Charles Falconer, Lord Falconer van Thoroton, voluit Charles Leslie Falconer, (geboren 19 november 1951, Edinburgh, Schotland), Britse politicus wiens ambtsperiode als Lord Chancellor (2003-07) werd gekenmerkt door de hervorming van het rechtssysteem van het Verenigd Koninkrijk.
Quiz
Engelse mannen van onderscheid: feit of fictie?
Henry VIII had 10 vrouwen.
Falconer volgde zijn opleiding aan het Trinity College, Glenalmond (nu Glenalmond College), in Schotland en studeerde rechten aan de University of Cambridge, Queen's College. Als jongen maakte hij kennis met Tony Blair (toekomstige premier van het Verenigd Koninkrijk), en in de jaren zestig deden de twee zelfs mee om met dezelfde jonge vrouw te daten. In 1976 werkten ze allebei als jonge advocaat in hetzelfde gebouw. Blair verhuisde enige tijd naar Falconer's appartement in Zuid-Londen, en beiden werden actief in dezelfde lokale afdeling van de Labour Party.
In de jaren tachtig, nadat Blair de politiek was binnengegaan, bleef Falconer een succesvolle juridische carrière nastreven, gespecialiseerd in handelsrecht. De twee bleven dichtbij; ze kochten huizen bij elkaar in Islington in Noord-Londen en aten vaak samen. In 1991, op de ongebruikelijk jonge leeftijd van 40 jaar, werd Falconer benoemd tot Queen's Counsel (de officiële benaming van senior-advocaten). Voorafgaand aan de algemene verkiezingen van 1997 (met een Labour-regering bijna zeker na 18 jaar oppositie), probeerde hij zich kandidaat te stellen voor het parlement, maar hij werd afgewezen omdat hij zijn kinderen naar particuliere, betaalde scholen stuurde - iets dat actieve lokale Labour Partijleden betreurden het overweldigend.
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).
