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‘Freedom of Speech in Parliament’
Lord Carter of Haslemere CB
Lord Carter of Haslemere CB (Harry Carter) is a barrister who joined the Government Legal Service as a Home Office lawyer in 1989, becoming Deputy Legal Adviser to the Department in 2009.
Harry has worked on dozens of Bills, has played a key role in setting up and then advising on public inquiries and inquests, and been extensively involved in public law litigation, both domestic and ECHR.
While at the Home Office, he made a leading contribution to the contents of the ground-breaking Modern Slavery Act. In 2013, he also made a key contribution to fundamental changes to extradition law, including the introduction of a forum bar for US and other non-EU cases and improving the implementation of the European Arrest Warrant. Other notable areas include constitutional and international law, protecting national security, advising on Northern Ireland issues including the Belfast Agreement, and immigration.
For the last seven years, Harry has been General Counsel to the Prime Minister, based in No 10. The role included ensuring No 10 interests were taken into account, including giving strategic advice on all significant litigation. A crucial aspect was testing and probing legal advice given by others to ensure legal risks were properly assessed. The post required exceptional communication skills, stature and high personal impact, as well as the ability to command credibility with senior politicians and officials.
It follows that Harry has high levels of personal resilience, having operated so successfully under intense scrutiny and sustained pressure, with the ability to navigate a way through legal obstacles on issues which are at the cutting-edge of law and politics.
He was made a Bencher of Gray’s Inn in 2015 and is now a cross bench Peer in the House of Lords. He is also a trustee of the Prison Reform Trust.
