David Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool

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David Patrick Paul Alton, Baron Alton of Liverpool (born 15 March 1951) is a cross bench member of the House of Lords. He was made a Life peer as Baron Alton of Liverpool, of Mossley Hill in the County of Merseyside in 1997.

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[edit] Education and entry into politics

David Alton was educated at the Campion School, Hornchurch, Essex, and Christ's College of Education, Liverpool. He began his career as a teacher and, in 1972, he was elected to Liverpool City Council as Britain's youngest City Councillor. He was later the Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Liverpool Mossley Hill. He won Liverpool Edge Hill in a by-election in 1979, when he became the "Baby of the House".

[edit] Political career

From 1979 to 1988 he was a Liberal MP, and served at various times as spokesman on the Environment, Home Affairs, Northern Ireland and as Chief Whip. In 1987 he resigned as chief whip to campaign for his unsuccessful private members' bill which aimed to stop late abortions.

From 1988 to 1997 he served as a Liberal Democrat MP, but had difficult relations with parts of the party, especially over attempts to make the party adopt a pro-choice position on abortion.

He is known for his strongly Pro-Life position on abortion, which went against the pro-choice politics of some in his party. In 1992, he announced that he would not stand again as a Liberal Democrat after the Party made support for abortion a party policy for the first time. Earlier in the day, at the same Conference, they had passed an animal welfare motion which included protection for goldfish on sale in amusement arcades and funfairs.

He stood down as an MP at the 1997 General Election. He was given a peerage as a personal choice of John Major in the Dissolution Honours of that year's General Election and took that seat as a Cross-bencher.

In 1997, Lord Alton of Liverpool was appointed Professor of Citizenship at Liverpool John Moores University and founds the Foundation for Citizenship there. He chairs the Roscoe Lectures which has been addressed by His Holiness, The Dalai Lama, amongst others.

[edit] Human Rights

Lord Alton established the successful lobby group for human rights, Jubilee Campaign, in 1987, with the support of numerous members of parliament. Since then, he has also co-founded Jubilee Action, a children's charity established to fulfil the humanitarian needs highlighted by the work of Jubilee Campaign.

[edit] Books

Lord Alton of Liverpool is also an accomplished author and has published several non-fiction titles:

  • What Kind of Country? Marshall Pickering 1987
  • Whose choice anyway? Marshal Pickering 1988
  • Faith in Britain Hodder & Stoughton 1991
  • Signs of Contradiction Hodder & Stoughton 1996
  • Life After DeathChristian Demoract Press 1997
  • Citizen Virtues Harper Collins 1999
  • Citizen 21 Harper Collins 2001
  • Pilgrim Ways St Pauls Publishing 2001
  • Passion and Pain (with Michele Lombardo) and accompanying DVD of TV series 2003
  • Euthanasia: Getting To The Heart of The Matter (with Martin Foley) 2005
  • Abortion: Getting To The Heart of The Matter (with Martin Foley) 2005

[edit] See also

[edit] External Links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by:
Sir Arthur Irvine		 Member of Parliament for Liverpool Edge Hill
1979–1983		 Succeeded by:
(constituency abolished)
Preceded by:
(new constituency)		 Member of Parliament for Liverpool Mossley Hill
1983–1997		 Succeeded by:
(constituency abolished)
Preceded by:
Hélène Hayman		 Baby of the House
1979		 Succeeded by:
Stephen Dorrell
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