Andrew Guy Tyrie, Baron Tyrie, (born 15 January 1957) is a British politician and former chair of the
Competition and Markets Authority
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the competition regulator in United Kingdom. It is a non-ministerial government department in the United Kingdom, responsible for strengthening business competition and preventing and reducing anti-com ...
. A member of the
Conservative Party, he was
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 ...
(MP) for
Chichester
Chichester () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publi ...
from
1997
File:1997 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The movie set of ''Titanic'', the highest-grossing movie in history at the time; '' Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone'', is published; Comet Hale-Bopp passes by Earth and becomes one of ...
to
2017
File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a s ...
. Tyrie was previously a special adviser at
HM Treasury
His Majesty's Treasury (HM Treasury), occasionally referred to as the Exchequer, or more informally the Treasury, is a department of His Majesty's Government responsible for developing and executing the government's public finance policy and ...
and chair of the
Treasury Select Committee
The House of Commons Treasury Committee (often referred to as the Treasury Select Committee) is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administr ...
, having taken up the role on 10 June 2010.
He was described by
Donald Macintyre of ''
The Independent
''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...
'' in 2013 as "the most powerful backbencher in the House of Commons", and by ''
The Economist
''The Economist'' is a British weekly newspaper printed in demitab format and published digitally. It focuses on current affairs, international business, politics, technology, and culture. Based in London, the newspaper is owned by The Eco ...
'' as a
liberal conservative
Liberal conservatism is a political ideology combining conservative policies with liberal stances, especially on economic issues but also on social and ethical matters, representing a brand of political conservatism strongly influenced by li ...
.
Early life
Tyrie was born at
Rochford,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and Grea ...
, on 15 January 1957.
He was educated at
Felsted School
(Keep your Faith)
, established =
, closed =
, type = Public schoolIndependent day and boarding
, religion = Church of England
, president =
, head_label = Headmaster
, head = Chris Townsend
, r_head_l ...
and
Trinity College, Oxford
(That which you wish to be secret, tell to nobody)
, named_for = The Holy Trinity
, established =
, sister_college = Churchill College, Cambridge
, president = Dame Hilary Boulding
, location = Broad Street, Oxford OX1 3BH
, coordinates ...
, where he read
PPE, graduating in 1979.
He then attended the
College of Europe
The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...
at
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the country by population.
The area of the whole city a ...
, where he received a postgraduate
Certificate of Advanced European Studies, followed by
Wolfson College, Cambridge
Wolfson College () is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The majority of students at the college are postgraduates. The college also admits "mature" undergraduates (aged 21 and above), with around ...
, where he obtained the degree of
MPhil.
Tyrie worked at the group head office of
BP from 1981 to 1983.
From 1990 to 1991, he was a
Fellow
A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context.
In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements.
Within the context of higher education ...
of
Nuffield College, Oxford
Nuffield College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is a graduate college and specialises in the social sciences, particularly economics, politics and sociology. Nuffield is one of Oxford's newer c ...
, then a senior
economist
An economist is a professional and practitioner in the social science discipline of economics.
The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy. Within this field there are ...
at the
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development from 1992 to 1997.
Tyrie contested
Houghton and Washington in 1992.
Parliamentary career
From 1997 to 2010
Tyrie was first elected as the Member of Parliament for
Chichester
Chichester () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publi ...
at the
1997 general election when
Labour returned to government. Following the Conservative Party's second defeat to Labour at the
2001 general election,
William Hague
William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of Engl ...
announced that he would stand down from the
leadership role; Tyrie became
Ken Clarke's campaign manager in the
following leadership election. Clarke was successful in the final ballot of MPs, but was defeated by
Iain Duncan Smith
Sir George Iain Duncan Smith (born George Ian Duncan Smith; 9 April 1954), often referred to by his initials IDS, is a British politician who served as Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2001 to 2003. He was ...
in the full membership vote. Tyrie refused to join
the new leader's shadow cabinet due to ideological differences.
After
Michael Howard succeeded Duncan Smith as Conservative leader, Tyrie served in
his Shadow Cabinet as
Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury
In British politics, the Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury (or colloquially Shadow Financial Secretary) is a shadow ministerial position of the Official Opposition that acts as the primary opposition to the equivalent position Financial ...
between November 2003 and March 2004 and then as
Shadow Paymaster General
His Majesty's Paymaster General or HM Paymaster General is a ministerial position in the Cabinet Office of the United Kingdom. The incumbent Paymaster General is Jeremy Quin MP.
History
The post was created in 1836 by the merger of the posi ...
between March 2004 and May 2005.
In 2005, he became Founding Chairman of the
All-Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition, a group of politicians in the
British Parliament
The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...
which examines the issue of
extraordinary rendition
Extraordinary rendition is a euphemism for state-sponsored forcible abduction in another jurisdiction and transfer to a third state. The phrase usually refers to a United States-led program used during the War on Terror, which had the purpos ...
and related issues.
He has been a member of the
Public Accounts Commission since 1997 and served on the
1922 Committee Executive between 2005 and 2006.
The
Conservatives
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 in ...
' third consecutive defeat following the
2005 election led
Michael Howard to announce his resignation as party leader, triggering
a leadership contest. Tyrie managed
Ken Clarke's campaign, but was again unsuccessful – Clarke was eliminated in the first ballot.
David Cameron went on to be elected leader. Tyrie did not join the
shadow cabinet.
Tyrie is also a
Council Member of the
Centre for Policy Studies
The Centre for Policy Studies (CPS) is a think tank and pressure group in the United Kingdom. Its goal is to promote coherent and practical policies based on its founding principles of: free markets, "small state," low tax, national independ ...
.
He is a shareholder of the Veritas Asian Fund and Falcon Land Limited, and he sits on the Board of Directors of Rugby Estates.
In his constituency, Tyrie has been involved locally, namely in supporting campaigns including the movement to prevent the
Accident and Emergency Department
An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of pati ...
at
St Richard's Hospital from being downgraded.
Since 2010
On 10 June 2010, Tyrie was elected to chair the Treasury Select Committee, defeating original favourite
Michael Fallon
Sir Michael Cathel Fallon (born 14 May 1952) is a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 2014 to 2017. A member of the Conservative Party, he served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Sevenoaks from 1997 to 2019, ...
to succeed
John McFall. He was returned unopposed to the Treasury Select Committee chairmanship after the 2015 general election. Tyrie also represents the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
in the
Inter-Parliamentary Union.
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, Ni ...
'' speculated in 2012: "One possible reason why Mr Tyrie is still on the backbenches is that he irritated
David Cameron by challenging his climate change policies. Mr Cameron did not ask him to become a Minister after the
2010 election and his nickname in senior Tory circles is 'Andrew Tiresome.
'"
In December 2015, Tyrie rebelled against the
Cameron government by opposing its motion to join the US-coalition in carrying out
airstrikes against
ISIS
Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kin ...
. In the following month, at a meeting of the
Liaison Committee, which he chaired, Tyrie clashed with Cameron over the Prime Minister's refusal to release details regarding the UK's involvement in the
Syrian Civil War. At one point, Cameron exclaimed to Tyrie: "You don't know what you're talking about". Tyrie's questioning during the January 2016 session of the committee was described in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' as a "one-man opposition". Tyrie, like Cameron, is a member of the
Marylebone Cricket Club
Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) is a cricket club founded in 1787 and based since 1814 at Lord's Cricket Ground, which it owns, in St John's Wood, London. The club was formerly the governing body of cricket retaining considerable global influence ...
.
Tyrie was opposed to
Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...
prior to the
2016 EU membership referendum
The United Kingdom European Union membership referendum, commonly referred to as the EU referendum or the Brexit referendum, took place on 23 June 2016 in the United Kingdom (UK) and Gibraltar to ask the electorate whether the country shoul ...
.
Select committees
He has been a member of
House of Commons
The House of Commons is the name for the elected lower house of the bicameral parliaments of the United Kingdom and Canada. In both of these countries, the Commons holds much more legislative power than the nominally upper house of parliament. T ...
select committees
Select or SELECT may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* ''Select'' (album), an album by Kim Wilde
* ''Select'' (magazine), a British music magazine
* ''MTV Select'', a television program
* ''Select Live'', New Zealand's C4 music program ...
, including:
* 1997–2001
Joint Committee on Consolidation, &c., Bills
* 1997–2001
Public Administration Select Committee
* 2001–03
Treasury Select Committee
The House of Commons Treasury Committee (often referred to as the Treasury Select Committee) is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administr ...
* 2001–04 Treasury Sub-Committee
* 2005–10
Constitutional Affairs Committee
* 2006 Joint Committee on Conventions
* 2009–10
Reform of the House of Commons Committee
* 2009–17
Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills
The Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills was a joint committee of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee was to scrutinise bills intended to make the language of tax law simpler, while preserving the effect of the exis ...
* 2009–17
Treasury Select Committee
The House of Commons Treasury Committee (often referred to as the Treasury Select Committee) is a select committee of the House of Commons in the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The remit of the committee is to examine the expenditure, administr ...
* 2010–17
Liaison Committee
* 2012–17 Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards
Post-parliamentary career
Tyrie stood down as a Member of Parliament in 2017, deciding not to stand as a candidate in the
snap general election.
In April 2018, he was confirmed as the next Chair of the
Competition and Markets Authority
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is the competition regulator in United Kingdom. It is a non-ministerial government department in the United Kingdom, responsible for strengthening business competition and preventing and reducing anti-com ...
. In June 2020, Tyrie's departure from the role was announced, taking effect in September. It was reported that he had become frustrated by the limitations of the role. However it was later speculated that Tyrie had been forced to stand down by CBA board members who had opposed his reformist agenda.
Tyrie was created a
Life Peer on 12 June 2018, taking the title Baron Tyrie, of
Chichester
Chichester () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and civil parish in West Sussex, England.OS Explorer map 120: Chichester, South Harting and Selsey Scale: 1:25 000. Publisher:Ordnance Survey – Southampton B2 edition. Publi ...
in the
County of West Sussex. He decided to sit in the House of Lords as a non-affiliated peer due to his role at the independent CMA.
Bibliography
*''Subsidiarity: As History and Policy'' (with Andrew Adonis, 1990)
*''Cautionary Tale of EMU: Some Mistakes, Some Remedies'' (1991)
*''The Prospects For Public Spending'' (1996)
*''Reforming the Lords: A Conservative Approach'' (1998)
*''Leviathan at Large: The New Regulator for the Financial Markets'' (with Martin McElwee, 2000)
*''Never Say Never: Common Sense on the Euro'' (2002)
*''Mr Blair's Poodle: An Agenda for Reviving the House of Commons'' (CPS, 2003)
*''Mr Blair's Poodle Goes to War: The House of Commons, Congress, Iraq'' (CPS, 2004)
*''Pruning The Politicians: The case for a smaller House of Commons'' (2005)
*''Greater Transparency for UK Retail Banking: A Proposal'' (2007)
*''Account Rendered'' (with Roger Gough and Stuart McCracken, 2011)
References
External links
Contributor pageat ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
''
TheyWorkForYou.com – Andrew Tyrie MPThe Public Whip – Andrew Tyrie MPvoting record
Parliament.uk – Andrew Tyrie MPprofile
Index of articles he's writtenat
Journalisted
The Media Standards Trust is a British media think tank formed in 2006. It carries out research on issues in the media sector. It also advocates for press freedom as well as industry quality, transparency and accountability. It is a registered char ...
''Debrett's People of Today''*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tyrie, Andrew
1957 births
Living people
People from Rochford
People educated at Alleyn Court School
People educated at Felsted School
Alumni of Trinity College, Oxford
Alumni of Wolfson College, Cambridge
College of Europe alumni
British special advisers
Life peers
Life peers created by Elizabeth II
Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
UK MPs 1997–2001
UK MPs 2001–2005
UK MPs 2005–2010
UK MPs 2010–2015
UK MPs 2015–2017
Non-fiction environmental writers
Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
Free Enterprise Group