Charles Falconer, Lord Falconer av Thoroton, i sin helhet Charles Leslie Falconer, (född 19 november 1951, Edinburgh, Skottland), brittisk politiker vars tid som lordkansler (2003–07) präglades av reform av Förenade kungarikets rättssystem.
Frågesport
English Men of Distinction: Fact or Fiction?
Henry VIII hade 10 fruar.
Falconer utbildades vid Trinity College, Glenalmond (nu Glenalmond College), i Skottland och studerade juridik vid University of Cambridge, Queen's College. Som pojke blev han bekant med Tony Blair (Storbritanniens framtida premiärminister), och på 1960-talet tävlade de två till och med samma unga kvinna. År 1976 var de båda unga advokater som arbetade i samma byggnad. Blair flyttade in i Falconer's lägenhet i södra London för en tid, och båda blev aktiva i samma lokala filial av Labour Party.
På 1980-talet, efter att Blair hade gått in i politiken, fortsatte Falconer att fortsätta en framgångsrik juridisk karriär, specialiserad på handelsrätt. De två förblev nära; de köpte hus nära varandra i Islington i norra London och ätade ofta tillsammans. 1991, vid den ovanligt unga 40 års ålder, utsågs Falconer till drottningens advokat (den officiella beteckningen av äldre advokater) Före valet 1997 (med en Labourregering en nära säkerhet efter 18 år i opposition) försökte han att köra för parlamentet, men han avslogs för att han skickade sina barn till privata skolavgifter - något som aktivt lokalt arbetskraft Partimedlemmarna beklagar överväldigande.
Following Labour’s return to power in that election, Blair arranged for a life peerage for his old friend and appointed him solicitor general. In 1998 Falconer was moved to the Cabinet Office, where he came to public attention as the minister responsible for the controversial Millennium Dome. He defended a project that many considered indefensible with good humour, a stance that evoked admiration and criticism in equal measure. After brief terms as housing minister (2001) and minister for criminal justice (2002–03), on June 12, 2003, Falconer was named to the post of lord chancellor. On the same day, Blair announced the abolition of that position (first created in 605) and its replacement by the role of secretary of state for constitutional affairs. Falconer, as the 259th and last lord chancellor, as well as the first constitutional affairs secretary, was given the task of introducing the legislation for the change. Within Parliament and the legal profession, there was widespread support in principle for reform. New measures would finally separate politics and the judiciary and end the ability of a government minister to appoint senior judges. Blair’s appointment of his friend badly weakened the impact of a reform designed to curb patronage, but Falconer himself attracted little criticism—his skills, integrity, and easygoing style were admired across the political spectrum.
The reforms overseen by Falconer included the creation of a new supreme court. Although he ultimately failed to abolish the position of the lord chancellor, it was redefined by constitutional reform in 2006: the lord chief justice took over many of the judicial aspects of the role, and the lord chancellor was no longer to serve as speaker of the House of Lords. Falconer also dealt with interpretation of the Human Rights Act in regard to treatment of those suspected of terrorist activities—a controversial issue in the wake of the 2005 bombings of London’s Underground train system.
In May 2007, after the short-lived post of constitutional affairs secretary was abolished, Falconer became secretary of state for justice. A month later, after Gordon Brown became prime minister, Falconer was replaced by Jack Straw. Falconer took a position with a private American firm, wrote articles, and frequently appeared as a radio commentator. He also became chair of the John Smith Memorial Trust, honouring the late Labour Party leader. During Conservative David Cameron’s tenure as prime minister, Falconer served as shadow spokesman for justice (2010–15), shadow spokesman for constitutional and deputy priministerial issues (2011–15), and shadow lord chancellor and shadow secretary of state for justice (2015–16).
