Alastair Goodlad

The Right Honourable
The Lord Goodlad
KCMG PC
The Right Honourable The Lord Goodlad KCMG PC
	Official portrait, 2018
British High Commissioner to Australia
	In office; 1 January 2000 – 1 September 2005
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Alex Allan
Succeeded by	Helen Liddell
Chief Whip of the House of Commons; Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury
	In office; 20 July 1995 – 2 May 1997
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Richard Ryder
Succeeded by	Nick Brown
Leader
Shadow Cabinet portfolios
Shadow Secretary of State for International Development
	In office; 30 June 1997 – 1 June 1998
Leader	William Hague
Preceded by	Lynda Chalker
Succeeded by	Gary Streeter
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
	In office; 2 May 1997 – 30 June 1997
Leader	John Major
Preceded by	Ann Taylor
Succeeded by	Gillian Shephard
Opposition Chief Whip in the House of Commons
	In office; 2 May 1997 – 23 June 1997
Leader	John Major
Preceded by	Donald Dewar
Succeeded by	James Arbuthnot
Prime Minister
Junior ministerial offices
Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs
	In office; 15 April 1992 – 20 July 1995
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	The Earl of Caithness
Succeeded by	Jeremy Hanley
Deputy Chief Government Whip; Treasurer of the Household
	In office; 14 July 1990 – 15 April 1992
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher; John Major
Preceded by	Tristan Garel-Jones
Succeeded by	David Heathcoat-Amory
Comptroller of the Household
	In office; 25 July 1989 – 14 July 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Tristan Garel-Jones
Succeeded by	George Young
Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy
	In office; 11 September 1984 – 13 June 1987
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Giles Shaw
Succeeded by	Michael Spicer
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
	In office; 16 February 1982 – 10 September 1984
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Tony Newton
Succeeded by	John Major
Assistant Government Whip
	In office; 9 January 1981 – 5 February 1982
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by
Parliamentary offices
Member of the House of Lords; Lord Temporal
	In office; 20 July 2005 – 29 February 2024; Life peerage
Member of Parliament; for Eddisbury; Northwich (1974–1983)
	In office; 28 February 1974 – 28 June 1999
Preceded by	John Foster
Succeeded by	Stephen O'Brien
Personal details
Born	4 July 1943 (age 81)
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Cecilia Hurst
Alma mater	King's College, Cambridge

Alastair Robertson Goodlad, Baron Goodlad, KCMG, PC (born 4 July 1943), is a British politician who served as Chief Whip of the parliamentary Conservative Party from 1995 to 1997, and British High Commissioner to Australia from 2000 to 2005. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Northwich and later for Eddisbury from 1974 to 1999. Goodlad sat in the House of Lords as a life peer from 2005 to 2024.

Early life

Born in 1943,^[1] Goodlad attended Marlborough College and read law at King's College, Cambridge.

Parliamentary career

He first stood for Parliament in 1970 when he contested Crewe, but was beaten by Labour's Scholefield Allen.

Goodlad was Member of Parliament successively for Northwich (1974–83) and Eddisbury (1983–99). He also served as a junior Foreign Office Minister then as Prime Minister John Major's Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury and Chief Whip, for which in the 1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours he was knighted as a Knight Commander of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (KCMG).^[2] Following the 1997 election, he served in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Leader of the House of Commons, Shadow Secretary of State for International Development and Opposition Chief Whip.

Membership of Lloyd's of London

Goodlad was an underwriting member of the Lloyd's of London insurance market, commencing in 1977 and ceasing in 1990. His membership coincided in the latter years with the rising tide of asbestos losses and his share is estimated to have been about £90,000.

High Commissioner to Australia

Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair then appointed Goodlad as High Commissioner to Australia. Goodlad accepted the office of Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds on 28 June 1999 to formally vacate his parliamentary seat,^[3] triggering the 1999 Eddisbury by-election.

Goodlad took up office as High Commissioner in 2000. At the end of his term in 2005, he was replaced by former Secretary of State for Scotland, Helen Liddell.

House of Lords

On 19 July 2005, he was created a life peer as Baron Goodlad, of Lincoln in the County of Lincolnshire,^[4] and was introduced in the House of Lords the following day.^[5] He sits on the Conservative benches and was chairman of the Constitution Select Committee from 2008 to 2010.

In 2007, Goodlad was appointed Chairman of the Britain–Australia Society.

Personal life

Goodlad married Cecilia Hurst in 1968 and has two sons.

Notes

^ Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages – Peerages beginning with "G" (part 2)^{[self-published source]} ^{[better source needed]}
^ "No. 54850". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 August 1997. p. 8912.
^ "No. 55544". The London Gazette. 6 July 1999. p. 7313.
^ "No. 57710". The London Gazette. 22 July 2005. p. 9525.
^ House of Lords Minutes of Proceedings for Wednesday 20 July 2005. Retrieved 9 September 2012.

External links

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by John Foster	Member of Parliament for Northwich 1974–1983	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Eddisbury 1983–1999	Succeeded by Stephen O'Brien
Political offices
Preceded by Tristan Garel-Jones	Comptroller of the Household 1989–1990	Succeeded by Sir George Young
Preceded by Tristan Garel-Jones	Treasurer of the Household 1990–1992	Succeeded by David Heathcoat-Amory
Preceded by Richard Ryder	Government Chief Whip in the Commons 1995–1997	Succeeded by Nick Brown
Preceded by Richard Ryder	Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasury 1995–1997	Succeeded by Nick Brown
Preceded by Ann Taylor	Shadow Leader of the House of Commons 1997	Succeeded by Gillian Shephard
Preceded by Clare Short	Shadow Secretary of State for International Development 1997–1998	Succeeded by Gary Streeter
Party political offices
Preceded by Richard Ryder	Conservative Chief Whip of the House of Commons 1995–1997	Succeeded by James Arbuthnot
Diplomatic posts
Preceded by Alex Allan	British High Commissioner to Australia 1999–2005	Succeeded by Helen Liddell
Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom
Preceded by The Lord Soley	Gentlemen Baron Goodlad	Followed by The Lord Turnbull

[1] Leigh Rayment's Peerage Pages – Peerages beginning with "G" (part 2)^{[self-published source]} ^{[better source needed]}

[2] "No. 54850". The London Gazette (Supplement). 2 August 1997. p. 8912.

[3] "No. 55544". The London Gazette. 6 July 1999. p. 7313.

[4] "No. 57710". The London Gazette. 22 July 2005. p. 9525.

[5] House of Lords Minutes of Proceedings for Wednesday 20 July 2005. Retrieved 9 September 2012.

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