Dominic Grieve receives Freedom of the City of London

The former Attorney General of England and Wales and Shadow Home Secretary, Dominic Grieve, has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London, in recognition of his outstanding public service.

Mr Grieve attended his Freedom ceremony at Guildhall today with family members and friends.  

He served as Attorney General of England and Wales from 2010 to 2014 and chaired the Intelligence and Security Committee of Parliament from 2015 to 2019.

A barrister and Bencher of the Middle Temple, he served as a councillor for Hammersmith and Fulham from 1982 to 1986 and was elected as MP for Beaconsfield, representing the area’s constituents from 1997 to 2019. Mr Grieve was appointed Shadow spokesperson on community cohesion (2001 – 2008), Shadow Home and then Justice Secretary (2008 – 2010), and Privy Councillor in 2010.

Mr Grieve has been a Visiting Professor in Law and Politics at Goldsmiths, London University since 2020 and this year, he was was appointed Co-President of the European Movement UK. Other prominent roles have included Chair of the Citizen’s UK Commission on Muslim participation in public life; President of the Franco-British Society; and Trustee of the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies.

He was awarded the Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (France) in 2016.

Policy Chairman of the City of London Corporation, Chris Hayward, said:

“Dominic Grieve has had a distinguished career spanning more than 40 years, excelling in the political, legal, and academic arenas.

“With so many high-level roles, served since his early days as a councillor in west London in the 1980s, and with such sterling work to his credit, he is a worthy recipient of this recognition from the City of London Corporation.”

Speaking after his ceremony at Guildhall, Dominic Grieve said:

“As a Londoner at every stage of my life, it is an immense honour and privilege for me to have been given the Freedom of the City of London.

“My professional career has been spent working in the Temple within the City and one of the great pleasures and influences on my life has been living in London’s diverse and vibrant environment that contributes so much to our country, both, culturally and economically.” 

One of the City of London’s ancient traditions, the Freedom is believed to have begun in 1237 and enabled recipients to carry out their trade.

As well as being nominated for, or applying for, the Freedom, it is also offered by the City of London Corporation to individuals as a way of paying tribute to their outstanding contribution to London or public life, or to celebrate a very significant achievement.

Recent prominent recipients include former Chief Economist at the Bank of England, Andy Haldane; Chief Medical Officer for England, Professor Sir Chris Whitty; former CEO of the Barbican Centre, Claire Spencer; and ‘Hamilton’ actor and musician, Giles Terera.

ENDS