John Hendy, Baron Hendy, (born 11 April 1948) is an English
barrister
A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include taking cases in superior courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching law and ...
and politician acknowledged as one of the country's leading experts in
UK labour law
United Kingdom labour law regulates the relations between workers, employers and trade unions. People at work in the UK can rely upon a minimum charter of employment rights, which are found in Acts of Parliament, Regulations, common law and equit ...
.
Legal career
Once qualified as a barrister, Hendy established a law centre, the Newham Rights Centre in East London, and worked there full-time for three years. He then lectured for a year at
Middlesex Polytechnic
Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries of ...
, before returning to the Bar in 1977 and focusing on personal injury and industrial relations cases.
In the mid-1980s, he successfully represented
Wendy Savage
Wendy Diane Savage (born 12 April 1935 in Surrey) is a British gynaecologist, and advocate and campaigner of women's rights in childbirth and fertility.
Professor Savage read medicine at Girton College, Cambridge. She qualified in 1960, and was ...
, a consultant obstetrician and
gynecologist
Gynaecology or gynecology (see spelling differences) is the area of medicine that involves the treatment of women's diseases, especially those of the reproductive organs. It is often paired with the field of obstetrics, forming the combined area ...
who was suspended from practice for alleged incompetence. The case led to him working on others in the area of medical negligence, discipline and ethics.
In 1984–5, he represented the National Union of Mineworkers in the civil litigation arising out of the Miners' Strike. He took silk in 1987. In 1991, he was one of four QCs, along with
Michael Mansfield
Michael Mansfield (born 12 October 1941) is an English barrister and head of chambers at Nexus Chambers. He was recently described as "The king of human rights work" by The Legal 500 and as a Leading Silk in civil liberties and human rights ( ...
,
Geoffrey Robertson
Geoffrey Ronald Robertson (born 30 September 1946) is a human rights barrister, academic, author and broadcaster. He holds dual Australian and British citizenship. and
Kevin Garnett
Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed KG by his initials, and the "Big Ticket" for his emphatic dunki ...
, acting for the
National Union of Mineworkers against claims that they had handled funds inappropriately during the
miner's strike of 1984–85.
In 1992 he represented mining unions at the
High Court against attempts to close 31 coal mines.
In 1995, he acted for
National Union of Journalists
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) is a trade union for journalists in the United Kingdom and Ireland. It was founded in 1907 and has 38,000 members. It is a member of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Structure
There i ...
(NUJ) member Dave Wilson in the ''
Wilson and Palmer v United Kingdom
''Wilson v United Kingdom'' 002ECHR 552is a United Kingdom labour law and European labour law case concerning discrimination by employers against their workers who join and take action through trade unions. After a long series of appeals throug ...
'' case that ended discrimination against trade unionists.
In April 1999, Hendy became head of Old Square Chambers, in succession to
John Melville Williams. By that year, judgments in 76 of his cases had been published in
law reports.
[
Hendy is well known for representing the relatives of the victims of the ]Ladbroke Grove
Ladbroke Grove () is an area and a road in West London in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, passing through Kensal Green and Notting Hill, running north–south between Harrow Road and Holland Park Avenue.
It is also a name given to ...
and Southall
Southall () is a large suburban county of West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns. It is situated west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011. It is generally divided ...
rail accidents.[
In 2011, '']The Lawyer
''The Lawyer'' is a legal business information product for law firm leaders, commercial lawyers, barristers and in-house counsel. It is based in London.
History and profile
''The Lawyer'' was launched in 1987 by Centaur Media plc. It publ ...
'' described him as the "barrister champion of the trade union movement", noting that he often assists Unite
Unite may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums
* ''Unite'' (A Friend in London album), 2013 album by Danish band A Friend in London
* ''Unite'' (Kool & the Gang album), 1993
* ''Unite'' (The O.C. Supertones album), 2005
Songs ...
, ASLEF
The Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF) is a British trade union representing train drivers. It is part of the International Transport Workers' Federation and the European Transport Workers' Federation. At the end of ...
and the National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers
The National Union of Rail, Maritime and Transport Workers (commonly known as the RMT) is a British trade union covering the transport sector. Its current President is Alex Gordon and its current General Secretary is Mick Lynch.
The RMT is on ...
Leveson Inquiry
The Leveson Inquiry was a judicial public inquiry into the culture, practices and ethics of the British press following the News International phone hacking scandal, chaired by Lord Justice Leveson, who was appointed in July 2011. A series of ...
and questioned Rupert Murdoch
Keith Rupert Murdoch ( ; born 11 March 1931) is an Australian-born American business magnate. Through his company News Corp, he is the owner of hundreds of local, national, and international publishing outlets around the world, including ...
directly on 27 March 2012.
House of Lords
Hendy was nominated for a life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...
age in the 2019 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours
The 2019 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours are honours awarded following the July 2019 resignation of the Prime Minister, Theresa May. The life peerages and other honours were issued as two separate lists by the Cabinet Office on 10 September ...
. He was created Baron Hendy, of Hayes and Harlington in the London Borough of Hillingdon
The London Borough of Hillingdon () is the largest and westernmost borough in West London, England. It was formed from the districts of Hayes and Harlington, Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the ceremonial county ...
, on 15 October 2019. He sits as a Labour
Labour or labor may refer to:
* Childbirth, the delivery of a baby
* Labour (human activity), or work
** Manual labour, physical work
** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer
** Organized labour and the labour ...
peer in the House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the Bicameralism, upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by Life peer, appointment, Hereditary peer, heredity or Lords Spiritual, official function. Like the ...
. He made his maiden speech
A maiden speech is the first speech given by a newly elected or appointed member of a legislature or parliament.
Traditions surrounding maiden speeches vary from country to country. In many Westminster system governments, there is a convention th ...
on 31 October 2019 during the Lords consideration of the Phase 1 Report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry is a British public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire, which killed 72 people and destroyed Grenfell Tower on 14 June 2017. It was ordered by Prime Minister Theresa May on the day following the fire.
May announced ...
.
Personal
His mother was the youngest daughter of the 6th Baron Wynford
Baron Wynford, of Wynford Eagle in the County of Dorset, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1829 for the politician and lawyer Sir William Best. He served as Chief Justice of the Common Pleas from 1824 to 1829. H ...
and his father was "a communist electrician and trade unionist".[ His brother is Peter Hendy, Baron Hendy of Richmond Hill ]CBE
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
, who was Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
of Transport for London from 2006 until 2015 and is now Chairman of Network Rail
Network Rail Limited is the owner (via its subsidiary Network Rail Infrastructure Limited, which was known as Railtrack plc before 2002) and infrastructure manager of most of the railway network in Great Britain. Network Rail is an "arm's leng ...
.[
]
See also
*''A Manifesto for Labour Law
''A Manifesto for Labour Law: towards a comprehensive revision of workers’ rights'' (Institute of Employment Rights, 2016) is a set of reform proposals for UK labour law, written by fifteen labour rights experts in academia and legal practice fr ...
'' (2016)
Notes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hendy, John
English barristers
Living people
1948 births
Labour Party (UK) life peers
Life peers created by Elizabeth II