Lord Rennard Peer

Address:
4 Cowley Street
London
SW1P 3NB

Tel: 020 7222 7999

Fax: 020 7233 3140

Email: chris.rennard@libdems.org.uk

BIOGRAPHY

Chris Rennard  is Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats and is in overall charge of the party's election campaigns.

He was born in Liverpool in 1960 and was an active member of the party at the time that the Liberals first took control of the City Council in 1973.  He was educated at Mosspits Lane C.P. School, the Liverpool Blue Coat School and the University of Liverpool (B.A. Hons.)

At university, he chaired the University Liberals and Social Democrats, was Deputy Chair of the Liverpool Liberal Party and organised many of the party's successful election campaigns. 

He was was the most successful election agent in the country when he worked for the Liverpool Mossley Hill constituency of David Alton (now Lord Alton of Liverpool) and helped to achieve a winning 14% swing against the Conservatives in 1983.

In 1984 he became one of the party's national Area Agents based in the East Midlands (Leicester).  He was a key member of many of the Liberal/Alliance by-election campaign teams including West Derbyshire (1986) and Greenwich (1987).  He was a member of the standing committee of ALC and wrote many of the party's publications on election campaigning.

In 1989, he was made an MBE, married Ann McTegart, and was appointed as Director of Campaigns and Elections for the Liberal Democrats. He oversaw parliamentary by-election successes including Eastbourne (1990), Kincardine & Deeside (1991), Newbury (1993), Christchurch (1993), Eastleigh (1994), Littleborough & Saddleworth (1995), Winchester (1997) and Romsey (2000).

He oversaw the party's target seat campaign in 1997 which resulted in the party increasing its number of MPs from 18 to 46.  With Tim Razzall as Campaign Chair, he directed the Liberal Democrats' 2001 and 2005 General Election campaigns in which the number of MPs increased to 52 and 62. His campaigns team continued to build the party's successes through by-elections such as Brent East, Leicester South and Dunfermline & West Fife.

He became the Liberal Democrats Chief Executive in 2003 and is Chair of the party's General Election campaign.

He is also a life peer and was the youngest ever Liberal/Liberal Democrat life peer when introduced to the House at the age of 39 in 1999.  He speaks in the House of Lords on issues including election law and party funding issues.