TORY former chancellor Nigel Lawson has retired from the House of Lords, ending a parliamentary career after nearly five decades.
It was announced the Brexiteer had stepped down from the upper chamber on December 31 as peers returned to Westminster after the Christmas break.
He represented the former Leicestershire constituency of Blaby in the Commons from 1974 until 1992, before taking his seat on the red benches the same year.
Joining Margaret Thatcher’s newly elected government in 1979, he served as her chancellor from 1983 to 1989.
READ MORE: BBC apologises for breaching impartiality and accuracy guidelines
The parliamentary record shows Lord Lawson of Blaby, who chaired the Vote Leave campaign during the EU referendum, last spoke in the House in April 2019 when he raised the spectre of “undesirable insurrectionary forces” if Parliament refused to accept the result of the Brexit vote.
Warning of a “rift” with the public, the veteran politician highlighted the danger of “an ugly situation” developing.
Lord Lawson had previously faced claims of hypocrisy after it emerged he was applying for a French residency card.
He was also founding chairman of the Global Warming Policy Foundation, which has lobbied against climate change policies.
Informing peers of Lord Lawson’s retirement, deputy speaker Baroness Fookes said: “On behalf of the House, I thank him for his much-valued service."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel