Dominic Grieve

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Dominic Grieve QC MP
Shadow Home Secretary
Incumbent
Assumed office  12 June 2008
Leader	David Cameron
Preceded by	David Davis
Shadow Attorney General
Incumbent
Assumed office  6 November 2003
Leader	Michael Howard David Cameron
Preceded by	Bill Cash
Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield
Incumbent
Assumed office  1 May 1997
Preceded by	Tim Smith
Majority	15,253 (35.0%)
Born	May 24, 1956 (1956-05-24) (age 52) Lambeth, London, United Kingdom
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Caroline Hutton
Alma mater	Magdalen College, Oxford, University of Westminster

Dominic Charles Roberts Grieve (born 24 May 1956)^[1] is a British politician and barrister.^[2] He is the Conservative Member of Parliament for Beaconsfield and Shadow Home Secretary.^[3][2] He is also a Queen's Counsel.

[edit] Early life

Grieve was born in Lambeth, the son of Percy Grieve QC (the MP for Solihull 1964–83).

He was educated at the Lycée Français Charles de Gaulle on Cromwell Road in South Kensington, Colet Court preparatory school in Barnes, the independent Westminster School^[2] and Magdalen College, Oxford^[2] where he was awarded a BA degree in Modern History^[2] in 1978. He also acted as the President of the Conservative Association whilst at Oxford in 1977.

He finished his studies at the Polytechnic of Central London, now the University of Westminster, where he received a Diploma in Law^[2] in 1979. He was called to the Bar at the Middle Temple in 1980^[4] and is a practising barrister specialising in health and safety law, continuing to appear in court as an advocate from time to time. He was made a Bencher of the Middle Temple in 2005 and appointed a Queen's Counsel in 2008.

[edit] Parliamentary career

He was elected as a councillor in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in 1982, remaining a councillor until 1986.^[2] He contested the Norwood constituency in the London Borough of Lambeth at the 1987 general election^[2] 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^[2] 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 May 21, 1997.^[5]

He was a member of both the Environmental Audit and the Statutory Instruments select committees from 1997 to 1999.^[6] 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.^[2] 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.^[3]

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 has strongly opposed equal gay rights ^[7] but supported civil partnerships.

[edit] Personal life

He was a police station lay visitor^[6] 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 Christian and was a member of the London Diocesan Synod of the Church of England^[6] for six years from 1994. He married fellow barrister, Caroline Hutton^[6] in October 1990 in the City of London and they have two sons, James Peter Grieve^[6] (born Hammersmith, West London, May 1994) and Hugo Christopher Grieve^[6] (born Hammersmith, September 1995). James is educated outside of Grieve's constituency and attends Hall School Wimbledon.

He lists his hobbies as "canoeing, boating on the Thames at weekends, mountain climbing, skiing and fell walking, architecture, art and travel".^[6]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Dominic Grieve official site
• TheyWorkForYou.com - Dominic Grieve MP
• Births and Marriages England and Wales 1984-2006