left the front bench in 2002, though remaining Deputy Leader until the following year.
Since leaving the front bench he has chaired the Lord Chancellor's Department, Constitutional Affairs
, and Justice Committee
s. Following the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell as Leader of The Liberal Democrats on 15 October 2007, Beith was spoken of as a possible compromise candidate for the leadership. However, in a statement on his personal website, he announced his decision not to stand for election for the leadership.
Beith was knighted
in the 2008 Birthday Honours
. In the May 2010 election he was again elected for Berwick, albeit with a substantial swing to the Conservatives.
to have claimed £117,000 in second home allowances while his wife, Baroness Maddock, claimed £60,000 Lords expenses for staying at the same address.
In response, Beith wrote to the Telegraph journalist: "It would be quite wrong for the taxpayer to pay twice for the same costs, so we have shared the costs, either by sharing the cost of rent, or by my wife using her allowance towards costs incurred (she normally claims only half of the Lords' overnight allowance)."
, Michael Martin - who stepped down from the House of Commons on 21 June 2009. Beith said he was "willing to take on the task of leading reform" as speaker.
's MP since 1973 and is now the longest current serving Liberal Democrat MP and only current Liberal Democrat MP to have experience of the House of Commons in the 1970s. As such he has been the MP for the northernmost English
constituency for over 30 years.
Beith was married in 1965 to Barbara Ward and they had a son and a daughter. His wife died in 1998 and he married Diana Maddock, Baroness Maddock
in 2001. He and his wife are one of the few married couples to both hold titles in their own right. He is president of the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum
.
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
Alan James Beith (born 20 April 1943) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Liberal Democrat politician and Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
(MP) for Berwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed (UK Parliament constituency)
Berwick-upon-Tweed is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election.-Boundaries:...
.
Early life
Alan Beith was born in 1943 in PoyntonPoynton
Poynton is a town within the civil parish of Poynton-with-Worth, and the unitary authority area of Cheshire East, England. For ceremonial purposes it is part of the county of Cheshire. Poynton is located at the eastern most fringe of the Cheshire Plain, north of Macclesfield, south of Stockport...
, in Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
. He was educated at The King's School, Macclesfield
The King's School, Macclesfield
-Notable former pupils:* Peter Moores, ex-England Cricket Coach* Rev. Thomas Taylor, priest and historian* Alan Beith, politician* Jon Craig, Chief Political Correspondent of Sky News...
, Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, where he read Philosophy, Politics and Economics graduating in 1964, and Nuffield College
Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is an all-graduate college and primarily a research establishment, specialising in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. It is a research centre in the social sciences...
where he obtained a Bachelor of Letters (BLitt) degree.
In 1966 he began his career as a politics lecturer
Lecturer
Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...
at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne. In 1969 he was elected a councillor on the Hexham
Hexham
Hexham is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland, England, located south of the River Tyne, and was the administrative centre for the Tynedale district from 1974 to 2009. The three major towns in Tynedale were Hexham, Prudhoe and Haltwhistle, although in terms of population, Prudhoe was...
District Council. In 1970 he was elected to the Corbridge
Corbridge
Corbridge is a village in Northumberland, England, situated west of Newcastle and east of Hexham. Villages in the vicinity include Halton, Acomb, Aydon and Sandhoe.-Roman fort and town:...
Town Council. He contested the 1970 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
at Berwick-upon-Tweed but was defeated heavily by the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
MP Antony Lambton.
Member of Parliament
In 1973 Alan Beith was elected to the North TynedaleTynedale
Tynedale was a local government district in south-west Northumberland, England. It had a resident population of 58,808 according to the 2001 Census, and was named after the River Tyne . Its main towns were Hexham, Haltwhistle and Prudhoe...
District Council, and later in the year Antony Lambton resigned as the MP for Berwick-upon-Tweed in great scandal. At the by-election
By-election
A by-election is an election held to fill a political office that has become vacant between regularly scheduled elections....
later that year, Beith secured a victory and was elected as the Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
Member of Parliament for Berwick-upon-Tweed on 8 November 1973 by just 57 votes.
The next year was to prove a major campaigning act for the now Alan Beith MP, just three months after his by-election victory he had to face his electors again at the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, his majority increased to 443. Less than a year after he was elected for the first time, Beith had to face his constituents for a third time at the October 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, October 1974
The United Kingdom general election of October 1974 took place on 10 October 1974 to elect 635 members to the British House of Commons. It was the second general election of that year and resulted in the Labour Party led by Harold Wilson, winning by a tiny majority of 3 seats.The election of...
and his majority reduced back to double figures at just 73.
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party
He became a Member of the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Advisory Council in 1974 and held the position until 1984. On the election of David Steel
David Steel
David Martin Scott Steel, Baron Steel of Aikwood, KT, KBE, PC is a British Liberal Democrat politician who served as the Leader of the Liberal Party from 1976 until its merger with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the Liberal Democrats...
as the Leader of the Liberal Party in 1976, Alan Beith became the Liberal Chief Whip
Whip (politics)
A whip is an official in a political party whose primary purpose is to ensure party discipline in a legislature. Whips are a party's "enforcers", who typically offer inducements and threaten punishments for party members to ensure that they vote according to the official party policy...
in the Commons. After the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
he also became the Liberal spokesman for Constitutional Affairs. He was elected as the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in 1985, in both cases alongside his duties as Chief Whip.
After the United Kingdom general election, 1987
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
, Beith concentrated his efforts as the spokesman on Treasury Affairs
HM Treasury
HM Treasury, in full Her Majesty's Treasury, informally The Treasury, is the United Kingdom government department responsible for developing and executing the British government's public finance policy and economic policy...
and stood down as the Chief Whip after eleven years in post. In 1988 the Liberal Party joined with the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK)
The Social Democratic Party was a political party in the United Kingdom that was created on 26 March 1981 and existed until 1988. It was founded by four senior Labour Party 'moderates', dubbed the 'Gang of Four': Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams...
finally to produce the new party of (initially) the Social and Liberal Democrats.
Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats
Beith stood against Paddy AshdownPaddy Ashdown
Jeremy John Durham Ashdown, Baron Ashdown of Norton-sub-Hamdon, GCMG, KBE, PC , usually known as Paddy Ashdown, is a British politician and diplomat....
in the first leadership election in 1988
Social and Liberal Democrats leadership election, 1988
The 1988 Social and Liberal Democrats leadership election was called in the United Kingdom following the formation of the then Social and Liberal Democrats...
, an election that Ashdown won by a large margin. Beith stayed on as Deputy Leader
Deputy Leader
A deputy leader in the Westminster system is the second-in-command of a political party, behind the party leader. Deputy leaders often become deputy prime minister when their parties are elected to government. In opposition, deputy leaders often lead Question Time sessions when the party leader is...
of the Liberal Democrats from after the 1992 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
under Ashdown until 2003, and became a Member of the Privy Council
Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Her Majesty's Most Honourable Privy Council, usually known simply as the Privy Council, is a formal body of advisers to the Sovereign in the United Kingdom...
in 1992. In 1994, he became the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary
Home Office
The Home Office is the United Kingdom government department responsible for immigration control, security, and order. As such it is responsible for the police, UK Border Agency, and the Security Service . It is also in charge of government policy on security-related issues such as drugs,...
, a job which he carried on under Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
. After the 2001 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2001
The United Kingdom general election, 2001 was held on Thursday 7 June 2001 to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. It was dubbed "the quiet landslide" by the media, as the Labour Party was re-elected with another landslide result and only suffered a net loss of 6 seats...
he briefly became the spokesman on the Lord Chancellor
Lord Chancellor
The Lord High Chancellor of Great Britain, or Lord Chancellor, is a senior and important functionary in the government of the United Kingdom. He is the second highest ranking of the Great Officers of State, ranking only after the Lord High Steward. The Lord Chancellor is appointed by the Sovereign...
's Department, but left the front bench in 2002, though remaining Deputy Leader until the following year.
Since leaving the front bench he has chaired the Lord Chancellor's Department, Constitutional Affairs
Constitutional Affairs Committee
The Commons Constitutional Affairs Committee of the United Kingdom was a select committee of the House of Commons which looked into the expenditure, policy and administration of the Department for Constitutional Affairs and associated public bodies...
, and Justice Committee
Justice Committee
The Justice Select Committee of the United Kingdom is a select committee of the House of Commons which scrutinizes the policy, administration, and spending of the Ministry of Justice. In addition, the committee examines the work of the Law Officers of the Crown, the Serious Fraud Office , and the...
s. Following the resignation of Sir Menzies Campbell as Leader of The Liberal Democrats on 15 October 2007, Beith was spoken of as a possible compromise candidate for the leadership. However, in a statement on his personal website, he announced his decision not to stand for election for the leadership.
Beith was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in the 2008 Birthday Honours
Birthday Honours 2008
The Birthday Honours 2008 for the Commonwealth Realms were announced in June 2008, to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of 2008.The recipients of honours are displayed or referred to here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged firstly by the country whose ministers advised the Queen...
. In the May 2010 election he was again elected for Berwick, albeit with a substantial swing to the Conservatives.
Expenses scandal
On 22 May 2009, Beith was reported in The Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
to have claimed £117,000 in second home allowances while his wife, Baroness Maddock, claimed £60,000 Lords expenses for staying at the same address.
In response, Beith wrote to the Telegraph journalist: "It would be quite wrong for the taxpayer to pay twice for the same costs, so we have shared the costs, either by sharing the cost of rent, or by my wife using her allowance towards costs incurred (she normally claims only half of the Lords' overnight allowance)."
2009 Speaker election
On 19 May 2009, Beith was the first MP to put forward his name to succeed the Speaker of the House of CommonsSpeaker of the British House of Commons
The Speaker of the House of Commons is the presiding officer of the House of Commons, the United Kingdom's lower chamber of Parliament. The current Speaker is John Bercow, who was elected on 22 June 2009, following the resignation of Michael Martin...
, Michael Martin - who stepped down from the House of Commons on 21 June 2009. Beith said he was "willing to take on the task of leading reform" as speaker.
Coalition Government (2010-)
Beith currently chairs the Justice Select Committee and the Liaison Select Committee.Personal life
He has been Berwick-upon-TweedBerwick-upon-Tweed
Berwick-upon-Tweed or simply Berwick is a town in the county of Northumberland and is the northernmost town in England, on the east coast at the mouth of the River Tweed. It is situated 2.5 miles south of the Scottish border....
's MP since 1973 and is now the longest current serving Liberal Democrat MP and only current Liberal Democrat MP to have experience of the House of Commons in the 1970s. As such he has been the MP for the northernmost English
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
constituency for over 30 years.
Beith was married in 1965 to Barbara Ward and they had a son and a daughter. His wife died in 1998 and he married Diana Maddock, Baroness Maddock
Diana Maddock, Baroness Maddock
Diana Margaret Maddock, Baroness Maddock and Lady Beith is a Liberal Democrat politician.Maddock was educated at the University of Portsmouth and leader of the Liberal Democrats on Southampton City Council...
in 2001. He and his wife are one of the few married couples to both hold titles in their own right. He is president of the Liberal Democrat Christian Forum
Liberal Democrat Christian Forum
The Liberal Democrat Christian Forum is an association within the Liberal Democrats that aims to promote Christianity within the party and the party to other Christians. In 2007 it had a membership of more than 250...
.
External links
- Rt Hon Alan Beith MP official site
- Profile at the Liberal Democrats
- Profile at New StatesmanNew StatesmanNew Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
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