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Andrew David Parker, Baron Parker of Minsmere, GCVO, KCB, PC (born 8 May 1962), is a British life 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 2021 to 2024, and is a crossbench member of the House of Lords.

Education

Parker was educated at a comprehensive school in Newcastle upon Tyne and then at Churchill College, Cambridge, where he studied the natural sciences.

Career

Parker joined the Security Service in 1983. 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. 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.

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.

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. The Kremlin was taking part in "deliberate, targeted, malign activity intended to undermine our free, open, and democratic societies". Parker also warned that Islamic State aspires to commit "devastating" and "more complex" attacks in Europe.

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.”

In December 2020, it was announced that Parker would be created a crossbench life peer in the 2020 Special Honours. 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. He made his maiden speech on 4 March 2021, during a debate on the space industry.

Parker retired from MI5 in April 2020. On 5 February 2021, Buckingham Palace announced that Lord Parker would succeed Earl Peel as Lord Chamberlain on 1 April 2021.

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. Parker continued to serve as Lord Chamberlain under Charles III. In this role, he took part in the 2023 coronation.

In January 2024, Parker announced his intention to step down as Lord Chamberlain by the end of the year.

On 4 November 2024, Parker returned his Wand and Insignia of Office as Lord Chamberlain and the Badge of Chancellor of the Royal Victorian Order on leaving office.

Views

Parker was early to appreciate the potential impacts of AI and COVID-19.

Personal life

Parker is married and has two children. He is an ornithologist and an avid wildlife photographer.

Honours

Parker was appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) in the 2019 Birthday Honours. He was appointed as a Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order upon appointment as Lord Chamberlain, and was made a member of the Privy Council a few days later.

References

1. "Andrew Parker". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
2. ^ "MI5 chief sees tech as biggest challenge and opportunity". www.ft.com.
3. Sengupta, Kim (28 March 2013). "Meet the real-life spymaster: Andrew Parker announced as new director general of MI5". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 25 February 2020.
4. ^ "Andrew Parker named as new head of MI5". BBC News. 28 March 2013. Retrieved 28 March 2013.
5. "Director General". MI5. Retrieved 24 April 2013.
6. "Senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2015". gov.uk. 17 December 2015. Retrieved 13 March 2016.
7. "MI5 chief: Russia trying to undermine European democracies". BBC News. 14 May 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
8. Jacobson, Seth (29 March 2019). "Far-right terrorism threat is growing, say MI5 and police chiefs of the nation". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
9. "Political Peerages 2020" (Press release). Prime Minister's Office. 22 December 2020. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
10. "So who is the Queen's new Lord Chamberlain?". The Daily Telegraph. London. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
11. Lord Parker of Minsmere (4 March 2021). "Space Industry". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). Vol. 810. United Kingdom: House of Lords. col. 499GC–500GC.
12. "Appointment of the new Director General of the Security Service" (Press release). Home Office, Cabinet Office. Retrieved 30 March 2020.
13. "Ken McCallum appointed new MI5 boss". BBC News. 30 March 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
14. "Lord Parker of Minsmere KCB appointed as Lord Chamberlain". The Royal Household. 5 February 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021.
15. "Lord chamberlain breaks wand of office and places it on Queen's coffin – video". The Guardian. London. Reuters. 19 September 2022. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
16. Rogers, James. "Queen Elizabeth II funeral: Lord Chamberlain will break his 'wand of office'". MarketWatch. Retrieved 19 September 2022.
17. Nicholl, Katie (15 November 2022). "King Charles III Adds Princess Anne and Prince Edward to His List of Counsellors of State". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
18. "Coronation order of service in full". BBC News. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
19. "Former MI5 spy chief steps down from role as King's Lord Chamberlain". Express & Star. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
20. "Windsor Castle". Court Circular. 4 November 2024. Retrieved 10 November 2024.
21. "Covid inquiry: Vallance diary tells of 'shambolic day' — as it happened". 20 November 2023 – via www.thetimes.co.uk.
22. "Andrew Parker". gov.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2022.
23. "No. 62666". The London Gazette (Supplement). 8 June 2019. p. B3.
24. "The Queen Performed Her First Royal Duty Since the Death of Prince Philip". Marie Claire. 14 April 2021. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
25. "The Queen appoints new Lord Chamberlain ahead of Prince Philip's funeral". BBC News. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2021.
26. "Orders approved and business transacted at the Privy Council held by the Queen at Windsor Castle on 28 April 2021" (PDF).

External links

• The Lord Chamberlain - Royal Household official website

• 1962 births
• Living people
• Alumni of Churchill College, Cambridge
• Civil servants in HM Customs and Excise
• Crossbench life peers
• Directors General of MI5
• Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
• Knights Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order
• Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
• Life peers created by Elizabeth II