Alistair Burt
Encyclopedia
Alistair James Hendrie Burt (born 25 May 1955) is a British Conservative Party
politician. He is the Member of Parliament
(MP) for North East Bedfordshire. Burt is currently Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
.
, Lancashire
, and was educated at the Bury Grammar School
, where he was appointed Head Boy
in 1973, and St John's College, Oxford
where he was elected president of the Oxford Law Society
in 1976 and graduated with a degree in jurisprudence
law
in 1977. He became an articled clerk
with Slater Heelis & Co. of Manchester
in 1978, becoming a solicitor
with Watts Vallence & Vallence in 1980 where he remained until 1983.
in 1982 and left the council in 1984. He contested the new seat of Bury North
at the 1983 General Election
at which he was elected as the Conservative MP for Bury North with a majority of 2,792 votes. He represented the seat until 1997 and returned to parliament again in 2001.
In Parliament Alistair Burt became the Parliamentary Private Secretary
(PPS) to the Secretary of State for the Environment
Kenneth Baker
in 1985, he remained as PPS to Baker in his role as Secretary of State for Education and Science
from 1986 and in his role as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
from 1989 until 1990. After the 1992 General Election
Burt was promoted to the government of John Major
and became the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security
where he remained until 1995 when he was promoted further with the rank of Minister of State
at the same department. He was one of many ministers who lost their seats at the 1997 General Election
when Bury North fell to Labour's
David Chaytor
by 7,866 votes. From 1997-2001 he worked at executive search firm Whitehead Mann GKR. http://www.enterprise-forum.co.uk/AlistairBurt.html
Alistair Burt re-entered parliament at the 2001 General Election
for the very safe Conservative seat of Bedfordshire North East which had been represented in parliament by the former Attorney General
Nicholas Lyell
who had retired. Burt was elected with a majority of 8,577, and has remained as an MP since. He was made an opposition spokesman on Education and Skills under William Hague
in 2001, before he became the PPS to the Leader of the Opposition Iain Duncan Smith
in 2002 and carried on as PPS to the new leader Michael Howard
. After the 2005 General Election
he rejoined the front bench and was a spokesman on Local Government Affairs and Communities. However in January 2008, Burt was promoted to Assistant Chief Whip and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for Internal Development.
He is a former officer of the Conservative Friends of Israel
lobby group, a position which he resigned upon entering government as a Minister in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In December 2008, he led an all-Party group meeting with the Red Cross to campaign for visiting rights for Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit
. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:kslofhztOn0J:www.cfoi.co.uk/articles.aspx%3Faid%3D20+Alistair+Burt+israe&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk. He is also a founder and was the first Chairman of The Enterprise Forum
, an organisation set up in 1997 to facilitate discussions on policy between the Business Community and the Conservative Party.
, and they have a son, Matthew (born August 1987) and a daughter, Hazel (born March 1986). They also have a granddaughter, Isabelle. He is an active Christian
. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2008-05-12b.1143.1 He is a member of the Tory Reform Group
and a former member of Conservative Friends of Israel
. He enjoys athletics and football
. He supports Bury FC and is also a member of Biggleswade Athletics Club. He has run nine London Marathons.
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...
politician. He is the 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 North East Bedfordshire. Burt is currently Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
.
Early life
Alistair Burt was born in BuryBury
Bury is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies on the River Irwell, east of Bolton, west-southwest of Rochdale, and north-northwest of the city of Manchester...
, Lancashire
Lancashire
Lancashire is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in the North West of England. It takes its name from the city of Lancaster, and is sometimes known as the County of Lancaster. Although Lancaster is still considered to be the county town, Lancashire County Council is based in Preston...
, and was educated at the Bury Grammar School
Bury Grammar School
Bury Grammar School is an independent grammar school in Bury, Greater Manchester, England, that has existed since Kev Cryer was born, c.1570. The current headmaster is the Reverend Steven Harvey MA. The previous headmaster, Keith Richards MA, retired after sixteen years of headmastership on 7...
, where he was appointed Head Boy
Head boy
Head Boy and Head Girl are terms commonly used in the British education system, and in private schools throughout the Commonwealth.-United Kingdom:...
in 1973, and St John's College, Oxford
St John's College, Oxford
__FORCETOC__St John's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford, one of the larger Oxford colleges with approximately 390 undergraduates, 200 postgraduates and over 100 academic staff. It was founded by Sir Thomas White, a merchant, in 1555, whose heart is buried in the chapel of...
where he was elected president of the Oxford Law Society
Oxford Law Society
Oxford Law Society is a student society open to members of Oxford University and the Oxford Institute of Legal Practice .Most of the society's revenues are derived from sponsorship from City law firms and barristers' chambers...
in 1976 and graduated with a degree in jurisprudence
Jurisprudence
Jurisprudence is the theory and philosophy of law. Scholars of jurisprudence, or legal theorists , hope to obtain a deeper understanding of the nature of law, of legal reasoning, legal systems and of legal institutions...
law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
in 1977. He became an articled clerk
Articled clerk
An articled clerk, also known as an articling student, is an apprentice in a professional firm in Commonwealth countries. Generally the term arises in the accountancy profession and in the legal profession. The articled clerk signs a contract, known as "articles of clerkship", committing to a...
with Slater Heelis & Co. of Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
in 1978, becoming a solicitor
Solicitor
Solicitors are lawyers who traditionally deal with any legal matter including conducting proceedings in courts. In the United Kingdom, a few Australian states and the Republic of Ireland, the legal profession is split between solicitors and barristers , and a lawyer will usually only hold one title...
with Watts Vallence & Vallence in 1980 where he remained until 1983.
Parliamentary career
He was elected as a councillor to the Haringey Borough CouncilLondon Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
in 1982 and left the council in 1984. He contested the new seat of Bury North
Bury North (UK Parliament constituency)
Bury North is a borough constituency in Greater Manchester, 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...
at 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...
at which he was elected as the Conservative MP for Bury North with a majority of 2,792 votes. He represented the seat until 1997 and returned to parliament again in 2001.
In Parliament Alistair Burt became the Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
(PPS) to the Secretary of State for the Environment
Secretary of State for the Environment
The Secretary of State for the Environment was a UK cabinet position, responsible for the Department of the Environment . This was created by Edward Heath as a combination of the Ministry of Housing and Local Government, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Building and Works on 15...
Kenneth Baker
Kenneth Baker
Kenneth Wilfred Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking, CH, PC , is a British politician, a former Conservative MP and a Life Member of the Tory Reform Group.-Early life:...
in 1985, he remained as PPS to Baker in his role as Secretary of State for Education and Science
Secretary of State for Education and Skills
The Secretary of State for Education is the chief minister of the Department for Education in the United Kingdom government. The position was re-established on 12 May 2010, held by Michael Gove....
from 1986 and in his role as the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster is, in modern times, a ministerial office in the government of the United Kingdom that includes as part of its duties, the administration of the estates and rents of the Duchy of Lancaster...
from 1989 until 1990. 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...
Burt was promoted to the government of John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
and became the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Social Security
Department of Social Security
The Department of Social Security is the name of a defunct governmental agency in the United Kingdom.The DSS replaced the older Department of Health and Social Security, from 1988 until 2001, when it was itself largely replaced as a department of the Government of the United Kingdom by the...
where he remained until 1995 when he was promoted further with the rank of Minister of State
Minister of State
Minister of State is a title borne by politicians or officials in certain countries governed under a parliamentary system. In some countries a "minister of state" is a junior minister, who is assigned to assist a specific cabinet minister...
at the same department. He was one of many ministers who lost their seats at the 1997 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
when Bury North fell to Labour's
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
David Chaytor
David Chaytor
David Michael Chaytor is a former British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Bury North from 1997 to 2010. He was the first member of Parliament to be sentenced following the United Kingdom Parliamentary expenses scandal of 2009.On 2 June 2009, he announced that he...
by 7,866 votes. From 1997-2001 he worked at executive search firm Whitehead Mann GKR. http://www.enterprise-forum.co.uk/AlistairBurt.html
Alistair Burt re-entered parliament at 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...
for the very safe Conservative seat of Bedfordshire North East which had been represented in parliament by the former Attorney General
Attorney General for England and Wales
Her Majesty's Attorney General for England and Wales, usually known simply as the Attorney General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown. Along with the subordinate Solicitor General for England and Wales, the Attorney General serves as the chief legal adviser of the Crown and its government in...
Nicholas Lyell
Nicholas Lyell
Nicholas Walter Lyell, Baron Lyell of Markyate, PC QC was an English Conservative politician, known for much of his active political career as Sir Nicholas Lyell.-Early life:...
who had retired. Burt was elected with a majority of 8,577, and has remained as an MP since. He was made an opposition spokesman on Education and Skills under William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
in 2001, before he became the PPS to the Leader of the Opposition Iain Duncan Smith
Iain Duncan Smith
George Iain Duncan Smith is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and was previously leader of the Conservative Party from September 2001 to October 2003...
in 2002 and carried on as PPS to the new leader Michael Howard
Michael Howard
Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne, CH, QC, PC is a British politician, who served as the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from November 2003 to December 2005...
. After the 2005 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
he rejoined the front bench and was a spokesman on Local Government Affairs and Communities. However in January 2008, Burt was promoted to Assistant Chief Whip and Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party with responsibility for Internal Development.
He is a former officer of the Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative Friends of Israel, abbreviated to CFI, is a British parliamentary group affiliated to the Conservative Party and dedicated to strengthening business, cultural and political ties between the United Kingdom and Israel. CFI is an unincorporated associationIt was founded by the late...
lobby group, a position which he resigned upon entering government as a Minister in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. In December 2008, he led an all-Party group meeting with the Red Cross to campaign for visiting rights for Israeli hostage Gilad Shalit
Gilad Shalit
Gilad Shalit is an Israeli – French citizen and Israel Defense Forces soldier. On 25 June 2006, he was captured inside Israel by Hamas militants in a cross-border raid via underground tunnels near the border with Gaza. The Hamas militants held him for over five years, until he was released on...
. http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:kslofhztOn0J:www.cfoi.co.uk/articles.aspx%3Faid%3D20+Alistair+Burt+israe&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk. He is also a founder and was the first Chairman of The Enterprise Forum
The Enterprise Forum
The Enterprise Forum is an independent, British, not-for-profit organisation that was founded in 1997 to facilitate discussions on policy between the Business Community and the Conservative Party...
, an organisation set up in 1997 to facilitate discussions on policy between the Business Community and the Conservative Party.
Personal life
Burt married Eve Alexandra Twite in 1983 in HaringeyLondon Borough of Haringey
The London Borough of Haringey is a London borough, in North London, classified by some definitions as part of Inner London, and by others as part of Outer London. It was created in 1965 by the amalgamation of three former boroughs. It shares borders with six other London boroughs...
, and they have a son, Matthew (born August 1987) and a daughter, Hazel (born March 1986). They also have a granddaughter, Isabelle. He is an active Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
. http://www.theyworkforyou.com/debate/?id=2008-05-12b.1143.1 He is a member of the Tory Reform Group
Tory Reform Group
The Tory Reform Group is a group aligned to, but independent of, the British Conservative Party, that works to promote the values of the One Nation Tory vision...
and a former member of Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative Friends of Israel
Conservative Friends of Israel, abbreviated to CFI, is a British parliamentary group affiliated to the Conservative Party and dedicated to strengthening business, cultural and political ties between the United Kingdom and Israel. CFI is an unincorporated associationIt was founded by the late...
. He enjoys athletics and football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
. He supports Bury FC and is also a member of Biggleswade Athletics Club. He has run nine London Marathons.
External links
- Alistair Burt MP official site
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Alistair Burt MP
- North East Bedfordshire Conservatives
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Alistair Burt MP
- Biggleswade Athletics Club, official site
- BBC Politics page
- Alistair Burt 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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