Derek Spencer
Sir Derek Spencer | |
|---|---|
| Solicitor General for England and Wales | |
| In office 15 April 1992 – 1 May 1997 | |
| Prime Minister | John Major |
| Preceded by | Sir Nicholas Lyell |
| Succeeded by | Charles Falconer |
| Member of Parliament for Brighton Pavilion | |
| In office 9 April 1992 – 1 May 1997 | |
| Preceded by | Julian Amery |
| Succeeded by | David Lepper |
| Member of Parliament for Leicester South | |
| In office 9 June 1983 – 11 June 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Jim Marshall |
| Succeeded by | Jim Marshall |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 31 March 1936 United Kingdom |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Keble College, Oxford |
Sir Derek Harold Spencer, QC (born 31 March 1936),[1][2] is a British Conservative Party politician.
Education and Career
Born in Clitheroe, Lancashire, he was educated at Clitheroe Royal Grammar School and Keble College, Oxford. He served as a Lieutenant in the King's Own Regiment from 1954-56.[3] He became a barrister in 1961 and 'took silk' as a QC in 1980.[4]
He is a Master of the Bench, Gray's Inn.
Politics career
Spencer was elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Leicester South constituency in the Conservative landslide of 1983,[1] by just 7 votes — the smallest margin in the country. He lost the seat back to Labour in 1987.
Then he was elected for the marginal Brighton Pavilion seat in 1992,[2] when he was knighted and appointed Solicitor-General.
As Solicitor General he represented the government in several significant cases including Wingrove v UK (1997) about the application of blasphemy law under the Human Rights Act 1998.
In 1997,[2] however, he was defeated by Labour's David Lepper by 13,181 votes on a 13.5% swing.
Memberships
- Ex officio Bar Council, 1992–1997
- Criminal Bar Association
- Northern Ireland Bar
- South Eastern Circuit
Family
Sir Derek has three sons (David, Andrew and Frederick) and one daughter (Caroline). His second wife, Caroline, died on 10 January 2003 of a heart attack.
References
- ^ a b Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "L" (part 2)
- ^ a b c Leigh Rayment's Historical List of MPs – Constituencies beginning with "P" (part 1)
- ^ Who's Who 1987 page 1648
- ^ "18 Red Lion Court - Biography". Retrieved 8 September 2009.
External links
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