Dominic Grieve
Encyclopedia
Dominic Charles Roberts Grieve, QC
MP
(born 24 May 1956) is a British
Conservative
politician
, barrister
and Queen's Counsel
.
He is the Member of Parliament
(MP) for Beaconsfield
and the Attorney General for England and Wales
and the Advocate General for Northern Ireland
.
, the son of Percy Grieve
QC (the MP for Solihull
1964–83) and of an Anglo-French mother, Evelyn Raymonde Louise Mijouain. He was educated at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle
on Cromwell Road
in South Kensington
, Colet Court
preparatory school in Barnes, Westminster School
, and Magdalen College, Oxford
, where he received a BA degree
in Modern History
in 1978. He was the President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
in 1977.
He continued his studies at the Polytechnic of Central London
(now the University of Westminster), where he received a Diploma in Law in 1979. He was called to the Bar
at the Middle Temple
in 1980 and is a specialist in Occupational safety and health
law. He was made a Bencher of the Middle Temple in 2005 and appointed a Queen's Counsel
in 2008.
in 1982, remaining a councillor until 1986. He contested the Norwood constituency
in the London Borough of Lambeth
at the 1987 general election
but finished in second place some 4,723 votes behind the veteran Labour
MP John Fraser
(although increasing the Conservative vote).
He was elected to the House of Commons
for the Buckinghamshire
seat of Beaconsfield
at the 1997 general election
following the retirement of Tim Smith. Grieve was elected with a majority of 13,987 votes and has remained the MP there since, increasing his majority at each successive election. He made his maiden speech
on 21 May 1997.
He was a member of both the Environmental Audit and the Statutory Instruments select committees from 1997 to 1999. William Hague
promoted him to the frontbench
in 1999 when he became a spokesman on Scottish affairs
, moving to speak on home affairs
as the spokesman on criminal justice following the election of Iain Duncan Smith
as the new leader of the Conservative Party
in 2001, and was then promoted to be shadow Attorney General by Michael Howard
in 2003. He also had responsibility for community cohesion on behalf of the Conservative Party. He was retained as shadow Attorney General by the new Conservative Leader, David Cameron
and was appointed Shadow Home Secretary on 12 June 2008 following the resignation of David Davis
.
Grieve was instrumental in the defeat of the Labour government in early 2006 in relation to the proposal that the Home Secretary should have power to detain suspected terrorists for periods up to 90 days without charge. He broadcasts in French on French radio and television. He is not, however, an enthusiast for the EU.
Grieve was criticised for investments in Robert Mugabe
's Zimbabwe. Grieve has generally voted against gay rights in Parliament, although he did support civil partnerships.
In the last Conservative Shadow Cabinet reshuffle before the General Election of 2010, carried out on 19 January 2009, Grieve was moved to become Shadow Justice Secretary, opposite Jack Straw
. According to the BBC, Grieve was said to be "very happy with the move" which would suit his talents better.
After the 2010 general election, Grieve was appointed as the new Attorney General.
He is a practising Anglican and was a member of the London Diocesan
Synod
of the Church of England
for six years from 1994. He married fellow barrister, Caroline Hutton in October 1990 in the City of London
and they have two teenage sons.
He lists his hobbies as "canoeing, boating on the Thames
at weekends, mountain climbing, skiing and fell walking, architecture, art and travel".
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Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
MP
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,...
(born 24 May 1956) 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...
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...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, barrister
Barrister
A barrister is a member of one of the two classes of lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions with split legal professions. Barristers specialise in courtroom advocacy, drafting legal pleadings and giving expert legal opinions...
and Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
.
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 Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Beaconsfield is a county 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. It is among the safest of Conservative seats....
and the Attorney General for England and Wales
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...
and the Advocate General for Northern Ireland
Advocate General for Northern Ireland
The Advocate General for Northern Ireland is the chief legal adviser to the UK Government on Northern Ireland law and the post is held by the Attorney General for England and Wales by virtue of that office...
.
Early life
Grieve was born in LambethLambeth
Lambeth is a district of south London, England, and part of the London Borough of Lambeth. It is situated southeast of Charing Cross.-Toponymy:...
, the son of Percy Grieve
Percy Grieve
William Percival Grieve, QC was a British Conservative Party politician.Grieve was educated at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He became a barrister, called by Middle Temple in 1938, and a Queen's Counsel in 1962...
QC (the MP for Solihull
Solihull (UK Parliament constituency)
Solihull is a borough 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 :...
1964–83) and of an Anglo-French mother, Evelyn Raymonde Louise Mijouain. He was educated at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle
Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle
The Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle is a large French primary and secondary school situated in South Kensington, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London...
on Cromwell Road
Cromwell Road
Cromwell Road is a major road in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London, and is designated part of the A4. It was created in the 19th century and is named after Oliver Cromwell....
in South Kensington
South Kensington
South Kensington is a district in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in London. It is a built-up area located 2.4 miles west south-west of Charing Cross....
, Colet Court
Colet Court
Colet Court is a preparatory school for boys aged 7 to 13 in Barnes, London. It forms the preparatory department of St Paul's School, to which most Colet Court pupils go at the age of 13.-History:...
preparatory school in Barnes, Westminster School
Westminster School
The Royal College of St. Peter in Westminster, almost always known as Westminster School, is one of Britain's leading independent schools, with the highest Oxford and Cambridge acceptance rate of any secondary school or college in Britain...
, and Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College, Oxford
Magdalen College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. As of 2006 the college had an estimated financial endowment of £153 million. Magdalen is currently top of the Norrington Table after over half of its 2010 finalists received first-class degrees, a record...
, where he received a BA degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
in Modern History
Modern history
Modern history, or the modern era, describes the historical timeline after the Middle Ages. Modern history can be further broken down into the early modern period and the late modern period after the French Revolution and the Industrial Revolution...
in 1978. He was the President of the Oxford University Conservative Association
Oxford University Conservative Association
The Oxford University Conservative Association, or OUCA is a student political organisation founded in 1924 whose members are drawn from the University of Oxford...
in 1977.
He continued his studies at the Polytechnic of Central London
University of Westminster
The University of Westminster is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom. Its origins go back to the foundation of the Royal Polytechnic Institution in 1838, and it was awarded university status in 1992.The university's headquarters and original campus are based on Regent...
(now the University of Westminster), where he received a Diploma in Law in 1979. He was called to the Bar
Call to the bar
The Call to the Bar is a legal term of art in most common law jurisdictions where persons must be qualified to be allowed to argue in court on behalf of another party, and are then said to have been "called to the bar" or to have received a "call to the bar"...
at the Middle Temple
Middle Temple
The Honourable Society of the Middle Temple, commonly known as Middle Temple, is one of the four Inns of Court exclusively entitled to call their members to the English Bar as barristers; the others being the Inner Temple, Gray's Inn and Lincoln's Inn...
in 1980 and is a specialist in Occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health
Occupational safety and health is a cross-disciplinary area concerned with protecting the safety, health and welfare of people engaged in work or employment. The goal of all occupational safety and health programs is to foster a safe work environment...
law. He was made a Bencher of the Middle Temple in 2005 and appointed a Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel
Queen's Counsel , known as King's Counsel during the reign of a male sovereign, are lawyers appointed by letters patent to be one of Her [or His] Majesty's Counsel learned in the law...
in 2008.
Parliamentary career
He was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Hammersmith and FulhamLondon Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham
The London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham is a London borough in West London, and forms part of Inner London. Traversed by the east-west main roads of the A4 Great West Road and the A40 Westway, many international corporations have offices in the borough....
in 1982, remaining a councillor until 1986. He contested the Norwood constituency
Norwood (UK Parliament constituency)
Norwood was a parliamentary constituency in South London which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom by the first past the post system.-History:...
in the London Borough of Lambeth
London Borough of Lambeth
The London Borough of Lambeth is a London borough in south London, England and forms part of Inner London. The local authority is Lambeth London Borough Council.-Origins:...
at the 1987 general election
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...
but finished in second place some 4,723 votes behind the veteran Labour
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...
MP John Fraser
John Fraser (UK politician)
John Denis Fraser was Labour Member of Parliament for Norwood in London from 1966 to 1997 and a solicitor.Fraser was educated at Sloan Grammar School and the Law Society College of Law, becoming a solicitor. He was a councillor on Lambeth Borough Council 1962-65 and the London Borough of Lambeth...
(although increasing the Conservative vote).
He was elected to the House of Commons
British House of Commons
The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, which also comprises the Sovereign and the House of Lords . Both Commons and Lords meet in the Palace of Westminster. The Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 650 members , who are known as Members...
for the Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
seat of Beaconsfield
Beaconsfield (UK Parliament constituency)
Beaconsfield is a county 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. It is among the safest of Conservative 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...
following the retirement of Tim Smith. Grieve was elected with a majority of 13,987 votes and has remained the MP there since, increasing his majority at each successive election. He made his maiden speech
Maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country...
on 21 May 1997.
He was a member of both the Environmental Audit and the Statutory Instruments select committees from 1997 to 1999. 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...
promoted him to the frontbench
Frontbencher
In many parliaments and other similar assemblies, seating is typically arranged in banks or rows, with each political party or caucus grouped together. The spokespeople for each group will often sit at the front of their group, and are then known as being on the frontbench and are described as...
in 1999 when he became a spokesman on Scottish affairs
Scotland Office
The Scotland Office is a United Kingdom government department headed by the Secretary of State for Scotland and responsible for Scottish affairs...
, moving to speak on home affairs
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,...
as the spokesman on criminal justice following the election of 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...
as the new leader of the Conservative Party
Leaders of the Conservative Party
The Leader of the Conservative Party is the most senior politician within the Conservative Party in the United Kingdom. The post is currently held by David Cameron, who s eeded Michael Howard in 2005, and who since 2010 is also the serving Prime Minister....
in 2001, and was then promoted to be shadow Attorney General by 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...
in 2003. He also had responsibility for community cohesion on behalf of the Conservative Party. He was retained as shadow Attorney General by the new Conservative Leader, David Cameron
David Cameron
David William Donald Cameron is the current Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service and Leader of the Conservative Party. Cameron represents Witney as its Member of Parliament ....
and was appointed Shadow Home Secretary on 12 June 2008 following the resignation of David Davis
David Davis (British politician)
David Michael Davis is a British Conservative Party politician who is the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Haltemprice and Howden...
.
Grieve was instrumental in the defeat of the Labour government in early 2006 in relation to the proposal that the Home Secretary should have power to detain suspected terrorists for periods up to 90 days without charge. He broadcasts in French on French radio and television. He is not, however, an enthusiast for the EU.
Grieve was criticised for investments in Robert Mugabe
Robert Mugabe
Robert Gabriel Mugabe is the President of Zimbabwe. As one of the leaders of the liberation movement against white-minority rule, he was elected into power in 1980...
's Zimbabwe. Grieve has generally voted against gay rights in Parliament, although he did support civil partnerships.
In the last Conservative Shadow Cabinet reshuffle before the General Election of 2010, carried out on 19 January 2009, Grieve was moved to become Shadow Justice Secretary, opposite Jack Straw
Jack Straw
Jack Straw , British politician.Jack Straw may also refer to:* Jack Straw , English* "Jack Straw" , 1971 song by the Grateful Dead* Jack Straw by W...
. According to the BBC, Grieve was said to be "very happy with the move" which would suit his talents better.
After the 2010 general election, Grieve was appointed as the new Attorney General.
Personal life
He was a police station lay visitor for six years from 1990 and worked in Brixton on various bodies set up to reconcile the different communities after the riots.He is a practising Anglican and was a member of the London Diocesan
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
Synod
General Synod
-Church of England:In the Church of England, the General Synod, which was established in 1970 , is the legislative body of the Church.-Episcopal Church of the United States:...
of the Church of England
Church of England
The Church of England is the officially established Christian church in England and the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican Communion. The church considers itself within the tradition of Western Christianity and dates its formal establishment principally to the mission to England by St...
for six years from 1994. He married fellow barrister, Caroline Hutton in October 1990 in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
and they have two teenage sons.
He lists his hobbies as "canoeing, boating on the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
at weekends, mountain climbing, skiing and fell walking, architecture, art and travel".
Styles
- Mr Dominic Grieve (1956–97)
- Mr Dominic Grieve MP (1997–2008)
- Mr Dominic Grieve QC MP (2008–2010)
- The Rt Hon. Dominic Grieve QC MP (2010 - )
External links
- Rt Hon Dominic Grieve QC MP official constituency website
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