Spencer Batiste (born 5 June 1945) was educated at Carmel College (1955–1963), the Sorbonne, Paris (1963–1964),

Queens' College, Cambridge Queens' College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Queens' is one of the oldest colleges of the university, founded in 1448 by Margaret of Anjou. The college spans the River Cam, colloquially referred to as the "light s ...

(1964–1967) and the

College of Law A law school (also known as a law centre or college of law) is an institution specializing in legal education, usually involved as part of a process for becoming a lawyer within a given jurisdiction. Law degrees Argentina In Argentina, ...

(1967–1968). He was articled at Herbert Oppenheimer Nathan & Vandyk in the City of London (1968–1970) and became a practicing solicitor in 1970 with Branson Bramley of Sheffield until 1986, and then a non-exec board member of DLA (now DLA Piper) until 1995. He was also the law clerk and a guardian of the Sheffield Assay Office and a member of the British Hallmarking Council and of Sheffield University Council. In the 1979 European Parliamentary elections, he unsuccessfully contested the Sheffield, Chesterfield and NE Derbyshire Euro-constituency. However, in 1983 he became the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

MP for

Elmet Elmet ( cy, Elfed), sometimes Elmed or Elmete, was an independent Brittonic kingdom between about the 5th century and early 7th century, in what later became the smaller area of the West Riding of Yorkshire then West Yorkshire, South Yorkshir ...

in the

United Kingdom general election This is a list of United Kingdom general elections (elections for the UK House of Commons) since the first in 1802. The members of the 1801–1802 Parliament had been elected to the former Parliament of Great Britain and Parliament of Ireland, ...

, a seat which he held until his defeat in the Labour landslide in the

1997 United Kingdom general election The 1997 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 1 May 1997. The governing Conservative Party led by Prime Minister John Major was defeated in a landslide by the Labour Party led by Tony Blair, achieving a 179 seat majority. Th ...

. He served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Sir

Geoffrey Pattie Sir Geoffrey Edwin Pattie (born 17 January 1936) is a British former Conservative politician and Member of Parliament. Pattie was educated at Durham School, and St Catharine's College, Cambridge where he obtained an MA Honours Degree in Law ...

at the Department of Trade & Industry, Lord Trefgarne at the Ministry of Defence, and, latterly, for

European Commissioner A European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each member within the Commission holds a specific portfolio. The commission is led by the President of the European Commission. In simple terms they are the equivalent ...

and former

Home Secretary The secretary of state for the Home Department, otherwise known as the home secretary, is a senior minister of the Crown in the Government of the United Kingdom. The home secretary leads the Home Office, and is responsible for all national ...

Sir

Leon Brittan Leon Brittan, Baron Brittan of Spennithorne, (25 September 193921 January 2015) was a British Conservative politician and barrister who served as a European Commissioner from 1989 to 1999. As a member of Parliament from 1974 to 1988, he serve ...

. He was also a member of the Science & Technology and the Information Select Committees and was vice-chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Space Committee, In 1997, he was appointed as an immigration adjudicator for the

Immigration Appellate Authority The Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA) was an independent judicial body in the United Kingdom constituted under the Immigration Act 1971, with jurisdiction to hear appeals from many immigration and asylum decisions. Administered by the Tribun ...

, and later as a chairman of the Immigration Appeal Tribunal, which became the

Asylum and Immigration Tribunal The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal (AIT) was a tribunal constituted in the United Kingdom with jurisdiction to hear appeals from many immigration and asylum decisions. It was created on 4 April 2005, replacing the former Immigration Appellate Auth ...

. Latterly he became a judge of the Upper Tribunal (Immigration & Asylum Chamber) until his retirement in 2012. He is married with one son and one daughter

References

Sources

* ''The Times'' Guide to the House of Commons, 1992

External links

* 1945 births Living people Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 Alumni of Queens' College, Cambridge {{England-Conservative-UK-MP-1940s-stub