Richard Beecroft Allan, Baron Allan of Hallam (born 11 February 1966) is a British politician and
life peer. He was the
Liberal Democrat
Several political parties from around the world have been called the Liberal Democratic Party or Liberal Democrats. These parties usually follow a liberal democratic ideology.
Active parties
Former parties
See also
*Liberal democracy
*Lib ...
Member of Parliament
A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for
Sheffield Hallam from the general election of Thursday 1 May 1997 until the dissolution of Parliament on 11 April 2005.
He was made a
life peer in the
2010 Dissolution Honours
The 2010 Dissolution Honours List was issued on 28 May 2010 at the advice of the outgoing Prime Minister, Gordon Brown. The list was gazetted on 15 June.
Life Peerages
Conservative
* Timothy Eric Boswell - former Whip and Parliamentary secret ...
.
Early life
Allan was born in
Sheffield
Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire a ...
. He went to the independent
Oundle School
Oundle School is a public school (English independent day and boarding school) for pupils 11–18 situated in the market town of Oundle in Northamptonshire, England. The school has been governed by the Worshipful Company of Grocers of the City ...
in north-east
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by
two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is ...
. He studied at
Pembroke College, Cambridge, and gained a
BA in Archaeology and Anthropology in 1988.
From
Bristol Polytechnic
The University of the West of England (also known as UWE Bristol) is a public research university, located in and around Bristol, England.
The institution was know as the Bristol Polytechnic in 1970; it received university status in 1992 and ...
, he gained an
MSc in Information Technology in 1990.
He was a field archaeologist in Britain, France and the Netherlands in 1984–85, and in
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
in 1988–89. He was a computer manager at Avon FHSA in 1991–97.
Parliamentary career
In 1997, Allan unseated
Irvine Patnick
Sir Cyril Irvine Patnick OBE (11 October 1929 – 30 December 2012) was a British businessman and Conservative Party politician.
He was knighted in 1994.Martin WainwrighObituary: Irvine Patnick ''The Guardian'', 31 December 2012
Early life
...
of the
Conservative Party
The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right.
Political parties called The Conservative P ...
achieving a majority of 8,221 with a swing of 15.3%.
He was only the second non-Conservative to win Sheffield Hallam, and the first since 1918.
In 2001, he was re-elected with an increased majority of 9,347.
During his tenure, Allan held various committee seats, including the Chair of the House of Commons Information Select Committee and a seat on the House of Commons
Liaison Select Committee.
Richard Allan was the founding chairman of the
Parthenon 2004 campaign for the return of the Parthenon Marbles.
Allan did not seek reelection at the
2005 general election. He was succeeded by future Lib Dem leader and Deputy Prime Minister
Nick Clegg
Sir Nicholas William Peter Clegg (born 7 January 1967) is a British media executive and former Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom who has been president for global affairs at Meta Platforms since 2022, having previously been vicep ...
, for whom he acted as campaign manager.
On 22 July 2010, he was created a
life peer as Baron Allan of Hallam, of
Ecclesall
Ecclesall Ward—which includes the Areas of Sheffield, neighbourhoods of Banner Cross, Bents Green, Carterknowle, Ecclesall, Greystones, Millhouses, and Ringinglow—is one of the 28 electoral wards in Sheffield, City of Sheffield, England. I ...
in the county of
South Yorkshire
South Yorkshire is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and metropolitan county, metropolitan county in the Yorkshire and Humber Region of England. The county has four council areas which are the cities of City of Doncaster, Doncaster and City of Sh ...
, and was
introduced in the
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
on 26 July 2010, where he sits as a Liberal Democrat peer.
Post political career
From June 2009 to September 2019 Allan was employed by
Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Mosk ...
as Director of Policy in Europe, responsible for representing the company and lobbying EU governments on matters of concern to it. He was previously Head of Government Affairs for
Cisco Systems UK. Allan has given various interviews responding to media concerns about Facebook, and in January 2012 he gave evidence to the
Leveson Inquiry on Facebook's attitude to malicious posting and to privacy.
He is a visiting fellow of the
Oxford Internet Institute
The Oxford Internet Institute (OII) is a multi-disciplinary department of social and computer science dedicated to the study of information, communication, and technology, and is part of the Social Sciences Division of the University of Oxford ...
and deputy chairman of the
.
Personal life
Allan married Louise Netley on 25 May 1991 in
Bath, Somerset. They have since separated. Allan has three daughters. Rosie Mae Allan, born Sept 30th 1988 and twin daughters with his current partner.
References
External links
*
More Political TimesRichard Allan's weblog (archived)
*
Oxford Internet InstituteSheffield Liberal Democrats(Archived)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allan, Richard
1966 births
Alumni of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Alumni of the University of the West of England, Bristol
English bloggers
Facebook employees
Liberal Democrats (UK) councillors
Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Liberal Democrats (UK) MPs for English constituencies
Living people
People educated at Birkdale School
People educated at Oundle School
Politics of Sheffield
UK MPs 1997–2001
UK MPs 2001–2005
British male bloggers