James Prior, Baron Prior

James Michael Leathes Prior, Baron Prior, PC, known as "Jim Prior" (born 11 October 1927), is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1959 to 1987, representing the constituency of Lowestoft from 1959 to 1983 and the renamed constituency of Waveney from 1983 to 1987. He served in the Cabinet from 1970 to 1974, and from 1979 to 1984. He was made a life peer in 1987.

Prior was educated at Charterhouse School, before going on to Cambridge University, where he earned a first class honours degree in Estate Management at Pembroke College. He did military service as an officer in the Royal Norfolk Regiment of the British Army, serving in Germany and India.

He was first elected to Parliament in 1959, and was Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food from 1970–1972, then Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council until February 1974.

Under Margaret Thatcher he was Secretary of State for Employment from May 1979 to 14 September 1981. During this period, he is believed to have angered the right wing of his party and the Prime Minister for not pressing far enough with anti-trade union legislation. In September 1981, Prior became Secretary of State for Northern Ireland^[1] and was in this office until September 1984.^[2] This transfer was widely seen as a move by Thatcher to isolate Prior, who disagreed with her on a number of economic issues because he was seen as one of the Cabinet "wets". The post of Secretary of State for Northern Ireland was seen as a dumping ground to marginalise ministers. However when Prior resigned, Thatcher revealed that she was going to offer him another Cabinet post during the reshuffle, which would have very likely been a non-economic one.

He retired from Parliament in 1987 and was later created a life peer as Baron Prior, of Brampton in the County of Suffolk.

He is Vice President and was Chairman of the Rural Housing Trust.

His son David Prior held the seat of North Norfolk between 1997-2001.

In the media

Prior was interviewed about the rise of Thatcherism for the 2006 BBC TV documentary series Tory! Tory! Tory!.

References

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by James Prior