Chris Rennard, Baron Rennard
Encyclopedia
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...
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...
member of 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....
. He was appointed in December 2010 to chair a commission on the Big Society on behalf of the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO).
Education and personal life
Rennard was educated at the Liverpool Blue Coat SchoolLiverpool Blue Coat School
The Liverpool Blue Coat School is a voluntary aided secondary school located in Wavertree, Liverpool and is Liverpool's only Grammar School. The school was for many years a boys' school but as of September 2002 it has reverted to its original coeducational remit.The Blue Coat School holds a...
and the University of Liverpool
University of Liverpool
The University of Liverpool is a teaching and research university in the city of Liverpool, England. It is a member of the Russell Group of large research-intensive universities and the N8 Group for research collaboration. Founded in 1881 , it is also one of the six original "red brick" civic...
. He married Ann McTegart in 1989, and in the same year was awarded an MBE
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...
.
Liberal Democrats
Rennard has been an active member of the LiberalLiberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
and then Liberal Democratic parties since he was 12. For nearly 30 years he was employed by the Liberal Democrats as a professional campaigner and agent, he was their Chief Executive between 2003 and 2009. During his employment with the Liberal Democrats he was credited with masterminding 12 parliamentary by-election wins for the party. Ten victories were gains:
- Eastbourne by-election, 1990Eastbourne by-election, 1990The Eastbourne by-election, 1990 was a by-election held on 18 October 1990 for the British House of Commons constituency of Eastbourne in East Sussex....
- Kincardine and Deeside by-election, 1991Kincardine and Deeside by-election, 1991The Kincardine and Deeside by-election was a parliamentary election held in Kincardine and Deeside, Scotland, on 7 November 1991, caused by the death of its Conservative Member of Parliament , Alick Buchanan-Smith on 29 August 1991....
- Newbury by-election, 1993Newbury by-election, 1993The Newbury by-election, in West Berkshire, England, was held on 6 May 1993 after Conservative Member of Parliament Judith Chaplin died, after only being elected the previous year. It was won by David Rendel of the Liberal Democrats with an impressive swing of 28.4%...
- Christchurch by-election, 1993Christchurch by-election, 1993A by-election was held in the British House of Commons constituency of Christchurch on 29 July 1993 following the death of sitting Conservative MP Robert Adley....
- Eastleigh by-election, 1994Eastleigh by-election, 1994The Eastleigh by-election, 1994 was a parliamentary by-election held on 9 June 1994 for the United Kingdom House of Commons constituency of Eastleigh in Hampshire. The seat had fallen vacant because of the death of Conservative Party Member of Parliament Stephen Milligan on 7 February.The result...
- Littleborough and Saddleworth by-election, 1995Littleborough and Saddleworth by-election, 1995A by-election was called in the constituency of Littleborough and Saddleworth in Greater Manchester, England, on 27 July 1995 following the death of Conservative Party MP Geoffrey Dickens on 17 May of that year....
- Romsey by-election, 2000Romsey by-election, 2000Conservative Member of Parliament Michael Colvin and his wife died in a fire at their home on 24 February 2000. This created a by-election in his constituency of Romsey in Hampshire, England....
- Brent East by-election, 2003Brent East by-election, 2003The Brent East by-election, 2003 was caused by the death on 18 June 2003 of the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Brent East, Paul Daisley, of the Labour Party....
- Leicester South by-election, 2004Leicester South by-election, 2004A by-election was held in Leicester South on 15 July, the same day as the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election. It was won by Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats, over-turning a Labour majority of 13,243 votes at the 2001 General Election....
- Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, 2006Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, 2006The Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, in Dunfermline and West Fife, Scotland, was held on 9 February 2006 following the death of sitting Labour MP Rachel Squire on 6 January. The by-election was the first seat to change hands in the 2005 Parliament when Willie Rennie won the seat for the...
.
Two were holds: Winchester by-election, 1997
Winchester by-election, 1997
The 1997 Winchester by-election was a by-election to the UK House of Commons in the constituency of Winchester, Hampshire. After an unclear result in Winchester at the general election on 1 May 1997, a new election was allowed by the High Court...
and Cheadle by-election, 2005
Cheadle by-election, 2005
The Cheadle by-election, in Greater Manchester, England, was caused by the death of Patsy Calton, the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Cheadle on 29 May 2005. The election was held on 14 July 2005....
.
Former party leader Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
has described Rennard as "a quite extraordinary figure in British politics”. As well as the by-election victories major gains were made at the 1997, 2001 and 2005 general elections. Iain Dale said in an interview in Total Politics
Total Politics
Total Politics is a British political magazine described as a "a lifestyle magazine for the political community". It was first published in June 2008 and is distributed freely to all MPs, MEPs, peers, political journalists, members of the Scottish, Welsh and Northern Irish assemblies, and all...
, (June 2011) that Rennard "is probably the most formidable and feared political campaigner of the last 20 years. It was he who invented the concept of “pavement politics”http://www.totalpolitics.com/articles/160427/in-conversation-with-chris-rennard.html
Chris Rennard started his political activism in Liverpool in the late 1970s where he chaired the University Liberals and Social Democrats. There he learnt streetcraft from Trevor Jones
Trevor Jones (Liberal politician)
Sir Trevor Jones is a British Liberal Democrat Politician and former Leader of Liverpool City Council. His wife Lady Doreen Jones is a former Lady Mayoress and his daughter-in-law Mia Jones was a councillor for Chester City Council and was a candidate in the 2005 General Election.His nickname was...
, the Liberal Party's legendary agent. He was Deputy Chair of the Liverpool Liberal Party and organised many of the party's successful election campaigns. His first successful parliamentary by-election campaign was Liverpool Edge Hill by-election, 1979
Liverpool Edge Hill by-election, 1979
The Liverpool Edge Hill by-election of 1979 was a parliamentary by-election held in England on 29 March 1979 to elect a new Member of Parliament for the House of Commons constituency of Liverpool Edge Hill....
, he went on to be agent for the Liverpool Mossley Hill (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Mossley Hill (UK Parliament constituency)
Liverpool Mossley Hill was a parliamentary constituency centered on the Mossley Hill suburb of Liverpool. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first-past-the-post voting system.-History:The constituency was created...
constituency of David Alton (now Lord Alton of Liverpool) and helped to achieve a winning 14% swing against the Conservatives in 1983.
In 1984, he became one of the party's national Area Agents based in Leicester
Leicester
Leicester is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England, and the county town of Leicestershire. The city lies on the River Soar and at the edge of the National Forest...
when the party won its first seats there for over 20 years. He was a key member of many of the Liberal/Alliance by-election campaign teams including West Derbyshire by-election, 1986
West Derbyshire by-election, 1986
The 1986 Derbyshire West by-election was held on 8 May 1986 when the sitting Conservative Party Member of Parliament, Matthew Parris, took the Chiltern Hundreds and resigned, in order to become the presenter of Weekend World for ITV....
and Greenwich by-election, 1987
Greenwich by-election, 1987
The Greenwich by-election of 1987 was a closely fought by-election often credited with boosting the SDP-Liberal Alliance shortly before the 1987 general election...
. He was a member of the standing committee of ALC (Association of Liberal Councillors) and wrote many of the party's publications on election campaigning and party organisation.
In 1989, he was appointed as Director of Campaigns and Elections for the Liberal Democrats. In the general election of 1997 he oversaw the party's target seat campaign which resulted in the Liberal Democrats more than doubling its number of MPs from 18 to 46. With Tim Razzall (Baron Razzall) as Campaign Chair, and Charles Kennedy
Charles Kennedy
Charles Peter Kennedy is a British Liberal Democrat politician, who led the Liberal Democrats from 9 August 1999 until 7 January 2006 and is currently a Member of Parliament for the Ross, Skye and Lochaber constituency....
as Leader, he also directed the Liberal Democrats' general election campaigns in 2001 and 2005 which further increased the number of Lib Dem MPs to 52 and 62.
In 1993, he was credited for the launch of "tactical voting" - which helped the party win a series of by-elections. The most notable success came at Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, where a by-election saw the Liberal Democrats unseat the Conservative Party
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...
(whose popularity had slumped since the Black Wednesday
Black Wednesday
In politics and economics, Black Wednesday refers to the events of 16 September 1992 when the British Conservative government was forced to withdraw the pound sterling from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism after they were unable to keep it above its agreed lower limit...
economic decable in September 1992) by the largest swing against any UK government since 1918.
Concerning the 2001 general election, one frontbench Lib Dem is reported as saying:
- "Last time people didn't follow Chris [Rennard's] instructions and the difference between those who did and who didn't – like in the Isle of WightIsle of Wight (UK Parliament constituency)Isle of Wight is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Created by the Great Reform Act for the 1832 general election, it covers the whole of the Isle of Wight and elects one Member of Parliament by the first-past-the-post voting system.-...
[which the party lost] – was very clear. The message got through."
Rennard is credited with pioneering the successful Lib Dem election strategy of claiming narrow majorities when in second or even third place and ruthlessly squeezing third party votes in Tory – Lib Dem and Labour – Lib Dem marginals.
Career
Rennard served as the Liberal Democrats Chief Executive from 2003 to 2009 during which time he was in overall charge of the party's election campaigns and organisation. His campaigns team continued to build the party's successes through by-elections such as Brent East by-election, 2003Brent East by-election, 2003
The Brent East by-election, 2003 was caused by the death on 18 June 2003 of the Member of Parliament for the constituency of Brent East, Paul Daisley, of the Labour Party....
Leicester South by-election, 2004
Leicester South by-election, 2004
A by-election was held in Leicester South on 15 July, the same day as the Birmingham Hodge Hill by-election. It was won by Parmjit Singh Gill of the Liberal Democrats, over-turning a Labour majority of 13,243 votes at the 2001 General Election....
and Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, 2006
Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, 2006
The Dunfermline and West Fife by-election, in Dunfermline and West Fife, Scotland, was held on 9 February 2006 following the death of sitting Labour MP Rachel Squire on 6 January. The by-election was the first seat to change hands in the 2005 Parliament when Willie Rennie won the seat for the...
taking the Liberal Democrats to 63 MPs. He chaired the Liberal Democrat general election campaign between summer 2006 and summer 2009 when he stood down as Chief Executive of the Party.
Rennard announced that he would be standing down as chief executive of the Liberal Democrats in May 2009. He indicated that he had discussed standing down some time ago with party Leader, Nick Clegg MP, and that this was for family and health reasons saying that he had "struggled to maintain good diabetic control with the rigours of a very demanding lifestyle". Nick Clegg, Party Leader and others expressed thanks for Rennard's service with a tribute at a party conference rally in September.
Since relinquishing the full time position Chris Rennard has become a frequent commentator on elections in the media and he still contributes to party strategy. He has been appointed to Chair a Commission on Big Society set up by the ACEVO to articulate a civil society vision of what charities want to achieve through the Big Society agenda. Lord Rennard is also a trustee of the charity Action on Smoking and Health
Action on Smoking and Health
Action on Smoking and Health is the name of a number of autonomous pressure groups/charities throughout the world which seek to publicize the risks associated with tobacco smoking and campaigns for greater restrictions on cigarette and tobacco sales....
(ASH) and a member of the Advisory Board of the Magna Carta Institute Brunel University
Brunel University
Brunel University is a public research university located in Uxbridge, London, United Kingdom. The university is named after the Victorian engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel....
and of the Advisory Council of 'Yes to Fairer Votes'.
Lord Rennard has been appointed a Vice President of the Local Government Association
Local Government Association
The Local Government Association is a voluntary lobbying organisation acting as the voice of the local government sector in England and Wales, which seeks to be an authoritative and effective advocate on its behalf....
(LGA)
House of Lords
Rennard was created 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...
on 21 July 1999 as Baron Rennard, of Wavertree in the County of Merseyside, and was introduced
Introduction (House of Lords)
Introduction is a ceremony in the House of Lords whereby new members are "introduced" to the existing membership. Introductions in the Lords are more elaborate than those in the House of Commons.-Origins:...
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....
on 27 July 1999, where he sits on the Liberal Democrat benches. He is Treasurer of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Diabetes.
Lord Rennard is a frequent contributor in the House of Lords. He concentrates on Constitutional Affairs, Localism issues and health matters related to his interests in diabetes and the cessation of smoking.
Rennard was among a group of Parliamentarians whose expense claims came under scrutiny in May 2009. The allegations were investigated by the Clerk of the Parliaments Michael Pownall
Michael Pownall
Sir Michael Graham Pownall KCB is a British public servant and from 2007 to 2011 was Clerk of the Parliaments in the House of Lords of the United Kingdom. He retired on 15 April 2011.-Career:...
following a complaint by the Sunlight Centre for Open Politics. . Pownall's ruling did not uphold any of the complaint. Lord Rennard's case was the first of a number of similarly controversial complaints against several peers to be resolved.
External links
- Lord Rennard profile at the site of Liberal Democrats
- Profile From The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, July 2004. - Interview with Lord Rennard http://www.thirdsector.co.uk/News/Article/1052871/Interview-Lord-Rennard-chair-Acevos-Big-Society-Commission From Third Sector February 2011
- Article on the AV Referendum http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/mar/14/av-miliband-clegg From The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
March 2011 - In depth interview with Lord Rennard for Civil Society http://www.civilsociety.co.uk/finance/indepth/interviews/content/8683/liberal_influence_andrew_hind_interviews_lord_rennard
- In conversation with Iain Dale for Total Politics http://www.totalpolitics.com/articles/160427/in-conversation-with-chris-rennard.thtml June 2011
- Lord Rennard's article about the Big Societyhttp://www.libdemvoice.org/chris-rennard-fill-in-the-blanks-of-the-big-society-24266.html June 2011
- The They Work For You websitehttp://www.theyworkforyou.com/peer/lord_rennard