Sir Peter John Robert Riddell (born 14 October 1948) is a British journalist and author. He worked for the ''

Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...

'' from 1970 to 1991. From April 2016 to September 2021 he served as the British government's

Commissioner for Public Appointments The Commissioner for Public Appointments is a British public servant, appointed by The King, whose primary role is to provide independent assurance that ministerial public appointments across the United Kingdom by HM Government Ministers (and devol ...

, and is the former director of the

Institute for Government The Institute for Government (IfG) is a British independent think tank which aims to improve government effectiveness through research and analysis. Based at 2 Carlton Gardens in central London and founded as a charity in 2008, it was initially ...

Early and personal life

Riddell was born in

Torquay Torquay ( ) is a seaside town in Devon, England, part of the unitary authority area of Torbay. It lies south of the county town of Exeter and east-north-east of Plymouth, on the north of Tor Bay, adjoining the neighbouring town of Paignton ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

on 14 October 1948. His father, a solicitor, served in the

RAF The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. Riddell lived in

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

during his early life. He attended

Dulwich College Dulwich College is a 2–19 independent, day and boarding school for boys in Dulwich, London, England. As a public school, it began as the College of God's Gift, founded in 1619 by Elizabethan actor Edward Alleyn, with the original purpose of ...

and graduated from Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge with a BA in history and economics and an MA. Riddell married Avril in 1994. They have one daughter, born in 1996.

Journalism career

Riddell joined the ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') in 1970. He was property correspondent in the early 1970s and economics correspondent in the late 1970s, covering events such as the 1976 IMF crisis. He became the ''FT''s political editor in 1981, at the age of 33. He was US editor and Washington bureau chief at the ''FT'' between 1989 and 1991, when he left the newspaper.Hansard Society - Advisory Council - Peter Riddell
. From 1991 to 2010, he was a political commentator for ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

'', of which he was also an assistant editor.

Civil society work

He has been a member of the

Hansard Society The Hansard Society was formed in the United Kingdom in 1944 to promote parliamentary democracy. Founded and chaired by Commander Stephen King-Hall, the first subscribers were Winston Churchill and Clement Attlee. The society's co-presidents a ...

council since 1996 and was its chair from 2007 until 2012. He was a senior fellow at the

from 2008 until 2011, and beginning in January 2012 he was its director. On 6 July 2010, the Prime Minister,

David Cameron David William Donald Cameron (born 9 October 1966) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2010 to 2016 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2005 to 2016. He previously served as Leader o ...

, announced that Riddell would be one of three members of an inquiry to determine whether British intelligence officers were complicit in the torture of detainees, including those from the

Guantanamo Bay detention camp The Guantanamo Bay detention camp ( es, Centro de detención de la bahía de Guantánamo) is a United States military prison located within Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also referred to as Guantánamo, GTMO, and Gitmo (), on the coast of Guant ...

or subject to rendition flights. On 20 April 2016, the

Cabinet Office The Cabinet Office is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for supporting the prime minister and Cabinet. It is composed of various units that support Cabinet committees and which co-ordinate the delivery of government objecti ...

announced that Riddell would replace Sir David Normington as the new

. His term, which was initially due to expire at the end of April 2021, was extended until the end of September 2021.

Honours

As part of his work on the torture enquiry, in 2010 Riddell was appointed to the

Privy Council A privy council is a body that advises the head of state of a state, typically, but not always, in the context of a monarchic government. The word "privy" means "private" or "secret"; thus, a privy council was originally a committee of the mon ...

to permit easier access to secret information, entitling him to the style "

The Right Honourable ''The Right Honourable'' ( abbreviation: ''Rt Hon.'' or variations) is an honorific style traditionally applied to certain persons and collective bodies in the United Kingdom, the former British Empire and the Commonwealth of Nations. The term is ...

". On 25 November 2010, Riddell was awarded the President's Medal by the

British Academy The British Academy is the United Kingdom's national academy for the humanities and the social sciences. It was established in 1902 and received its royal charter in the same year. It is now a fellowship of more than 1,000 leading scholars span ...

"for an outstanding record as the producer of an informed picture of the inner workings of Whitehall, high politics and the party battle". Riddell was appointed

Commander of the Order of the British Empire 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 ...

(CBE) in the

2012 Birthday Honours The Birthday Honours List 2012 was released on 16 June 2012 in the United Kingdom. on 11 June 2012 in Australia on 4 June 2012 in New Zealand,knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the 2022 New Year Honours for public service.

Publications

* ''The Thatcher Government'' (1983), * ''The Thatcher Decade'' (1989), * ''The Thatcher Era and Its Legacy'' (1991), * ''Honest Opportunism: The Rise of the Career Politician'' (1993), * ''Parliament Under Pressure'' (1997), * ''Parliament Under Blair'' (2000), * ''Blair Government'' (2002), * ''Hug Them Close: Blair, Clinton, Bush and the 'Special Relationship (2004), * ''The Unfulfilled Prime Minister: Tony Blair's Quest for a Legacy ''(2006), * ''In Defence of Politicians (in Spite of Themselves)'' (2011), * ''The Power of Judges'' (2018), * ''15 Minutes of Power: The Uncertain Life of British Ministers'' (2019),

References

External links

Institute for Government blog - Peter Riddell's posts

Hansard Society
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riddell, Peter 1948 births Living people People educated at Dulwich College Alumni of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge Commanders of the Order of the British Empire Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Commissioners for Public Appointments Recipients of the President's Medal (British Academy) Financial Times people The Times people British male journalists 20th-century British journalists 21st-century British journalists British newspaper journalists British political journalists Writers from London People from Streatham Knights Bachelor Writers from Torquay