| The Right Honourable The Lord Newton of Braintree PC |
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|---|---|
| Leader of the House of Commons Lord President of the Council |
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| In office 11 April 1992 – 2 May 1997 |
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| Prime Minister | John Major |
| Preceded by | John MacGregor |
| Succeeded by | Ann Taylor |
| Secretary of State for Social Security | |
| In office 23 July 1989 – 11 April 1992 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher John Major |
| Preceded by | John Moore |
| Succeeded by | Peter Lilley |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |
| In office 25 July 1988 – 24 July 1989 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Kenneth Clarke |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Baker |
| Member of Parliament for Braintree |
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| In office 28 February 1974 – 2 May 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency Created |
| Succeeded by | Alan Hurst |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 August 1937 London, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Oxford |
Antony Harold "Tony" Newton, Baron Newton of Braintree, PC, OBE (born 29 August 1937), is a British Conservative politician and former Cabinet member. He was the member of Parliament for Braintree from 1974–1997, and is now a member of the House of Lords.
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Newton was educated at Friends School Saffron Walden and Trinity College, Oxford, where he was President of the Union.
Newton was first elected for the new constituency of Braintree in February 1974 with a majority of 2,001,[1] and successfully retained the seat in the October 1974 general election with a reduced majority of 1,090.[2] The Conservative victory at the 1979 general election boosted his majority dramatically to 12,518,[3] and it increased at every subsequent election to a high of 17,494 at the 1992 general election[4] before his defeat in the Labour landslide at the 1997 general election.
Newton was appointed a government whip when the Conservatives came to power in 1979. In 1982 he moved to a junior ministerial position at the Department of Health and Social Security, where he remained until 1988, becoming Minister for Social Security and Disabled People in 1984, and Minister for Health in 1986.
Newton became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and a minister at the DTI for a year, before being promoted to Secretary of State for Social Security from 1989 to 1992, and then taking up the positions of Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons until 1997.
After he lost his seat in 1997 he was created a life peer as Baron Newton of Braintree, of Coggeshall in the County of Essex.
Newton chaired the Hansard Society Commission on Parliamentary Scrutiny which ran from 1999 to 2001, which concluded that Parliament was being left behind by changes in the constitution, government and society and set out reforms for improving its function.[5][6]
On 1 November 2007 he was appointed the first chairman of the new Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council.
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| New constituency | Member of Parliament for Braintree 1974–1997 |
Succeeded by Alan Hurst |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Kenneth Clarke |
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1988–1989 |
Succeeded by Kenneth Baker |
| Preceded by John Moore |
Secretary of State for Social Security 1989–1992 |
Succeeded by Peter Lilley |
| Preceded by John MacGregor |
Lord President of the Council 1992–1997 |
Succeeded by Ann Taylor |
| Leader of the House of Commons 1992–1997 |
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