Edward Timothy Razzall, Baron Razzall, (born 12 June 1943), is a British Liberal Democrat politician and parliamentarian.

Early life

He was the son of Humphrey Razzall, a

Liberal Party The Liberal Party is any of many political parties around the world. The meaning of ''liberal'' varies around the world, ranging from liberal conservatism on the right to social liberalism on the left. For example, while the political systems ...

member who stood as Liberal Parliamentary Candidate for Scarborough and Whitby in the 1945 general election. Razzall attended

St Paul's School, London St Paul's School is a Selective school, selective Private schools in the United Kingdom, independent day school (with limited boarding school, boarding) for boys aged 13–18, founded in 1509 by John Colet and located on a 43-acre site by Rive ...

, before going to

Worcester College, Oxford Worcester College ( ) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in 1714 by the benefaction of Sir Thomas Cookes, 2nd Baronet (1648–1701) of Norgrove, Worcestershire, whose coat of arms was ad ...

, representing the

university A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

cricket Cricket is a Bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball game played between two Sports team, teams of eleven players on a cricket field, field, at the centre of which is a cricket pitch, pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two Bail (cr ...

in 1964.

Career

Razzall qualified as a

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

in 1969 and worked for Frere Cholmeley (later Frere Cholmeley Bischoff), becoming a partner in 1973, and chief executive in 1990 before leaving in 1995 to set up his own corporate finance business (Argonaut Associates). Frere Cholmeley Bischoff encountered financial difficulties and dissolved shortly after his departure, for which some blame was attributed to Razzall. In 1974, he was elected as a

councillor A councillor, alternatively councilman, councilwoman, councilperson, or council member, is someone who sits on, votes in, or is a member of, a council. This is typically an elected representative of an electoral district in a municipal or re ...

for

Mortlake Mortlake is a suburban district of the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames on the south bank of the River Thames between Kew and Barnes, London, Barnes. Historically it was part of Surrey and until 1965 was in the Municipal Borough of Barnes ...

ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

in the

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames The London Borough of Richmond upon Thames () in south-west Greater London, London, England, forms part of Outer London and is the only London boroughs, London borough on both sides of the River Thames. It was created in 1965 when three smaller ...

, which he represented for 24 years. During that time, he served as chair of Richmond Council's Policy and Resources Committee for 13 years and as deputy leader 1983–1996. He was succeeded in both roles by Serge Lourie. In 1986, he became joint-treasurer of the Liberal Party, and then treasurer of the newly merged Liberal Democrats in 1988. He was appointed a Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(CBE) in the

1993 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 1993 were appointments by most of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries, and honorary ones to citizens of other count ...

and created 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. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

on 22 October 1997 as Baron Razzall, ''of

in the London Borough of Richmond''. In July 2002, he was the best man at the marriage of

Charles Kennedy Charles Peter Kennedy (25 November 19591 June 2015) was a British politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 1999 to 2006, and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Ross, Skye and Lochaber from 1983 to 2015. Kennedy wa ...

(the then Liberal Democrat Leader) to Sarah Gurling. From 2000 to 2006, he was chair of the Liberal Democrats' Campaigns and Communications Committee. Along with Lord Rennard, he was responsible for running the Liberal Democrats' election campaigns. He stepped down from this post in May 2006, saying he wanted a change and to give his successor a chance to settle into the role before the 2010 general election. A former

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

Liberal Democrat Spokesman on Trade and Industry and Treasurer of the All Party Parliamentary Intellectual Property Group in

Parliament In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, he now serves on various parliamentary committees.

Personal life

Razzall married first in 1965 (divorced 1974) Elizabeth Christina

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Wilkinson, and they had a daughter, journalist Katie Razzall, and a son, James Razzall. Through his marriage in 1982 (dissolved 2003) to Deirdre

Martineau Martineau is a surname. It is of French origin and may refer to: * Alice Martineau (1972–2003), English pop singer and songwriter * Alfred Albert Martineau (1859–1945), French Governor General * Alfred Martineau (cricketer) (1868–1940), Engl ...

Taylor-Smith, he became step-father to her two sons and two daughters. In 2008 he was reported to be the partner of Jane Bonham Carter, Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury. Bonham-Carter has declared the relationship in the House of Lords Register of Interests.

Memoirs

His memoirs, ''Chance Encounters,'' were published in October 2014.

Controversy

Lord Razzall attracted criticism in 2008 when it was revealed that he and his partner, Jane Bonham-Carter, a fellow life peer, had both claimed

expenses for a flat that they shared, although it was not claimed that a breach of the rules had occurred. The House of Lords expenses system was later changed to give peers a flat rate irrespective of their residence.

Honours

Life Peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

(1997) * CBE (1993)

References

External links

Lord Razzall
profile at the site of Liberal Democrats
Tim Razzall's cricketing record for Oxford''Debrett's People of Today''RAZZALL, Baron
''

Who's Who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...

2013'' (A & C Black, 2013; online edn, Oxford University Press, Dec 2012) {{DEFAULTSORT:Razzall, Tim 1943 births Living people People educated at St Paul's School, London Alumni of Worcester College, Oxford Oxford University cricketers Councillors in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Liberal Democrats (UK) life peers Life peers created by Elizabeth II Commanders of the Order of the British Empire English cricketers T People from Ealing