UK

Former UK chancellor Nigel Lawson dies aged 91

Prominent Conservative served in Margaret Thatcher’s cabinet and was a leading Brexit campaigner

Nigel Lawson was an MP from 1974 until 1992 before entering the House of Lords. Photograph: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

Mon Apr 3 2023 - 21:24

Nigel Lawson, a former British chancellor who served in governments of Margaret Thatcher, has died at the age of 91, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Monday.

The Conservative MP, who represented the constituency of Blaby from 1974 to 1992, served as the UK’s chief finance minister from 1983 to 1989, a period which saw major economic reforms.

He was appointed to the House of Lords in 1992 and was active in campaigning in favour of Brexit in recent years.

He was married twice and had six children, including broadcaster and food writer Nigella Lawson and journalist Dominic Lawson.

READ MORE

Former prime minister Boris Johnson was among those to pay tribute after reports began to emerge of the Tory grandee’s death.

“Nigel Lawson was a fearless and original flame of free market Conservatism. He was a tax-cutter and simplifier who helped transform the economic landscape and helped millions of British people achieve their dreams,” Mr Johnson said.

“He was a prophet of Brexit and a lover of continental Europe. He was a giant. My thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

Current British prime minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute on Twitter with a photograph that showed him at work in an office with a picture of Lawson holding his ministerial red box hanging in the background.

“One of the first things I did as chancellor was hang a picture of Nigel Lawson above my desk,” Mr Sunak said. “He was a transformational chancellor and an inspiration to me and many others. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

James Cleverly, the current foreign secretary, described Lawson as a “true statesman” while former chancellor Sajid Javid described him as “one of Britain’s greatest public servants”.

Deputy prime minister Dominic Raab said Lawson was “a giant who changed the political weather, a lodestar for Conservatives and a kind man always generous with his wisdom”.

As chancellor, Lawson championed wider share ownership, lower personal taxes and free market economics, forming the backbone of Thatcher’s vision for Britain in the 1980s.

But he was ultimately blamed for failing to control a boom that ended in a surge in interest rates and a deep recession.

Lawson’s resignation in October 1989, after years of disagreement with Thatcher on key aspects of policy – especially over the EU – plunged her Conservative government into a crisis from which it did not recover until she resigned a year later.

Before entering politics, he was a journalist with the Sunday Telegraph, the Financial Times and the Spectator magazine.

Later in his career, he served for a time as the chairman of Vote Leave, the cross-party campaign for Brexit which included the likes of Mr Johnson, Michael Gove and Dominic Cummings.

In 2018, he was living in France and had applied for leave to remain there amid the UK’s departure from the European Union. He continued as a member of the House of Lords until December 31st, 2022, when he retired at the age of 90. – Additional reporting PA/Reuters

LATEST STORIES