Tom King, Baron King of Bridgwater
The Right Honourable The Lord King of Bridgwater CH PC | |
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Secretary of State for Defence | |
In office 24 July 1989 – 11 April 1992 | |
Prime Minister |
Margaret Thatcher John Major |
Preceded by | George Younger |
Succeeded by | Malcolm Rifkind |
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland | |
In office 3 September 1985 – 24 July 1989 | |
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
Preceded by | Douglas Hurd |
Succeeded by | Peter Brooke |
Secretary of State for Employment | |
In office 16 October 1983 – 2 September 1985 | |
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
Preceded by | Norman Tebbit |
Succeeded by | David Young |
Secretary of State for Transport | |
In office 11 June 1983 – 16 October 1983 | |
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
Preceded by | David Howell |
Succeeded by | Nicholas Ridley |
Secretary of State for the Environment | |
In office 6 January 1983 – 11 June 1983 | |
Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
Preceded by | Michael Heseltine |
Succeeded by | Patrick Jenkin |
Shadow Secretary of State for Energy | |
In office 19 November 1976 – 4 May 1979 | |
Leader | Margaret Thatcher |
Preceded by | John Biffen |
Succeeded by | David Owen |
Member of Parliament for Bridgwater | |
In office 12 March 1970 – 7 June 2001 | |
Preceded by | Gerald Wills |
Succeeded by | Ian Liddell-Grainger |
Personal details | |
Born |
Rugby, United Kingdom | 13 June 1933
Political party | Conservative |
Alma mater | Emmanuel College, Cambridge |
Thomas Jeremy King, Baron King of Bridgwater, CH, PC (born 13 June 1933) is a British politician. A member of the Conservative Party, he served in the Cabinet from 1983–92, and was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Bridgwater in Somerset from 1970–2001. He was made a life peer in 2001.
Life and career
Education
King was educated at two independent schools: at St Michael's School, a former boys' preparatory school (later co-educational), in the village of Tawstock in North Devon, followed by Rugby School (Sheriff House), a boarding school for boys in Warwickshire, before attending Emmanuel College, Cambridge.
Military service
King served as an officer in the Somerset Light Infantry and during this period of national service he was seconded to the King's African Rifles.
Political career
King was elected to Parliament at the 1970 Bridgwater by-election, following the death of the sitting MP, Sir Gerald Wills.
King was brought into the Cabinet in 1983 by Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. After brief stints as the Environment Secretary and Transport Secretary, he went on to hold the posts of Employment Secretary and Northern Ireland Secretary at a time when these were high-profile roles with the potential for controversy. King's career in the Cabinet may appear odd to some observers due to his many quick moves between departments. King never had a strong public profile compared to other members of the Cabinet, but neither did he draw attention to himself by elementary errors or public gaffes.
King went on to serve as Defence Secretary under Prime Minister John Major during the Gulf War. He left the Cabinet after the 1992 general election, and returned to the backbenches where he served as Chairman of the Intelligence and Security Select Committee from 1994–2001, during which time KGB agent Vasili Mitrokhin defected to reveal 87-year-old Melita Norwood as a Soviet spy.[1]
King left the House of Commons at the 2001 general election, and was made a life peer as Baron King of Bridgwater. He now sits in the House of Lords. He serves as Deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party's Policy Group on National and International Security, which was set up by David Cameron in 2006.
Styles of address
- 1933–1970: Mr Tom King
- 1970–1979: Mr Tom King MP
- 1979–1992: The Right Honourable Tom King MP
- 1992–2001: The Right Honourable Tom King CH MP
- 2001: The Right Honourable Tom King CH
- 2001–: The Right Honourable The Lord King of Bridgwater CH PC
In popular culture
King was portrayed by Peter Blythe in the 2004 BBC production of The Alan Clark Diaries.
King was the subject of a song in the satirical ITV programme Spitting Image in which he was depicted as the Invisible Man during his term as Employment Secretary.
References
External links
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Tom King
Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
---|---|---|
Preceded by Gerald Wills |
Member of Parliament for Bridgwater 1970–2001 |
Succeeded by Ian Liddell-Grainger |
Political offices | ||
Preceded by Michael Heseltine |
Secretary of State for the Environment 1983 |
Succeeded by Patrick Jenkin |
Preceded by David Howell |
Secretary of State for Transport 1983 |
Succeeded by Nicholas Ridley |
Preceded by Norman Tebbit |
Secretary of State for Employment 1983–1985 |
Succeeded by The Lord Young of Graffham |
Preceded by Douglas Hurd |
Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 1985–1989 |
Succeeded by Peter Brooke |
Preceded by George Younger |
Secretary of State for Defence 1989–1992 |
Succeeded by Malcolm Rifkind |
New office | Chairperson of the Intelligence and Security Committee 1994–2001 |
Succeeded by Ann Taylor |