| The Right Honourable The Lord Parker of Minsmere | |
|---|---|
| File:Breaking of the wand.jpg | |
| Parker breaks his wand of office as Lord Chamberlain and places it on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II | |
| Lord Chamberlain of the Household | |
In office 1 April 2021 – 19 September 2022 | |
| Monarch | Elizabeth II Charles III |
| Preceded by | The Earl Peel |
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 9 February 2021 | |
| Director General of MI5 | |
In office April 2013 – January 2020 | |
| Home Secretary | Theresa May Amber Rudd Sajid Javid Priti Patel |
| Preceded by | Sir Jonathan Evans |
| Succeeded by | Ken McCallum |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 8 May 1962 |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | None (crossbench) |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Churchill College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Lord Chamberlain |
Andrew David Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere, GCVO KCB PC (born 8 May 1962)[1] is a British peer and former intelligence officer who served as Director General of MI5 from 2013 to 2020. He served as Lord Chamberlain of the Household from 1 April 2021 to 19 September 2022 (ending his service during Queen Elizabeth II's funeral), and is a crossbench member of the House of Lords.
Biography[]
Parker was educated at Churchill College, Cambridge, where he studied natural sciences.[2] He joined the Security Service in 1983.[3] He was seconded to HM Customs and Excise as Director Intelligence in 1999 before becoming Director, International Terrorism at the Security Service in February 2005.[4] After leading the Security Service's response to the 7 July 2005 London bombings and the 2006 transatlantic aircraft plot, he became Deputy Director General in 2007.[3]
Parker went on to become Director General of the Service in April 2013. As of 2015, Parker was paid a salary of between £165,000 and £169,999 by the department, making him one of the 328 most highly paid people in the British public sector at that time.[5]
In May 2018, Parker said that Russia is seeking to undermine European democracies with "malign activities". Speaking in Berlin, Parker also condemned Russia for the "reckless" poisoning of the Skripals in Salisbury. Russia has denied involvement in the poisoning of Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia. Parker said the Kremlin was taking part in "deliberate, targeted, malign activity intended to undermine our free, open and democratic societies". Parker also warned Islamic State aspires to commit "devastating" and "more complex" attacks in Europe.[6]
In 2019, Parker, writing with Cressida Dick, the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police, suggested that far-right and far-left terrorism have been identified as key threats to the safety and prosperity of the nation. They warned that while Islamist terrorism remains the largest by scale, they are also “concerned about the growing threat from other forms of violent extremism … covering a spectrum of hate-driven ideologies, including the extreme right and left.”[7]
In December 2020 it was announced that Parker would be created a crossbench life peer in the 2020 Political Peerages.[8] He was created Baron Parker of Minsmere, of Minsmere in the County of Suffolk, on 29 January 2021. The territorial designation reflects his interest in bird watching.[9] He made his maiden speech on 4 March 2021 during a debate on the space industry.[10]
Parker retired from MI5 in April 2020.[11][12] On 5 February 2021, Buckingham Palace announced that Lord Parker would succeed Earl Peel as Lord Chamberlain on 1 April 2021.[13]
The ceremonial breaking of the Lord Chamberlain’s “wand of office” during the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II on 19 September 2022 symbolized the formal end of Parker's service as Lord Chamberlain to the monarch before the late Queen was lowered into the Royal Vault for private interment that evening to join her sister, parents (George VI and Elizabeth), and husband.[14][15]
Honours[]
Parker was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2019 Birthday Honours.[16] He was appointed as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order upon appointment as Lord Chamberlain,[17][18] and was made a member of the Privy Council a few days later.[19]
References[]
- ↑ "Andrew Parker". https://api.parliament.uk/query/resource?uri=https://id.parliament.uk/px6mm2TQ.
- ↑ Sengupta, Kim (28 March 2013). "Meet the real-life spymaster: Andrew Parker announced as new director general of MI5". The Independent. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/meet-the-reallife-spymaster-andrew-parker-announced-as-new-director-general-of-mi5-8553741.html.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Andrew Parker named as new head of MI5". BBC News. 28 March 2013. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21970091.
- ↑ "Director General". MI5. https://www.mi5.gov.uk/home/about-us/who-we-are/staff-and-management/director-general.html.
- ↑ "Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015". 17 December 2015. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/492289/150K_senior_salaries.csv/preview.
- ↑ "MI5 chief: Russia trying to undermine European democracies". BBC News. 14 May 2018. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-44104260.
- ↑ Jacobson, Seth (29 March 2019). "Far-right terrorism threat is growing, say MI5 and police chiefs of the nation.". The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2019/mar/29/far-right-terrorism-threat-is-growing-say-mi5-and-police-chiefs.
- ↑ "Political Peerages 2020". 22 December 2020. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/political-peerages-2020.
- ↑ "So who is the Queen's new Lord Chamberlain?". 5 February 2021. https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02/05/queens-new-lord-chamberlain/.
- ↑ Lord Parker of Minsmere (4 March 2021) "Space Industry" Parliamentary Debates (Hansard) 810 United Kingdom: House of Lords col. 499GC–500GC https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2021-03-04/debates/061593A2-AD91-4D98-ACEF-E24B78F24C65/details#contribution-F6A21FD4-A55D-4608-B295-5F6EBBDB8638.
- ↑ "Appointment of the new Director General of the Security Service". GOV.uk. https://www.GOV.uk/government/news/appointment-of-the-new-director-general-of-the-security-service--2.
- ↑ "Ken McCallum appointed new MI5 boss". BBC News. 30 March 2020. https://www.BBC.co.uk/news/uk-52094782.
- ↑ "Lord Parker of Minsmere KCB appointed as Lord Chamberlain" (in en). 5 February 2021. https://www.royal.uk/lord-parker-minsmere-kcb-appointed-lord-chamberlain.
- ↑ Reuters, Source (2022-09-19). "Lord chamberlain breaks wand of office and places it on Queen's coffin – video" (in en-GB). The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/video/2022/sep/19/lord-chamberlain-breaks-wand-of-office-and-places-it-on-queens-coffin-video.
- ↑ Rogers, James. "Queen Elizabeth II funeral: Lord Chamberlain will break his ‘wand of office’" (in EN-US). https://www.marketwatch.com/story/queen-elizabeth-ii-funeral-lord-chamberlain-will-break-his-wand-of-office-before-the-monarch-is-laid-to-rest-11663600488.
- ↑ "No. 62666". 8 June 2019. p. B3. https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62666/supplement/B3
- ↑ "The Queen Performed Her First Royal Duty Since the Death of Prince Philip". 14 April 2021. https://www.marieclaire.com/celebrity/a36116668/queen-first-royal-duty-since-prince-philips-death/.
- ↑ "The Queen appoints new Lord Chamberlain ahead of Prince Philip's funeral". 15 April 2019. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56752755.
- ↑ "Orders approved and business transacted at the Privy Council held by the Queen at Windsor Castle on 28 April 2021". https://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/2021-04-28-List-of-Business.pdf.
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