Michael Heseltine
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine of Thenford in the County of Northamptonshire (born March 21, 1933), is a British Conservative politician and businessman. He was born in Swansea. He is a patron of the Tory Reform Group.
He served in the cabinet of Margaret Thatcher as Secretary of State for the Environment from 1979, then as Defence Secretary from 1983 to 1986, when he resigned over the bitter dispute over Westland Helicopters known as the Westland crisis.
He challenged Thatcher for the leadership of the Conservative Party in November 1990, but the contest - which Douglas Hurd also entered - was eventually won by John Major. He returned to government as Secretary of State for the Environment (with particular responsibility for replacing the poll tax), later as President of the Board of Trade and then Deputy Prime Minister. He was also an early key enthusiast for the Millennium Dome.
In December 2002 Heseltine controversially called for Iain Duncan Smith to be replaced as leader of the Conservatives by the "dream-ticket" of Kenneth Clarke as leader and Michael Portillo as deputy. He suggested the party's MPs vote on the matter, rather than party members as currently required by party rules. Without the replacement of Duncan Smith, the party has not "a ghost of a chance of winning the next election", he said.
Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001:
Owing to an incident in the House of Commons during the debate on the measures introduced by the 1974-1979 Labour Government to nationalise the shipbuilding and aerospace industries, Heseltine acquired the nickname Tarzan. Accounts of exactly what happened vary, but the most colourful image portrayed Heseltine seizing and brandishing the mace, his long fair hair flowing behind him.
In his business life he founded Haymarket, which publishes many popular magazines.
External Links
- Haymarket Group http://www.haymarketgroup.com/
- BBC: Heseltine: Political CV http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/727824.stm
- Guardian: Aristotle article on Michael Heseltine http://politics.guardian.co.uk/profiles/story/0,9396,459830,00.html
- Guardian Interview with Michael Heseltine by Simon Hattenstone http://www.guardian.co.uk/Tories/story/0,7369,466953,00.html
Books
Referenced By
1987 UK general election | Baron Howe of Aberavon | Baron Lamont of Lerwick | Baroness Thatcher | Board of Trade and Plantations | Boris Johnson | British Conservative Party | British Tory Party | Community Charge | Conservative Party (UK) | Conservative and Unionist Party | Defence Secretary | Deputy Prime Minister (UK) | Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | Docklands | Famous Welsh people | Fiftieth Parliament of the United Kingdom | Fifty-Second Parliament of the United Kingdom | Geoffrey Howe | George Kenneth Hotson Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie | George Younger | George Younger, 4th Viscount Younger of Leckie | John Major | List of British politicians | List of Welsh people | List of famous Welsh people | List of people by name: He | List of people by name: He-Hh | List of people by name: Hf | List of people by name: Hg | List of people by name: Hh | London Docklands | London Docklands Development Corporation | Lord Howe of Aberavon | Lord Lamont of Lerwick | MPs elected in the UK general election, 1974 (October) | MPs elected in the UK general election, 1979 | MPs elected in the UK general election, 1983 | MPs elected in the UK general election, 1987 | MPs elected in the UK general election, 1997 | Maggie Thatcher | Margaret Hilda Thatcher | Margaret Thatcher | Millenium Dome | Millennium Dome | Non-denial denial | Norman Lamont | Pembroke College, Oxford | Poll tax | Poll taxes | President of the Board of Trade | Secretary of State for Defence | Secretary of State for Environment | Secretary of State for Trade | Secretary of State for Trade and Industry | Secretary of State for the Environment | Spitting Image | Stalking horse | Thatcher | Thatcherite | The Conservative Party (UK) | The Conservative and Unionist Party (UK) | The Iron Lady | Tory Reform Group | Trade and Industry Secretary | UK Conservative Party | UK general election, 1987
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