| The Right Honourable The Lord Norton of Louth |
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|---|---|
| Member of the House of Lords | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office 1 August 1998 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Philip Norton 5 March 1951 Louth, Lincolnshire, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Occupation | Academic |
Philip Norton, Baron Norton of Louth (born 5 March 1951) is an English author, academic and Conservative peer. He has been described as "the United Kingdom's greatest living expert on Parliament" and "a world authority on constitutional issues".[1][2]
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Norton was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Louth.[3] He graduated from the University of Sheffield with the degree of Bachelor of Arts and later as a Doctor of Philosophy, and from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master of Arts.[4]
Norton is a Professor of Government in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull, and was head of the Department from 2002 to 2007.[5] Since 1992 he has been the Director of the Centre for Legislative Studies.[6] Norton has been a member of the Hansard Society advisory council since 1997 and became Director of Studies in 2002.[5]
He was created a life peer with the title Baron Norton of Louth, of Louth in the County of Lincolnshire on 1 August 1998.[7] In 2000 he chaired a commission for Leader of the Opposition William Hague to design ideas for the strengthening of the institution of Parliament,[8] and from 2001 to 2004 he served as the chairman of the House of Lords Constitution Committee.[5]
In 2007 The Daily Telegraph named him the 59th most influential person on the right of British politics.[2]
Norton is a regular contributor to Lords of the Blog, a collaborative blog by members of the House of Lords for the purposes of public engagement. The Guardian has described him as "a new star of the blogosphere."[9] He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.