Alistair Basil Cooke, Baron Lexden (born 1945) is a British historian, author and politician who sits as a Conservative life peer in the House of Lords[1].
He has been official historian of the Conservative Party since 2009; Consultant and Editor in Chief, Conservative Research Department since 2004 and official historian and archivist of the Carlton Club since 2007.
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Cooke was born on 20 April 1945, second son of Dr Basil Cooke and Nancy Irene Cooke (née Neal). He was educated at Framlingham College, Suffolk and Peterhouse, Cambridge, from which he graduated MA in 1970. He was a Lecturer and Tutor in Modern History at Queen’s University, Belfast. from 1971–77 and was awarded a PhD from that institution in 1979.
Cooke worked as a desk officer within the Conservative Research Department from 1977-83. During this period he served as political advisor to Airey Neave, Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, 1977–79. He joined the Conservative Political Centre in 1983 as Assistant Director, becoming Deputy Director two years later and Director between 1988-97. He was appointed OBE in 1988. He was a founder, in 1997, and member since 2005 of the Conservative Party Archive Trust. He was Chairman of Trustees of the pressure group Friends of the Union between 1995–2003 and has been Senior Trustee of the T. E. Utley Memorial Fund since 2000.
Cooke was made a life peer as Baron Lexden, of Lexden in the County of Essex and of Strangford in the County of Down, in December 2010 on the recommendation of Prime Minister David Cameron. He will sit in the House of Lords as a Conservative.
Alistair Lexden's website highlights his work in the Lords, including speeches, videos, letters and articles for the Conservative Party's Blue Blog.
With the Conservative return to opposition in 1997, Cooke worked as General Secretary of the Independent Schools Council from 1997–2004. He has also been a Governor of The John Lyon School Harrow from 1999–2005 and Patron of the Northern Ireland Schools Debating Competition since 2001.
As well as pamphlets on Northern Ireland and constitutional issues and articles in historical journals and educational publications.