Jane Bonham Carter, Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury (born 20 October 1957) is a British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 Liberal Democrat politician

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...

.

Education

Bonham Carter was educated at St. Paul's Girls' School, an independent school

Independent school

An independent school is a school that is independent in its finances and governance; it is not dependent upon national or local government for financing its operations, nor reliant on taxpayer contributions, and is instead funded by a combination of tuition charges, gifts, and in some cases the...

 in Brook Green

Brook Green

Brook Green is an affluent London neighbourhood in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham. It is located approx west of Charing Cross. It is bordered by Kensington, Shepherd's Bush, Hammersmith, Holland Park and Brackenbury Village....

, Hammersmith

Hammersmith

Hammersmith is an urban centre in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham in west London, England, in the United Kingdom, approximately five miles west of Charing Cross on the north bank of the River Thames...

, west London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, and at University College London

University College London

University College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and the oldest and largest constituent college of the federal University of London...

, part of London University

University of London

-20th century:Shortly after 6 Burlington Gardens was vacated, the University went through a period of rapid expansion. Bedford College, Royal Holloway and the London School of Economics all joined in 1900, Regent's Park College, which had affiliated in 1841 became an official divinity school of the...

.

Career

She worked in television

Television

Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

, before she was created a life peer

Life peer

In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...

 as Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury, of Yarnbury in the County of Wiltshire, in 2005.

Background

She is from a political family. Her great-grandfather was Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith

H. H. Asquith

Herbert Henry Asquith, 1st Earl of Oxford and Asquith, KG, PC, KC served as the Liberal Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1908 to 1916...

, the former Prime Minister

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...

, and her grandparents were Sir Maurice Bonham Carter

Maurice Bonham Carter

Sir Maurice Bonham Carter, KCB, KCVO was an English Liberal politician and cricketer.Bonham Carter was the second son of Sibella Charlotte and Henry Bonham Carter. He was born in London and educated at Winchester College and Balliol College, Oxford...

 and Lady Violet Bonham Carter, Baroness Asquith of Yarnbury. Her father Mark Bonham Carter, Baron Bonham-Carter

Mark Bonham Carter, Baron Bonham-Carter

Mark Raymond Bonham Carter, Baron Bonham-Carter , was an English publisher and politician. He was created a life peer in 1986.-Early life:...

 was a Liberal MP

Liberal Party (UK)

The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...

 and a Liberal Democrat life peer

Liberal Democrats

The Liberal Democrats are a social liberal political party in the United Kingdom which supports constitutional and electoral reform, progressive taxation, wealth taxation, human rights laws, cultural liberalism, banking reform and civil liberties .The party was formed in 1988 by a merger of the...

. Her aunt Laura Bonham-Carter, Baroness Grimond of Firth married Joseph "Jo" Grimond, Baron Grimond of Firth, a former Leader of the party. This is the only example of three generations gaining life peerages under the 1958 Life Peerages Act (the three judges Baron Russell of Killowen were created under the Appellate Jurisdiction Act of 1876).

She is a cousin of the actress Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter is an English actress of film, stage, and television. She made her acting debut in a television adaptation of K. M. Peyton's A Pattern of Roses before winning her first film role as the titular character in Lady Jane...

.

Controversy

She was criticised when it was claimed that she and her partner, Baron Razzall, share a flat but both claim expenses from the House of Lords, though they are not breaking any rules.

Styles and titles

• Miss Jane Bonham-Carter (20 October 1957 to 21 July 1986)
• The Honourable Jane Bonham-Carter (21 July 1986 to 23 June 2004)
• The Right Honourable The Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarbury (23 June 2004 to present)