Clive Perdue

Clive Perdue
Name	Clive Perdue
Birth date	1948-03-12
Birth place	Leicester, Leicestershire
Death date	2019-11-08
Death place	London
Alma mater	King's College London, University of Oxford
Occupation	Barrister, Politician, Soldier
Party	Conservative Party (UK)
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel

Clive Perdue was a British barrister, career officer, and Conservative Party politician active in late 20th-century public life. He combined service in the British Army with a legal practice at the Inner Temple and a parliamentary candidacy, becoming known for contributions to debates on defence procurement, NATO relations, and legal reform. Perdue published essays in journals associated with Chatham House and lectured at King's College London and the Royal United Services Institute.

Early life and education

Perdue was born in Leicester to a family connected to the Textile Industry in East Midlands. He attended Wyggeston Grammar School for Boys before taking a scholarship to read Classics and Jurisprudence at University of Oxford (Balliol College), where he participated in the Oxford Union alongside contemporaries who later joined Parliament and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He completed postgraduate studies at King's College London in international law and trained at the Bar Standards Board-regulated Inns, joining the Inner Temple as a pupil under a former Attorney General for England and Wales.

Military service

Commissioned into the British Army's Royal Artillery as a junior officer, Perdue served with the Territorial Army and later commanded a regiment attached to NATO's Northern European forces during the Cold War. He deployed on exchange with units tied to the Bundeswehr and undertook staff college at the Staff College, Camberley, working on joint operations planning with officers from the United States Army and Canadian Forces. Perdue reached the rank of Lieutenant Colonel and contributed to doctrinal papers circulated by the Ministry of Defence and the Joint Services Command and Staff College.

Political career

A member of the Conservative Party (UK), Perdue stood as a parliamentary candidate in the 1980s for a constituency in Leicestershire and later served as a councillor on Leicestershire County Council. He campaigned on platforms involving defence procurement reform, ties with NATO, and legal aid modifications discussed in the House of Commons and among groups linked to the Conservative Research Department. Perdue advised shadow ministers and participated in cross-party working groups with figures from the Labour Party (UK), Liberal Democrats (UK), and representatives of the European Commission on issues of European security and industrial collaboration involving firms such as BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce plc.

Legal and professional career

Called to the bar at the Inner Temple, Perdue practised at chambers specialising in administrative and public law, appearing before the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal of England and Wales. He represented public bodies, think tanks, and corporate clients in matters that intersected with procurement rules under directives from the European Court of Justice and regulations influenced by the World Trade Organization. Perdue lectured at King's College London and at forums hosted by Chatham House and the Institute of Directors, and he published analyses in periodicals such as the Times Literary Supplement and journals aligned with the Royal United Services Institute and the Society for Advanced Legal Studies.

Personal life

Perdue married a fellow alumnus of King's College London and had two children who later entered careers at institutions including the Bank of England and the BBC. He was active in heritage organisations such as Historic England and served on the board of a regional arts charity connected to Leicester Cathedral and the National Trust. Recreational interests included walking sections of the Pennine Way and membership of clubs associated with the Marylebone Cricket Club and the Royal Geographical Society.

Legacy and honors

Perdue was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for public service and received decorations from allied militaries for contributions to NATO cooperation, including an honorary medal from the Bundeswehr. His papers, including correspondence with ministers and drafts of policy submissions, were donated to archives at King's College London and the Imperial War Museum. Posthumous tributes appeared from figures in the Conservative Party (UK), former colleagues in the Royal Artillery, and academics at the LSE, highlighting his role in bridging legal, military, and policy communities.

Category:1948 births Category:2019 deaths Category:British barristers Category:Conservative Party (UK) politicians Category:Royal Artillery officers