21 Facts About Mark Carlisle

Mark Carlisle, Baron Carlisle of Bucklow, QC, DL, PC was a British Conservative Party politician and was Member of Parliament for Runcorn from 1964 to 1983 and then for Warrington South until 1987.

Mark Carlisle's father was a Manchester cotton merchant, and his parents were in Montevideo, Uruguay, when he was born.

Mark Carlisle was educated at Radley College in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, and the University of Manchester.

Mark Carlisle was Chairman of the university's Conservative association, and Federation of university Conservatives in 1953.

Mark Carlisle was admitted Gray's Inn, was called to the bar, and made QC in 1971.

Mark Carlisle was eventually selected for the Cheshire constituency of Runcorn, a rural and suburban seat which he won at the 1964 general election.

Mark Carlisle was a liberal Tory from the start, voting for the abolition of capital punishment in 1964.

Mark Carlisle disliked her abrasive manner, and according to The Daily Telegraph "was unhappy as Education secretary".

Mark Carlisle represented legal and penal policy on the party's 1922 committee.

Mark Carlisle was Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs from 1970 to 1972 when he became a Minister of State for Home Affairs.

Mark Carlisle steered the government Criminal Justice bill through, and warned the prison establishments to improve institutional discipline.

Mark Carlisle was a Heathite moderate on issues of public expenditure and European integration.

Mark Carlisle was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science in 1978 before being appointed to the department itself when Margaret Thatcher won the general election in May 1979.

Thatcher wrote in her memoirs that Mark Carlisle "had not proved a particularly effective Education Secretary" and to this effect he was dismissed in the September 1981 Cabinet reshuffle.

Boundary changes meant that Mark Carlisle appeared to change seats at the 1983 general election but in fact areas to the south of Warrington had previously been part of the Runcorn seat.

Mark Carlisle remained an MP until he stood down at the 1987 general election.

Mark Carlisle was instrumental in amending a justice bill reforming suspended sentences for youth offenders, who had been treated as adults.

Mark Carlisle resisted unnecessary amendments leading to the accumulation of executive power over the Court of Appeal.

Mark Carlisle was Chairman of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board from 1989 to 2000.

Mark Carlisle married Sandra des Voeux, a Cornishwoman; they had a daughter.

Mark Carlisle's brother, Captain Edmund Mark Carlisle was born on 1923 and was educated at Radley, and RMA Sandhurst.