Vernon Bogdanor


Vernon Bernard Bogdanor is a British Research Professor at the Institute for Contemporary British History at King's College London and Professor of Politics at the New College of the Humanities. He is also Emeritus Professor of Politics and Government at the University of Oxford and Emeritus Fellow of Brasenose College, Oxford.
He is one of Britain's foremost constitutional experts and has written extensively on political and constitutional issues. He supports both the British monarchy and the adoption of proportional representation.

Early life and education

He was born in Staines to Harry and Rosa Bogdanor . Educated at Bishopshalt School, Vernon Bogdanor gained a first-class honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from The Queen's College, Oxford in 1964.

Career

Since 1966, he has been Senior Tutor, Vice-Principal, and Acting Principal at Brasenose College, Oxford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a Fellow of the British Academy and an Honorary Fellow of the Society for Advanced Legal Studies.
He has been a member of Council of the Hansard Society for Parliamentary Government, Specialist Adviser to the House of Lords Select Committee on the European Communities, Member of the Court of Essex University, adviser to the governments of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Israel and Slovakia on constitutional and electoral reform, member of the Academic Panel of Local Authority Associations, member of the Hansard Society Commission on the Legislative Process, member of the UK Government delegation on Democratic Institutions in Central and Eastern Europe and Conference on the Protection of Minorities, Consultant to Independent Television News on the General Election, member of the Economic and Social Research Council's committee administering the 'Whitehall' programme, special adviser to the House of Commons Select Committee on the Public Services, member of the Swedish Constitutional Reform Project, member of the Advisory Group to the High Commissioner on National Minorities, adviser to the President of Trinidad on the Constitution of Trinidad, and member of the Economic and Social Research Council's committee administering the devolution programme.
Bogdanor is a frequent contributor to television, radio and newspapers. Between 2004 and 2008 he gave public lectures as Professor of Law at Gresham College, London. He continues to give public lectures at the College, now as Visiting Professor of Political History. He has published numerous books and articles. Recently, he edited The British Constitution in the 20th Century and authored The New British Constitution which analyses constitutional changes under the Labour government since 1997.
Bogdanor is a signatory of the statement of principles of the Henry Jackson Society.

Comments

David Cameron

Professor Bogdanor's most famous former student is David Cameron, who became Conservative Party leader and served as Prime Minister from 2010 to 2016. Bogdanor described Cameron as "one of the ablest" students he has taught, whose political views were "moderate and sensible Conservative". He has, however, expressed reservations about some of Cameron's policies, including his proposal for a British "Bill of Rights", about which Bogdanor said, "I believe it's ill thought-out and confused.... He may have forgotten some of the things I've taught him. I'd be happy to give him a few more tutorials on civil liberties."

Damian Green

Bogdanor referred to the arrest, search and questioning of the Conservative MP Damian Green, for aiding and abetting misconduct in public office by police from Special Branch, as "a storm in a teacup". "The important principle is that MPs – apart from when they're speaking in the chamber and dealing with constituents' correspondence – are subject to the same laws as the rest of us."

Awards and honours

Bogdanor was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 1998 Birthday Honours for services to constitutional history. In 2009, he was appointed a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur by the President of France, Nicolas Sarkozy, for his work on the law and history of Britain and France; the honour was presented to Bogdanor by the French Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Maurice Gourdault-Montagne.

Personal life

Bogdanor married Judith Evelyn Beckett in 1972; the marriage was dissolved in 2000.

Publications

Books

Books written or edited by Vernon Bogdanor include:
In addition to David Cameron, Bogdanor's former students include Kate Allen, Camilla Cavendish, Diane Coyle, Guy Spier, Toby Young, and Dido Harding.