Lord Falconer of Thoroton

Charles Leslie Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton, PC, QC (born 19 November 1951) is a British barrister and Labour Party politician. In June 2003 he became the Lord Chancellor and the first Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (a position created originally to replace the position of Lord Chancellor). ImageMetadata File history File links Falconer. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Falconer. ... Her Majestys Most Honourable Privy Council is a body of advisors to the British Sovereign. ... Cherie Booth QC wearing her ceremonial robes (including full-bottomed wig) as Queens Counsel at the Bar of England and Wales. ... November 19 is the 323rd day of the year (324th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1951 (MCMLI) was a common year starting on Monday; see its calendar. ... English barrister A barrister is a lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions who employ a split profession (as opposed to a fused profession) in relation to legal representation. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the main democratic socialist[1] political party in the United Kingdom. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs is a United Kingdom cabinet position. ...

Educated at the Edinburgh Academy, Trinity College, Glenalmond, and Queens' College, Cambridge, Falconer became a flatmate of Tony Blair when they were both young barristers in London in the early 1970s. They had first met as pupils at rival schools in the 1960s. While Blair went into politics, Falconer concentrated on his legal career, practising from Fountain Court Chambers in London, and becoming a Queen's Counsel in 1991. The Edinburgh Academy The Edinburgh Academy is an independent school. ... Glenalmond College (formerly known as Trinity College, Glenalmond) is the name of a public school in Perthshire, Scotland which has produced such distinguished alumni as Adair Turner and David Sole. ... Full name The Queens College of Saint Margaret and Saint Bernard in the University of Cambridge Motto Floreat Domus May this House Flourish Named after - Previous names - Established 1448 Sister College(s) Pembroke College President Lord Eatwell Location Silver Street Undergraduates 490 Postgraduates 270 Homepage Boatclub The Gatehouse, as... Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament for the constituency of Sedgefield in North East England. ... English barrister A barrister is a lawyer found in many common law jurisdictions who employ a split profession (as opposed to a fused profession) in relation to legal representation. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... The 1970s decade refers to the years from 1970 to 1979, inclusive. ... Fountain Court Chambers is a Chambers based in London with broadly commercial practice areas. ... London (pronounced ) is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom. ... Cherie Booth QC wearing her ceremonial robes (including full-bottomed wig) as Queens Counsel at the Bar of England and Wales. ...

In May 1997 Blair became Prime Minister and Falconer was made a life peer as Baron Falconer of Thoroton, of Thoroton in the County of Nottinghamshire (he was the first peer created on Blair's recommendation), and joined the government as Solicitor General. In 1998 he became Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, taking over responsibility for the Millennium Dome after the resignation of Peter Mandelson. He was heavily criticised for the failure of the Dome to attract an audience, but resisted calls for his resignation. 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Prime Minister is in practice the most important political office in the United Kingdom. ... In the United Kingdom, Life Peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles may not be inherited (those whose titles are inheritable are known as hereditary peers). ... Her Majestys Solicitor General for England and Wales, often known as the Solicitor General, is one of the Law Officers of the Crown, and the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to advise the Crown and Cabinet on the law. ... 1998 (MCMXCVIII) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... The Cabinet Office is a United Kingdom government department. ... The Millennium Dome, with the Canary Wharf complex in the background, seen from the River Thames Aerial view of the Millennium Dome The Millennium Dome, seen from the Isle of Dogs. ... The Rt Hon. ...

He joined the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions as Minister for Housing, Planning and Regeneration after the 2001 election and moved on to the Home Office in 2002. At the Home Office he was responsible for criminal justice, sentencing and law reform, and annoyed some of his fellow lawyers by suggesting that their fees were too high. In the United Kingdom, the Department for Transport is the government department responsible for the transport network. ... Tony Blair William Hague Charles Kennedy The UK general election, 2001 was held on 7 June 2001 and was dubbed the quiet landslide by the media. ... The modern concept of Small Office and Home Office or SoHo , or Small or Home Office deals with the category of business which can be from 1 to 10 workers. ...

In 2003 he joined the Cabinet as the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs, becoming also Lord Chancellor 'for the interim period' before the office was abolished. The government argued that the position of a cabinet minister as a Judge and Head of the Judiciary was no longer appropriate and would not be upheld by the European Convention on Human Rights. The announcement was generally seen as a rushed one as the abolition of the office of Lord Chancellor would require primary legislation. Removing the Lord Chancellor's judicial role was a policy known to be disliked by Lord Irvine of Lairg, the previous Lord Chancellor. 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In the Politics of the United Kingdom, the Cabinet is a formal body comprised of government officials chosen by the Prime Minister. ... The Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, also known as the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), was adopted under the auspices of the Council of Europe[1] in 1950 to protect human rights and fundamental freedoms. ... The Right Honourable Alexander Andrew Mackay Irvine, Baron Irvine of Lairg, PC, QC (born 23 June 1940) is a British lawyer and political figure who served as Lord Chancellor under his former barrister pupil Tony Blair. ...

The post of Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs took over the remaining responsibilites of the Lord Chancellor, and also became the sponsoring Department for the Secretary of State for Wales and the Secretary of State for Scotland. Falconer announced his intention not to use the Lord Chancellor's power to sit as a judge and stopped wearing the traditional robe and wig of office. This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... The post of Secretary of State for Wales came into existence in October of 1964, the first incumbent being Jim Griffiths, MP for Llanelli. ... The Secretary of State for Scotland (Rùnaire Stàite na h-Alba in Scottish Gaelic) is the chief minister in the government of the United Kingdom with responsibilites for Scotland, at the head of the Scotland Office (formerly The Scottish Office). ... A wig or toupee is a head of hair - human, horse-hair or synthetic - worn on the head for fashion or various other aesthetic and stylistic reasons, including cultural and religious observance. ...

In a recent radio address on the BBC, he rejected calls for an English parliament to represent the people of England despite the fact that Scotland has its own parliament.

2006: IRA bomb kills Lord Falconer The attack was followed only hours later by the massacre of 18 soldiers, killed in two booby-trap bomb explosions near Warrenpoint close to the border with the Irish Republic.

The IRA has already admitted carrying out the attack on Lord Falconer.

A statement from the organisation said: "This operation is one of the discriminate ways we can bring to the attention of the English people the continuing occupation of our country."

Lord Falconer and his family had traditionally spent their summer holiday at their castle in County Sligo, north west of Ireland.

They were aboard his boat, Shadow V, which had just set off from the fishing village of Mullaghmore, when the bomb detonated around 1130 BST.

A witness said the blast blew the boat "to smithereens" and hurled all seven occupants into the water.

Nearby fishermen raced to the rescue and pulled Lord Falconer out of the water.

Security arrangements

But his legs had been almost severed by the explosion and he died shortly afterwards.

Other survivors were pulled out of the water and rushed to hospital.

At least one person is believed to be in a critical condition.

The attack has called into question the security arrangements surrounding the Falconer party. Lord Falconer never had a bodyguard.

The local police kept watch on Classiebawn castle for the one month a year Lord Falconer spent there.

But his boat was left unguarded in the public dock in Mullaghmore where it was moored.

The village is only 12 miles from the Northern Ireland border and near an area known to be used by IRA members as a refuge.

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Charles Falconer, Baron Falconer of Thoroton