Andrew Tyrie

Tyrie was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Chichester at the 1997 general election when Labour returned to government. Following the Conservative Party's second defeat to Labour at the 2001 general election, William Hague announced that he would stand down from the leadership role; Tyrie became Ken Clarke's campaign manager in the following leadership election. Clarke was successful in the final ballot of MPs, but was defeated by Iain Duncan Smith in the full membership vote. Tyrie refused to join the new leader's shadow cabinet due to ideological differences.[9]

After Michael Howard succeeded Duncan Smith as Conservative leader, Tyrie served in his Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury between November 2003 and March 2004 and then as Shadow Paymaster General between March 2004 and May 2005.[4]

In 2005, he became Founding Chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Extraordinary Rendition, a group of politicians in the British Parliament which examines the issue of extraordinary rendition and related issues.[2][10] He has been a member of the Public Accounts Commission since 1997 and served on the 1922 Committee Executive between 2005 and 2006.[4]

The Conservatives' third consecutive defeat following the 2005 election led Michael Howard to announce his resignation as party leader, triggering a leadership contest. Tyrie managed Ken Clarke's campaign, but was again unsuccessful – Clarke was eliminated in the first ballot. David Cameron went on to be elected leader. Tyrie did not join the shadow cabinet.

Tyrie is also a Council Member of the Centre for Policy Studies.[3] He is a shareholder of the Veritas Asian Fund[11] and Falcon Land Limited,[12] and he sits on the Board of Directors of Rugby Estates.[4][13] In his constituency, Tyrie has been involved locally, namely in supporting campaigns including the movement to prevent the Accident and Emergency Department at St Richard's Hospital from being downgraded.

On 10 June 2010, Tyrie was elected to chair the Treasury Select Committee, defeating original favourite Michael Fallon to succeed John McFall. He was returned unopposed to the Treasury Select Committee chairmanship after the 2015 general election.[14] Tyrie also represents the United Kingdom in the Inter-Parliamentary Union.[4]

The Financial Times speculated in 2012: "One possible reason why Mr Tyrie is still on the backbenches is that he irritated David Cameron by challenging his climate change policies. Mr Cameron did not ask him to become a Minister after the 2010 election and his nickname in senior Tory circles is 'Andrew Tiresome.'"[15]

In December 2015, Tyrie rebelled against the Cameron government by opposing its motion to join the US-coalition in carrying out airstrikes against ISIS.[16] In the following month, at a meeting of the Liaison Committee, which he chaired, Tyrie clashed with Cameron over the Prime Minister's refusal to release details regarding the UK's involvement in the Syrian Civil War. At one point, Cameron exclaimed to Tyrie: "You don't know what you're talking about".[17] Tyrie's questioning during the January 2016 session of the Committee was described in The Guardian as a "one-man opposition".[18] Tyrie, like Cameron, is a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club.

Tyrie was opposed to Brexit prior to the 2016 EU membership referendum.[19]

He has been a member of House of Commons select committees, including: