Andrew Phillips, Baron Phillips of Sudbury
Encyclopedia
Andrew Wyndham Phillips, Baron Phillips of Sudbury, OBE
(born 15 March 1939) is a solicitor
and Liberal Democrat
politician
.
, Uppingham School
and Trinity Hall
, Cambridge, where he read Economics and Law, then became a solicitor. In 1970 he founded commercial law
firm Bates Wells and Braithwaite and he remains a partner
to this day.
From 1976, he appeared on BBC Radio 2
’s Jimmy Young Show
as the “legal eagle,” giving legal advice to the show’s listeners. He continued in this role until the show ended upon Sir Jimmy’s retirement in 2002. Phillips has also appeared on other television and radio programmes such as Any Questions?
and Newsnight
. He received the OBE in 1996.
as Baron Phillips of Sudbury, of Sudbury
in the County of Suffolk
. He sat in the House of Lords
as a Liberal Democrat, and spoke on issues concerning civil liberties
. He led the Liberal Democrats’ opposition in the Lords to the government’s identity card
and counter-terrorism
legislation.
Phillips was appointed Chancellor of the University of Essex
on 28 April 2003, succeeding Lord Nolan who had retired on 31 December 2002.
In July 2006, to the surprise of many people, Lord Phillips of Sudbury announced his intention to resign from the House of Lords at the age of 67 (the average age of members being 68). He criticised the “cascades” of legislation that the Labour
government had introduced:
He said he would pursue other interests, and would no longer be just a “weekend husband” to his wife.
He had wanted to vacate his seat in the House of Lords, revert to being known as Mr Phillips, and allow “new blood” from his party to take his seat. However, although hereditary peers may disclaim their titles under the Peerage Act 1963
, life peers are unable to renounce their titles, and continue to hold them for life. Therefore, Phillips took leave of absence from the House, meaning he was unable to attend or vote, but could return at a month’s notice. There was not automatically a seat for a new Liberal Democrat peer in the House.
In 2009, Phillips's leave of absence ended, and he has since begun to attend and speak in the House of Lords again.
, local history
(especially of Suffolk
), arts
, architecture
(especially parish church
es), golf
, walking and reading.
Jonathan Hoffman, co-vice chair of the Zionist Federation, who attended the meeting, sharply criticized Phillips, stating that: "Lord Phillips is an obnoxious man and his views are revolting."
Several months earlier, in November 2010, Phillips told a Palestine Solidarity Campaign meeting that: “Europe cannot think straight about Israel because of the Holocaust and America is in the grip of the well-organised Jewish lobby”
Phillips has called for economic and cultural boycotts of Israel.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 15 March 1939) is 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...
and Liberal Democrat
Liberal Democrats
The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Education and Law Practice
He attended Culford SchoolCulford School
Culford School is a coeducational HMC and IAPS public school for pupils age 3–18. Founded in 1881, it is situated in Culford, four miles north of Bury St Edmunds in Suffolk, England.-History:...
, Uppingham School
Uppingham School
Uppingham School is a co-educational independent school of the English public school tradition, situated in the small town of Uppingham in Rutland, England...
and Trinity Hall
Trinity Hall, Cambridge
Trinity Hall is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. It is the fifth-oldest college of the university, having been founded in 1350 by William Bateman, Bishop of Norwich.- Foundation :...
, Cambridge, where he read Economics and Law, then became a solicitor. In 1970 he founded commercial law
Commercial law
Commercial law is the body of law that governs business and commercial transactions...
firm Bates Wells and Braithwaite and he remains a partner
Partnership
A partnership is an arrangement where parties agree to cooperate to advance their mutual interests.Since humans are social beings, partnerships between individuals, businesses, interest-based organizations, schools, governments, and varied combinations thereof, have always been and remain commonplace...
to this day.
From 1976, he appeared on BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2
BBC Radio 2 is one of the BBC's national radio stations and the most popular station in the United Kingdom. Much of its daytime playlist-based programming is best described as Adult Contemporary or AOR, although the station is also noted for its specialist broadcasting of other musical genres...
’s Jimmy Young Show
Jimmy Young (disc jockey)
Sir Jimmy Young CBE was a British singer, disc jockey and radio interviewer.-Early life:...
as the “legal eagle,” giving legal advice to the show’s listeners. He continued in this role until the show ended upon Sir Jimmy’s retirement in 2002. Phillips has also appeared on other television and radio programmes such as Any Questions?
Any Questions?
Any Questions? is a topical debate radio programme in the United Kingdom.-Format:It is broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on Friday evenings and repeated on Saturday afternoons, when it is followed by a phone-in response programme, Any Answers?, previously a postal response slot...
and Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
. He received the OBE in 1996.
House of Lords
In 1998, Phillips was made a life peerLife peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
as Baron Phillips of Sudbury, of Sudbury
Sudbury, Suffolk
Sudbury is a small, ancient market town in the county of Suffolk, England, on the River Stour, from Colchester and from London.-Early history:...
in the County of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
. He sat in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
as a Liberal Democrat, and spoke on issues concerning civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
. He led the Liberal Democrats’ opposition in the Lords to the government’s identity card
British national identity card
The Identity Cards Act 2006 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It provided for National Identity Cards, a personal identification document and European Union travel document, linked to a database known as the National Identity Register .The introduction of the scheme was much...
and counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...
legislation.
Phillips was appointed Chancellor of the University of Essex
University of Essex
The University of Essex is a British campus university whose original and largest campus is near the town of Colchester, England. Established in 1963 and receiving its Royal Charter in 1965...
on 28 April 2003, succeeding Lord Nolan who had retired on 31 December 2002.
In July 2006, to the surprise of many people, Lord Phillips of Sudbury announced his intention to resign from the House of Lords at the age of 67 (the average age of members being 68). He criticised the “cascades” of legislation that the 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...
government had introduced:
- “It is seriously counter-productive. No society can absorb a net increase of statute law of eight or nine thousand pages a year.”
He said he would pursue other interests, and would no longer be just a “weekend husband” to his wife.
He had wanted to vacate his seat in the House of Lords, revert to being known as Mr Phillips, and allow “new blood” from his party to take his seat. However, although hereditary peers may disclaim their titles under the Peerage Act 1963
Peerage Act 1963
The Peerage Act 1963 is the Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that permitted peeresses in their own right and all Scottish hereditary peers to sit in the House of Lords, and which allows newly inherited hereditary peerages to be "disclaimed".-Background:The Act resulted largely from the...
, life peers are unable to renounce their titles, and continue to hold them for life. Therefore, Phillips took leave of absence from the House, meaning he was unable to attend or vote, but could return at a month’s notice. There was not automatically a seat for a new Liberal Democrat peer in the House.
In 2009, Phillips's leave of absence ended, and he has since begun to attend and speak in the House of Lords again.
Family life
Andrew Phillips married Penelope Ann Bennett in 1968. They have a son and two daughters. He lists among his recreational interests theatreTheatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
, local history
Local history
Local history is the study of history in a geographically local context and it often concentrates on the local community. It incorporates cultural and social aspects of history...
(especially of Suffolk
Suffolk
Suffolk is a non-metropolitan county of historic origin in East Anglia, England. It has borders with Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south. The North Sea lies to the east...
), arts
ARts
aRts, which stands for analog Real time synthesizer, is an audio framework that is no longer under development. It is best known for previously being used in KDE to simulate an analog synthesizer....
, architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
(especially parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
es), golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
, walking and reading.
Statements on Israel and Jews
In February 2011, Phillips, part of at a panel discussion on the Palestine Papers held at the University of London, gave the following statement on Jews:
"The world we are now moving into has been turned upside down. The Jews aren't lacking in intelligence, they may be deeply prejudiced, many of them, but they are going to be saying the same sort of thing as you on the panel are saying [about the Middle East after the Arab uprisings]."
Jonathan Hoffman, co-vice chair of the Zionist Federation, who attended the meeting, sharply criticized Phillips, stating that: "Lord Phillips is an obnoxious man and his views are revolting."
Several months earlier, in November 2010, Phillips told a Palestine Solidarity Campaign meeting that: “Europe cannot think straight about Israel because of the Holocaust and America is in the grip of the well-organised Jewish lobby”
Phillips has called for economic and cultural boycotts of Israel.