Fourteenth Annual Lord Atkin Lecture Friday 11Th November

THIS YEAR’S LORD ATKIN LECTURE WILL TAKE PLACE ON FRIDAY 11 NOVEMBER AT 6PM. IT WILL BE DELIVERED BY SIR SIMON HUGHES, OLD BRECONIAN, UNDER THE TITLE “‘WHO DECIDES WHO’S GUILTY? WILL TRIAL BY JURY ALWAYS BE WITH US?”

This year’s Lord Atkin lecture will take place on Friday 11 November at 6pm. It will be delivered by Sir Simon Hughes, Old Breconian, under the title “‘Who decides who’s guilty? Will trial by jury always be with us?”

This will be the fourteenth annual Lord Atkin Lecture. Previous speakers have included former Master of the Rolls the late Lord Bingham, former Foreign Secretary Lord David Owen, the Government’s former independent reviewer of terrorism legislation Lord Carlile of Berriew, expert in European Law, Professor Sir Alan Dashwood and last year Dominic Grieve MP, who spoke about Britain’s future with or without a written constitution.

We look forward very much to hearing him share his thoughts, in front of an audience of Sixth Form pupils, staff, parents and members of the public, particularly of the legal profession, who regularly attend this annual event.

Simon Hughes was born in Cheshire and brought up in England and Wales, attending Christ College for his secondary education. His university years were spent at Selwyn College, Cambridge, where he graduated in Law and then studied at the College of Europe in Bruges.

Simon was called to the bar by the Inner Temple in 1974 and worked as a barrister before being elected to Parliament for his home constituency in 1983. He remained the MP for Bermondsey and the northern part of Southwark until 2015. From 1983 he was a front bench spokesman in the House of Commons for the Liberals and Liberal Democrats until 2013, including on Education and as Deputy Commons Liberal Democrat Leader from 2010 – 2014. In December 2010 Simon was appointed as HMG Advocate for Access to Education, and reported to the Prime Minister in July 2011. From 2012-2014 Simon was a member of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights; from December 2013 to May 2015 he was Minister of State for Justice and Civil Liberties, and from 2014-2015 a Member of the Prime Ministers Holocaust Commission.

In Parliament, Simon was founding Co-Chair of the All Party Groups on Conflict Issues and Islamophobia and Co-Chair of the Group on Youth Issues.

Simon has been an Honorary Fellow of London South Bank University since 1992, and is a Trustee of Bacon’s College, Chair of Governors at St. James’ CE Primary School, and a former Trustee of the Social Mobility Foundation. Simon became a Privy Counsellor in 2010, and was knighted in 2015.

In February 2016, Simon was appointed as Head of Public Affairs at the Open University.

If you are interested in attending please contact Mrs Jo Robinson-Davies 01874 615440 jo.robinson-davies@christcollegebrecon.com