Amal Clooney meets PM David Cameron and visits House of Commons for PMQs

..........and in a nearby pub on Monday


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Amal Clooney Meets David Cameron As Part Of Campaign To Free Former Maldives President

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David Cameron met Amal Clooney in the House of Commons today as she took her human rights campaign to Parliament.
The Prime Minister had a ‘brush-by’ meeting with the leading lawyer and with the wife of jailed former Maldives President Mohamed Nasheed.
Mr Nasheed, the small island nation's first democratically elected president, was removed by a coup in 2012.
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In February he was arrested, charged with 'terrorism' and sentenced to 13 years in prison after a controversial trial, during which he was denied access to his lawyer.
Mrs Clooney, who is a barrister with Doughty Street Chambers in London, argues that Mr Nasheed is being held in violation of international law and has submitted a case with the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.
She and Mr Nasheed’s wife Laila attended Prime Minister’s Question Time today as the guests of Tory backbencher Fiona Bruce, who has long campaigned for the rights of religious minorities across the globe.
A Downing Street source told The Huffington Post UK that the Prime Minister “takes a keen interest in this case”.
“They had a short chat after PMQs, just before the Prime Minister set off for Berlin [for a meeting with The Queen and Angela Merkel].”
Maldivian MP Eva Abdulla tweeted a photo of the meeting later.

Mrs Clooney's visit to the Commons coincided with a protest by disabled rights campaigners who tried to get into the chamber during PMQs, leaving some slightly starstruck at the coincidence of it all.

Mr Cameron once referred to Mr Nasheed as 'my new best friend' and he has been the star guest speaker at a Tory party conference.
Although a magnet for holidaymakers, the Maldives has suffered from one of the worst human rights records in South East Asia over several decades.

After years of fighting for human rights for his people, Mr Nasheed became the first elected president in 2009 after defeating dictator Maumoon Abdul Gayoom.
He was named an Amnesty International "prisoner of conscience" in 1991 and was imprisoned 16 times, missing the birth of his two daughters.
YouTube videos of leaders of his Maldivian Democratic party beaten up and hospitalised have been beamed around the world, as has footage of Nasheed and his wife being dragged from their home by paramilitaries on behalf of the regime.
Clips of his arrest sparked an international outrcy earlier this year.
Many Tories have strong links with the Nasheed family and former candidate Benedict Rogers blogged for The HuffPost UK last month on why he deserves the Nobel Peace Prize.
Mrs Clooney appeared at the Supreme Court in London earlier this week to represent former residents of the Chagos Islands, who were forced to move from their homes in the 1960s to make way for a U.S. airbase.

and....

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Amal Clooney looks all white as she attends Prime Minister's Question Time

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Her husband spends his days on film sets and lounging around at his property in Italy.
But Amal Clooney has a rather different job - as a hugely successful Human Rights laywer.
And today the brainy beauty, previously Alamuddin, headed to Parliament for Prime Minister’s Questions – a bit different to George’s day we imagine.

The 37-year-old looked dressed to impress in a chic white skirt suit, as she took her seat in the peers gallery overlooking the main chamber.

During her time there she posed for a picture alongside David Cameron and MP Fiona Bruce.
Amal was joined by Laila Ali – the wife of the former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed who is currently in prison.
She has been working Laila on the release of the jailed politician for some months.
Amal previously attempted to get the US government to put pressure on the government of the Maldive to release Nasheed and it looks like she could be doing the same with UK government.
We have to admire the lawyer because the night before she was seen enjoying a night out in Notting Hill with Stella McCartney.
Hollywood actor George recently admitted that when it comes to intelligence – his lady wins every time.


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Amal Clooney heads to the House Of Commons

He told the Daily Mail: “If we put our elbows on the table and set to, that would be my only chance of winning.
“Because if it’s an intellectual battle, then I’d lose flat out!”
The 54-year-old, who tied the knot last year, added: “Look, it’s good to surround yourself with anybody who is smarter than you, and for me the bar’s pretty low anyway.
“But Amal is way up there. She’s brilliant.”


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The lawyer looked stunning in two piece suit

Merged threads

I find this all a bit strange. There was a article about this in the DM from Quentin Letts. Amal apparently sat in the area reserved for politicians because she was a guest of Fiona Bruce. (I'd never heard of the PMQ so I don't know anything about it.) But why was she there in the first place? Because at these PMQs a large number of subjects were being discussed I read, f.e. Railway issues. She was there just to do the PR for the case but in my opinion it could have been done differently, maybe in a private meeting at another time. It seems like this was again to get maximum media attention and to create a buzz around Amal and therefore the case. No other lawyers of her team were there. If she is ok with all of this, and she probably is, otherwise she wouldn't do it, then that's fine. She seems quite happy being the PR lady. But it made me wonder: would this have been possible if she wasn't the wife of...? I think the answer is no.

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There is nothing strange about this - any member of the public can go into the public gallery to watch Parliament at work.

Amal obviously had an appointment to see a variety of ministers about this case, and I'm sure it's happened many times before when she wasn't Mrs Clooney. There must be support in the Government for this.

In fact she is acting for the British Government on committees for several cases.

The fact that she is George's wife obviously brings its benefits in terms of publ icity too...........at the Globes she said she thought it would all die down soon

.....oh, and PMQs are questions from the rest of the elected MPs on any matter they choose to David Cameron and it happens once a week

I hope she gets her wish and it does die down, this must be annoying when all she is trying to do is her job.

......and I think she'd be horrified to be described as just the PR lady, given the high level of work she does within the world legal system and the potential some say to be a judge in future......

.............or maybe she'd just laugh............................

There is no doubt that Amal is getting media coverage like never before because of her marriage to George.  But I don't think her approach to the way she works has changed.  She is a serious barrister with a very serious job. Her work has serious consequences for her clients.  

Well George said last year that he and Amal have had some good laughs over the stuff that had been written about them.  So hopefully Amal is still laughing.  Hopefully she is that tough and strong to brush this s*** off.

party animal - not! wrote:.....oh, and PMQs are questions from the rest of the elected MPs on any matter they choose to David Cameron and it happens once a week

.....not forgetting that it's available to watch or listen to live 
via the BBC every week !