Raymond Benedict Bartholomew Michael Asquith, 3rd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, OBE (born 24 August 1952), is a British former diplomat and hereditary peer, styled Viscount Asquith until he succeeded to his father's peerage titles on 16 January 2011. The earldom of Oxford and Asquith was created for his paternal great-grandfather, H. H. Asquith, a former prime minister of the United Kingdom.
The Earl of Oxford and Asquith | |
|---|---|
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| as an elected hereditary peer 24 October 2014 | |
| By-election | 24 October 2014 |
| Preceded by | The 7th Baron Methuen |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Raymond Benedict Bartholomew Michael Asquith 24 August 1952 London, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Liberal Democrats |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 5 |
| Parent(s) | Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith Anne Palairet |
| Relatives | Asquith family Bonham Carter family |
| Education | Ampleforth College Farleigh School |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
| Occupation | Politician, diplomat |
Early life
editLord Oxford (as he is now known) is the elder son of Julian Asquith, 2nd Earl of Oxford and Asquith, and code breaker Anne Asquith. He was named after his paternal grandfather Raymond Asquith, a scholar and Army officer who was killed in action during the First World War.
He was educated at Farleigh School and Ampleforth College, and obtained a BA and subsequent MA degree at Balliol College, Oxford.
Career
editRaymond Asquith joined HM Diplomatic Service in 1980 as a career diplomat, serving until 1997. As well as postings in London at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and to the Cabinet Office, he served as First Secretary at the British Embassy in Moscow from 1983 to 1985, and Counsellor at HM Embassy in Kyiv from 1992 to 1997. He was First Secretary (Political) and MI6 station commander in Moscow and was personally responsible for exfiltrating the KGB officer and British agent Oleg Gordievsky concealed in his car,[1] an action which resulted in the expulsion from the Soviet Union of himself and 17 Embassy colleagues plus 7 British businessmen in September 1985.[2]
Asquith was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for "diplomatic services" in 1992. Other family members who served as British diplomats include his father, his brother Sir Dominic Asquith (former British Ambassador to Iraq and Egypt),[3] and his maternal grandfather Sir Michael Palairet.
He is currently a director of Group DF,[4] the Ukrainian holding company of Dmytro Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch associated with Vladimir Putin and Viktor Yanukovych, who is also accused by the United States Justice Department of involvement with Russian organised crime. Prior to succeeding to his peerage, Asquith ran the lobbying firm Asquith & Granovski, which served affluent clients from post-Soviet states, including Firtash.[5][6]
In October 2014, the Earl of Oxford and Asquith was elected in the House of Lords by-election to replace the Lord Methuen (who died in July 2014) and to sit as a Liberal Democrat, alongside his cousin the Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury on the government benches (as the Lib Dems were then part of a coalition government) in the House of Lords.[7][8] He left the Liberal Democrats in 2019, and since 2021 has sat as a crossbencher.[9]
Personal life
editIn 1978, Asquith married the author and scholar Clare Pollen. The Earl and Countess of Oxford and Asquith have a son and four daughters.[10][11]
- Mark Julian Asquith, Viscount Asquith (born 13 May 1979)
- Lady Magdalen Katharine Asquith (born 30 December 1981)
- Lady Frances Sophia Asquith (born 1984)
- Lady Celia Rose Asquith (born 1989)
- Lady Isabel Anne Asquith (born 1991)
The son, Mark Julian Asquith styled Viscount Asquith, is heir apparent to the family titles.
The senior branch of the Asquith family has been Roman Catholic since Katharine Asquith (mother of the 2nd Earl) converted after the death of her husband. Lord Oxford's mother was also a Catholic, as is his wife.
References
edit- ^ Obituary: Sir Christopher Curwen Daily Telegraph, 24 December 2013 (subscription required)
- ^ Schmemann, Serge (15 September 1985). "MOSCOW TO EXPEL 25 BRITONS IN ACT OF SWIFT REPRISAL". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ The Hon Sir Dominic Asquith Debrett's People of Today Archived 23 October 2014 at archive.today
- ^ "Register of Interests, The Earl of Oxford and Asquith". UK Parliament. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ Bullough, Oliver (8 March 2022). "Gas-powered kingmaker: how the UK welcomed Putin's man in Ukraine". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ Sergii, Leshchenko (25 September 2015). "The Firtash octopus". Eurozine. Retrieved 8 March 2022.
- ^ [1] Liberal Democrats, 22 October 2014
- ^ "Whole-House Hereditary Peers' By-election, October 2014: Result" (PDF). Parliament of the United Kingdom (House of Lords. 22 October 2014.
- ^ "The Earl of Oxford and Asquith: Parliamentary Career". UK Parliament. Retrieved 15 October 2024.
- ^ [2] Archived 28 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine Article on Shakespeare's Catholic Code, by Clare Asquith
- ^ [3] Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. An interview with Clare Asquith (Countess of Oxford and Asquith)