Andrew Tyrie

Andrew Guy Tyrie, Baron Tyrie, (born 15 January 1957) is a British politician, economist and former chair of the Competition and Markets Authority (20182020). A former member of the Conservative Party, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Chichester from 1997 to 2017. Tyrie was previously a special adviser at HM Treasury and chair of the Treasury Select Committee, having taken up the role on 10 June 2010.

He was described by Donald Macintyre of The Independent in 2013 as "the most powerful backbencher in the House of Commons", and by The Economist as a liberal conservative.

Tyrie retired from politics at the 2017 general election but was made a life peer in 2018. He has sat in the House of Lords as a non-affiliated member.

Early life Tyrie was born at Rochford, Essex, on 15 January 1957. He was educated at Felsted School and Trinity College, Oxford, where he read PPE, graduating in 1979. He then attended the College of Europe in Bruges, where he received a postgraduate Certificate of Advanced European Studies, followed by Wolfson College, Cambridge, where he obtained the degree of MPhil.

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. He was a member of the Public Accounts Commission from 1997 until 2017, which he chaired for a year, and served on the 1922 Committee Executive between 2005 and 2006. and Falcon Land Limited, and he sat on the Board of Directors of Rugby Estates from 2002 to 2010. 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.

Since 2010 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 following the 2015 general election. Tyrie also represents the United Kingdom in the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Tyrie was one of only 5 MPs to vote against the Climate Change Act 2008, and denied the existence of the scientific consensus on climate change while the legislation was being debated.

Tyrie was Chair of the Liaison Committee from 2015 to 2017.

In December 2015, Tyrie rebelled against the Cameron government by opposing its motion to join the US-coalition in carrying out airstrikes against ISIS. 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". Tyrie's questioning during the January 2016 session of the committee was described in The Guardian as a "one-man opposition". Tyrie, like Cameron, is a member of the Marylebone Cricket Club.

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

Tyrie was created a life peer on 12 June 2018, taking the title Baron Tyrie, of Chichester in the County of West Sussex. He decided to sit in the House of Lords as a non-affiliated peer due to his role at the independent CMA.

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

1997–2001 Joint Committee on Consolidation, &c., Bills 1997–2001 Public Administration Select Committee 2001–03 Treasury Select Committee 2001–04 Treasury Sub-Committee 2005–10 Constitutional Affairs Committee 2006 Joint Committee on Conventions 2009–10 Reform of the House of Commons Committee 2009–17 Joint Committee on Tax Law Rewrite Bills 2009–17 Treasury Select Committee 2010–17 Liaison Committee 2012–13 Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards

Post-parliamentary career

Tyrie stood down as a Member of Parliament in 2017, deciding not to stand as a candidate in the snap general election.

In April 2018, he was confirmed as the next Chair of the Competition and Markets Authority. In June 2020, Tyrie's departure from the role was announced, taking effect in September. It was reported that he had become frustrated by the limitations of the role. It was later speculated that Tyrie had been forced to stand down by CMA board members who had opposed his reformist agenda.