The Rt. Hon. Sir John Major KG CH

Author: admin

  • PMQT Written Answers – 30 November 1990

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 30th November 1990.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Security Service Commissioner

    Mr. Allason : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to publish in full the annual report of the Security Service Commissioner under the terms of the Security Service Act 1989.

    The Prime Minister : Subsections 4(6) and 4(7) of the Security Service Act 1989 require me to lay the Security Service Commissioner’s annual report before Parliament subject to the proviso that any matter which it appears to me, after consultation with the Commissioner, would be prejudicial to the continued discharge of the functions of the service may be excluded.
    Cabinet Collective Responsibility

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister what steps he is taking to strengthen collective Cabinet responsibility.

    The Prime Minister : None is needed.
    Parliamentary Questions

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list each category of parliamentary questions which it is his policy not to answer.

    The Prime Minister : Of those not transferred, none.
    Management Consultants

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the studies commissioned inside the Cabinet Office and Prime Minister’s offices by management consultants and others during the last week naming the consultancy, cost and subject in each instance.

    The Prime Minister : No studies were commissioned inside the Cabinet Office and my office by management consultants and others during the last week.
    Government Policy

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister what changes he has made to the discussion and implementation of Government policy since assuming office.

    The Prime Minister : Government decisions have been and will continue to be reached and implemented on the basis of collective responsibility.
    GCHQ

    Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to allow trade unions to organise at GCHQ; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : The ban on national trade unions at GCHQ remains in force. All GCHQ staff are free to join the GCHQ Staff Federation, which is listed as a trade union under the terms of the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1974.
    Rented Accommodation

    Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister if the Government intend to take any measures financially to encourage local authorities to build rented accommodation; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : Implementation of the Government’s housing policies is a matter for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for the Environment, for Scotland, for Wales and for Northern Ireland. The Government’s view is that greater diversity of supply of rented housing is desirable, and that generally housing associations should be the main providers of new subsidised housing for rent. Substantial increases are planned in public expenditure provision for capital investment by housing associations financed through the Housing Corporation in England; announcements about the distribution of public expenditure provision in Scotland and Wales will be made by the Secretaries of State concerned in the near future. In Northern Ireland district councils have no housing responsibilities; the Northern Ireland Housing Executive is the sole public housing authority.
    Concessionary TV Licences

    Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister if the Government will reconsider their policy of opposition to the concessionary television licence being applied to a larger group of pensioners.

    The Prime Minister : I have at present no plans to do so.
    Single European Language

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister what is Her Majesty’s Government’s policy towards the promotion by the European Community of an officially approved single language throughout Europe.

    The Prime Minister : The Government are not aware of any such proposal in the Community. The official languages of the Community (Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Greek, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish) have equal status under the treaty.
    Policy Advisers

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the official policy advisers employed in his office.

    The Prime Minister : Those currently employed in my policy unit are Miss C. Sinclair and Mr. J. Mills, both serving civil servants.
    Strategic Nuclear Deterrent

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it the policy of Her Majesty’s Government to publish an indicative list of circumstances in which Her Majesty’s Government would authorise the use of the strategic nuclear deterrent.

    The Prime Minister : No.
    Correspondence

    Mr. Parry : To ask the Prime Minister if he will publish a copy of the letter sent by the right hon. Member for Finchley (Mrs. Thatcher) to the Roman Catholic archbishop of Baghdad in September.

    The Prime Minister : It is not my normal practice to do so.

    Mr. Parry : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his practice to place in the Library copies of any official correspondence sent to him by any religious leaders.

    The Prime Minister : No.
    Question Time

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will bring forward proposals to extend the period of Prime Minister’s Question Time to that of the other major Departments of state.

    The Prime Minister : The present arrangements were agreed by the House on 18 July 1971. I have no plans to change the period of Prime Minister’s Question Time, and any such proposals would best be examined in the first instance by the Procedure Committee.
    10 Downing Street

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make arrangements for hon. Members to visit No. 10 Downing Street.

    The Prime Minister : No.
    Community Charge

    Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister what changes the Government are proposing to table over the poll tax.

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister when he expects to start the review of the community charge.

    The Prime Minister : Some of the changes announced by my right hon. Friend the then Secretary of State for the Environment on 31 October have still to come through. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment will shortly start a careful review of the community charge.
    Taxes

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to introduce no new taxes before the next election.

    The Prime Minister : I cannot anticipate my right hon. Friend’s Budget statement, but since 1979 five major taxes have been abolished, and in my 1990 Budget statement I announced that two more–composite rate tax and stamp duty on securities–will be abolished.
    Clockwork Orange

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will institute a full review of project Clockwork Orange.

    The Prime Minister : No.
    Mr. Charles Powell

    Mr. Winnick : To ask the Prime Minister if he intends to retain Mr. Charles Powell in the same position that he has hitherto occupied in the Prime Minister’s office; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister : Mr. Powell is a civil servant and decisions about his future will be taken in due course in the normal way.

    Child Abuse

    Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement on current progress of the inter departmental group on child sexual abuse.

    The Prime Minister : Since May 1989 the inter-departmental group on child abuse has met five times. It has made good progress in addressing a wide range of issues in relation to child care, including research and the co-ordination of Government guidance.

  • Mr Major’s First Cabinet – 29 November 1990

    Below is Mr Major’s first cabinet, announced on 29th November 1990.

    PRIME MINISTER – John Major

    CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER – Norman Lamont

    FOREIGN SECRETARY – Douglas Hurd

    HOME SECRETARY – Kenneth Baker

    LORD CHANCELLOR – Lord Mackay of Clashfern

    SCOTLAND – Ian Lang

    WALES – David Hunt

    NORTHERN IRELAND – Peter Brooke

    LEADER OF THE COMMONS – John MacGregor

    LEADER OF THE LORDS – Lord Waddington

    TRADE AND INDUSTRY – Peter Lilley

    DEFENCE – Tom King

    HEALTH – William Waldegrave

    SOCIAL SECURITY – Tony Newton

    ENVIRONMENT – Michael Heseltine

    TRANSPORT – Malcolm Rifkind

    EMPLOYMENT – Michael Howard

    EDUCATION AND SCIENCE – Kenneth Clarke

    AGRICULTURE – John Gummer

    ENERGY – John Wakeham

    PARTY CHAIRMAN – Chris Patten

    CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY – David Mellor

  • PMQT Written Answers – 29 November 1990

    Below is the text of the written answers relating to Prime Minister’s Question Time from 29th November 1990.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Engagements

    Mr. Harry Greenway : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 29 November.

    The Prime Minister : This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall be having further meetings later today. This evening I shall be attending a long-standing engagement in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale (Sir. F. Montgomery.)

    Statements

    Q9. Mr. Allen : To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to make greater use of statements to the House at 3.30 pm.

    The Prime Minister : Ministers make statements when appropriate.

    The Gulf

    Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister if he will discuss the ecological consequences of a military option in the Gulf with President Bush.

    The Prime Minister : I have no plans to do so.

    Mr. Dalyell : To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with Saudi Arabia about military action against Iraq.

    The Prime Minister : My right hon. Friend the Member for Finchley (Mrs. Thatcher) discussed the invasion of Kuwait, including the military aspects, with King Fahd and other members of the Government of Saudi Arabia on a number of occasions after 2 August. My right hon. Friends the Secretaries of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and for Defence have had similar discussions.

    Government Offices and Civil Servants

    Mr. Cryer : To ask the Prime Minister what steps he will take to ensure that all relevant rules are followed prohibiting Government offices and civil servants from being used on behalf of any political party by Ministers in his Government; and if he will make a statement.

    The Prime Minister [holding answer 28 November 1990] : No special steps are necessary.

    Malaysia

    Mrs. Ann Clwyd : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list all visits of Government Ministers or officials to Malaysia, with dates since 1979.

    The Prime Minister [pursuant to the reply, 19 November 1990, c. 3- 4.] :

    1988
    September–Mr. Hamilton, Minister of State, Defence

    1990
    March–Mr. Hamilton, Minister of State, Defence
    October–Mr. Hamilton, Minister of State, Defence

  • PMQT – 29 November 1990

    The text of Prime Minister’s Question Time from 29th November 1990. This was the first PMQs answered by John Major.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Engagements

    Q1. Mr. Roger King : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for 29 November 1990. The first question to a great new Prime Minister, Sir.

    The Prime Minister (Mr. John Major) rose —

    Mr. Skinner : Resign!

    The Prime Minister : Now wait a while.

    This morning I presided at a meeting of the Cabinet and had meetings with ministerial colleagues and others. In addition to my duties in the House, I shall have further meetings later today. This evening I shall attend a longstanding engagement in the constituency of my hon. Friend the Member for Altrincham and Sale (Sir F. Montgomery).

    Mr. King : May I preface my question by asking–

    Hon. Members : No.

    Mr. Speaker : I think that it would be more helpful if the hon. Gentleman encompassed it.

    Mr. King : In congratulating my right hon. Friend on becoming Prime Minister, may I assure him of the total and united support of my constituency and every constituency in the country?

    May I draw my right hon. Friend’s attention to the latest round of national health service cuts in the South Birmingham area–a cut of 17 per cent. in the past 15 months in the number of people awaiting an operation and a cut of 26 per cent. in the past five years in the same group? Will my right hon. Friend ensure that the national health service continues to make such cuts?

    The Prime Minister : That is certainly the intention of our reforms, our management and our financing of the national health service. I congratulate South Birmingham health authority. It has made good use of the extra resources that it had last year and I expect it to continue to do so in the future.

    Mr. Kinnock rose–

    Hon. Members : Hear, hear.

    Mr. Speaker : Order. I am anxious to call as many hon. Members as possible.

    Mr. Kinnock : May I offer my personal congratulations to the right hon. Gentleman on becoming Prime Minister? As the right hon. Gentleman says that he was bounced into the poll tax, does he now intend to abolish it?

    The Prime Minister : I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his welcome to the Dispatch Box. I look forward to our discussions over the forthcoming years. On the community charge, I have made it perfectly clear what the position will be. We have decided that we shall look again to see what further refinements may be necessary to ensure that the community charge is accepted throughout the country.

    Mr. Kinnock : May I offer some help to the right hon. Gentleman– [Hon. Members :– “No.”] It is well intended. He could save himself a great deal of time and trouble and the British people a great deal of money by accepting Labour party policy and abolishing the poll tax now.

    The Prime Minister : My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment will take forward a very thorough, constructive and fundamental review of the community charge. In doing so, he will take account of the points made by my hon. Friends both north and south of the Scottish border before we reach conclusions. On this side of the House we believe in examining matters before reaching conclusions.

    Mr. Kinnock : Everybody, including the right hon. Gentleman, knows that there is only one fundamental, efficient and fair thing to do with the poll tax and that is to scrap it.

    The Prime Minister : The right hon. Gentleman forgets the alternative, to which he has decided to return. Was not it he who, in 1980, said that

    “the most unjust of all taxes, local rates, take most from those who can afford least”?

    Q2. Mr. Patrick Thompson : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 29 November.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Thompson : Will my right hon. Friend accept the special congratulations and welcome that he will receive from East Anglian Members of Parliament and their constituents, particularly as he is an East Anglian Member of Parliament, representing Huntingdon? Will he confirm that shortly he will meet President Bush to discuss the Gulf and other matters of common concern so as to continue the Government’s correct policy on these issues?

    The Prime Minister : I can certainly confirm that to my hon. Friend. The date has not yet been fixed, but I hope that it will be this side of Christmas.

    Mr. Ashdown : May I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on his appointment as Britain’s Prime Minister? The whole nation will wish him success in the difficult task ahead– [Hon. Members :– “Speak for yourself.”] For the sake of the nation, we wish the right hon. Gentleman success.

    If in two weeks’ time at the intergovernmental conference all 11 of our European partners say that they can accept the right hon. Gentleman’s hard ecu proposal, provided that he will accept that it could be used as a transitional mechanism towards a single currency, perhaps by the end of the decade, will he agree?

    The Prime Minister : I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for his generous welcome, which I appreciate. There will be a wide range of matters to discuss at the intergovernmental conference and we need to discuss them with great care before we proceed. The Government’s position on the imposition of a single currency is clear : it is not acceptable.

    Mrs. Peacock : After the recent turmoil and my right hon. Friend’s uniting of the party, does he agree that his objective of a classless society in the future will be better served by a Conservative Government led by him than by the socialism offered by the Labour party?

    The Prime Minister : I am happy to agree entirely with my hon. Friend about that. We need to continue to build on what has been achieved in the past 11 years to make this an open society of opportunity. The Government propose to do that.

    Mrs. Margaret Ewing : The Prime Minister in his recent meteoric rise has shown great dignity and pride in his humble origins. What priority will he now give to the problem of homelessness which he inherited from his predecessor? In particular, will he look at the issues of cardboard cities, people who live in damp homes and those who have no hope of a roof over their heads?

    The Prime Minister : Everyone is entitled to dignity and pride. The Government’s policies will endeavour to ensure that they can attain them.

    Q3. Mr. Anthony Coombs : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 29 November.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Coombs : May I, too, welcome my right hon. Friend to the Dispatch Box?

    Given the record rate of growth in the economy over the past 10 years, and as my right hon. Friend was the Chancellor of the Exchequer who relieved 6 million non-taxpayers of the need to pay tax on their savings at source, does he agree that the next decade of opportunity crucially depends on further tax reductions and further savings incentives of exactly the sort that have so reinvigorated the country in the past 10 years?

    The Prime Minister : I assure my hon. Friend that I certainly favour further tax reductions when they are affordable and it is prudent to make them. I am extremely keen to see the growth of savings for two reasons : first, to provide the base from which the investment we need in the 1990s will come and, secondly, for the security and independence that savings give individuals and their families.

    Mr. Blunkett : Earlier this week, the right hon. Gentleman’s former boss, the right hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Lawson), described the poll tax as unworkable and politically catastrophic, whereas his predecessor as Prime Minister said that we had already had a fundamental review of the poll tax. Which of those two conflicting opposites has the Prime Minister advised the new Secretary of State to adopt in the new fundamental review of the poll tax to which he referred earlier?

    The Prime Minister : My right hon. Friend the Member for Finchley (Mrs. Thatcher) made it entirely clear on a number of occasions from this Dispatch Box that when any new charge of this sort was introduced, it would need to be kept under review. That is what we are doing.

    Mr. Shersby : At the commencement of his Administration, will my right hon. Friend declare continuing support for the police in their difficult task of maintaining law and order?

    The Prime Minister : The police do a magnificent job in this country, often in difficult circumstances. I have no hesitation whatever in assuring my hon. Friend that I have the greatest admiration for the way they behave.

    Q4. Mr. Patchett : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 29 November.

    The Prime Minister : I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Patchett : If, as the right hon. Gentleman says, he is his own man, may I ask him to say in what way his policies will differ from those of his predecessor?

    The Prime Minister : I am my own man and on that basis I see no need to beat my chest and tell the hon. Gentleman. Let him wait and see what we do.

    Q5. Mrs. Maureen Hicks : To ask the Prime Minister if he will list his official engagements for Thursday 29 November.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mrs. Hicks : I warmly welcome my right hon. Friend as Prime Minister. May I invite him to take some advice from a female colleague in relation to inner cities? Does he agree that to achieve his aim of a classless Britain, which is highly commendable, the Government need to give the highest priority to inner cities? Will he afford me the honour as soon as possible of coming to Wolverhampton and giving me the opportunity to demonstrate our success and illustrate the constraints of municipal socialism, which continues to deny choice and opportunity?

    The Prime Minister : I find that an irresistible invitation. I am familiar with the problems of the inner cities. I regard them as a matter of great importance and I have no doubt that my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment will bend his formidable energies to that problem.

    Mr. Robert Hughes : With regard to the Prime Minister’s desire for a classless society and social mobility, will he explain why there are no women in his Cabinet, or is the only woman in his Cabinet the back-seat driver?

    The Prime Minister : In recent years, in all aspects of life in this country, women have been taking a higher profile : in the law, in commerce, in the civil service, in industry and in politics– [Interruption.] –and that will continue. As those women would wish it to be, they will reach the top on merit– [Interruption.]

    Mr. Speaker : Order.

    The Prime Minister : Oh yes, and if the hon. Gentleman is patient, he will find women aplenty in top positions in my Government. Indeed, if he had waited awhile, perhaps even to the end of today, he would not have asked that question.

    Q6. Mr. Gill : To ask the Prime Minister if she will list his official engagements for Thursday 29 November.

    The Prime Minister : I refer my hon. Friend to the reply that I gave some moments ago.

    Mr. Gill : I endorse the congratulations of my West Midlands colleague, my hon. Friend the Member for Wolverhampton, North-East (Mrs. Hicks). My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will know of the tremendous support that exists for him in the west midlands. When my right hon. Friend visits Ludlow next July, will he take time to visit the Lady Forester memorial hospital in Much Wenlock, where Mrs. Major was born? He will find local people working hard to take over the management of their local hospital for the benefit of the local community.

    The Prime Minister : I am certainly looking forward to visiting Much Wenlock. It is true that my wife was born at that hospital, so I have a good reason for looking forward to visiting it.

    Mr. Radice : As a member of the Select Committee on the Treasury and Civil Service, may I congratulate the right hon. Gentleman on becoming Prime Minister? Now that he is Prime Minister, can he say whether the British economy is in recession?

    The Prime Minister : As I have told the hon. Gentleman in the past, if he takes the classic definition of recession, it is never possible to determine whether we are in a recession until after the figures are available. As I have told the House more than once, I expect a small downturn in output for a brief period, but we shall be back in a growth pattern during the passage of next year, with inflation well down.

  • Her Majesty’s Government (November 1990)

    Below is the complete list of Her Majesty’s Government, as of November 1990.

    MEMBERS OF THE CABINET

    (Formed by the Rt. Hon. John Major, MP, November 1990)

    PRIME MINISTER, FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY AND MINISTER FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE – The Rt. Hon. John Major, MP

    LORD CHANCELLOR – The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mackay of Clashfern

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS – The Rt. Hon. Douglas Hurd, CBE, MP

    LORD PRIVY SEAL AND LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS – The Rt. Hon. The Lord Waddington, QC

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT – The Rt. Hon. Kenneth Baker, MP

    CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER – The Rt. Hon. Norman Lamont, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE ENVIRONMENT – The Rt. Hon. Michael Heseltine, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE – The Rt. Hon. Tom King, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EDUCATION AND SCIENCE – The Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke, QC, MP

    LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS – The Rt. Hon. John MacGregor, OBE, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT – The Rt. Hon. Malcolm Rifkind, QC, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR ENERGY – The Rt. Hon. John Wakeham, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY – The Rt. Hon. Tony Newton, OBE, MP

    CHANCELLOR OF THE DUCHY OF LANCASTER – The Rt. Hon. Chris Patten, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR NORTHERN IRELAND – The Rt. Hon. Peter Brooke, MP

    MINISTER OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD – The Rt. Hon. John Gummer, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR EMPLOYMENT – The Rt. Hon. Michael Howard, QC, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WALES – The Rt. Hon. David Hunt, MBE, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY AND PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE – The Rt. Hon. Peter Lilley, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HEALTH – The Rt. Hon. William Waldegrave, MP

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND – The Rt. Hon. Ian Lang, MP

    CHIEF SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY – The Rt. Hon. David Mellor, QC, MP

     

    LAW OFFICERS

    ATTORNEY GENERAL – The Rt. Hon. Sir Patrick Mayhew, QC, MP

    LORD ADVOCATE – The Rt. Hon. The Lord Fraser of Carmyllie, QC

    SOLICITOR-GENERAL – The Rt. Hon. Sir Nicholas Lyell, QC, MP

     

    MINISTERS NOT IN THE CABINET

    PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY – The Rt. Hon. Richard Ryder, OBE, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE, PRIVY COUNCIL OFFICE, (MINISTER FOR THE ARTS) – The Rt. Hon. Tim Renton, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE, FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH OFFICE –

    Minister for Overseas Development – The Rt. Hon. Lynda Chalker, MP

    The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Caithness

    The Hon. Douglas Hogg, QC, MP

    Tristan Garel-Jones, Esq, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE, HOME OFFICE –

    The Rt. Hon. The Earl Ferrers

    The Rt. Hon. John Patten, Esq, MP

    The Rt. Hon. Mrs. Angela Rumbold, CBE, MP

    FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY – The Hon. Francis Maude, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE, TREASURY – Mrs. Gillian Shephard, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF THE ENVIRONMENT –

    Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities – Michael Portillo, Esq, MP

    Minister for the Environment and Countryside – David Trippier, Esq, RD, MP

    Minister for Housing and Planning – Sir George Young, MP

    The Baroness Blatch, CBE

    MINISTERS OF STATE, MINISTRY OF DEFENCE –

    Minister of State for the Armed Forces – The Rt. Hon. Archibald Hamilton, MP

    Minister of State for Defence Procurement – The Rt. Hon. Alan Clark, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND SCIENCE – Tim Eggar, Esq, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORT –

    Minister for Aviation and Shipping – The Lord Brabazon of Tara

    Minister for Public Transport – Roger Freeman, Esq, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL SECURITY –

    Minister for Social Security and Disabled People – The Rt. Hon. Nicholas Scott, MBE, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE, NORTHERN IRELAND OFFICE –

    Paymaster General – The Rt. Hon. The Lord Belstead

    Minister of State – Dr. Brian Mawhinney, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE, MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FISHERIES AND FOOD – The Baroness Trumpington

    MINISTER OF STATE, WELSH OFFICE – The Rt. Hon. Sir Wyn Roberts, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF TRADE AND INDUSTRY –

    Minister for Trade – The Hon. Tim Sainsbury, MP

    Minister for Corporate Affairs – John Redwood, Esq, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH – Mrs. Virginia Bottomley, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE, SCOTTISH OFFICE – Michael Forsyth, Esq, MP

     

    DEPARTMENTS OF STATE AND MINISTERS

     

    Agriculture, Fisheries and Food

    MINISTER – The Rt. Hon. John Gummer, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE – The Baroness Trumpington

    PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARIES –

    David Maclean, Esq, MP

    David Curry, Esq, MP

     

    Arts and Libraries, Office of

    MINISTER FOR THE ARTS – The Rt. Hon. Tim Renton, MP

     

    Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster –

    The Rt. Hon. Chris Patten, MP

    PRIME MINISTER AND MINISTER FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE – The Rt. Hon. John Major, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE, PRIVY COUNCIL OFFICE (MINISTER FOR THE ARTS) – The Rt. Hon. Tim Renton, MP

     

    Defence –

    SECRETARY OF STATE – The Rt. Hon. Tom King, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE FOR THE ARMED FORCES – The Rt. Hon. Archibald Hamilton, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE FOR DEFENCE PROCUREMENT – The Rt. Hon. Alan Clark, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR DEFENCE PROCUREMENT – Kenneth Carlisle, Esq, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE ARMED FORCES – The Earl of Arran

     

    Education and Science –

    SECRETARY OF STATE – The Rt. Hon. Kenneth Clarke, QC, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE – Tim Eggar, Esq, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARIES OF STATE –

    Alan Howarth, Esq, CBE, MP

    Michael Fallon, Esq, MP

    Robert Atkins, Esq, MP (Minister for Sport)

     

    Employment –

    SECRETARY OF STATE – The Rt. Hon. Michael Howard, QC, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARIES OF STATE –

    Robert Jackson, Esq, MP

    Eric Forth, Esq, MP

    The Viscount Ullswater

     

    Energy –

    SECRETARY OF STATE – The Rt. Hon. John Wakeham, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARIES OF STATE –

    David Heathcoat-Amory, Esq, MP

    The Hon. Colin Moynihan, MP

     

    Environment –

    SECRETARY OF STATE – The Rt. Hon. Michael Heseltine, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE –

    Minister for Local Government and Inner Cities – Michael Portillo, Esq, MP

    Minister for the Environment and Countryside – David Trippier, Esq, RD, MP

    Minister for Housing and Planning – Sir George Young, MP

    The Baroness Blatch, CBE

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARIES OF STATE –

    Tony Baldry, Esq, MP

    Robert Key, Esq, MP

    Tim Yeo, Esq, MP

    Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs –

    SECRETARY OF STATE – The Rt. Hon. Douglas Hurd, CBE, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE –

    Minister for Overseas Development – The Rt. Hon. Lynda Chalker, MP

    The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Caithness

    The Hon. Douglas Hogg, QC, MP

    Tristan Garel-Jones, Esq, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE – The Hon. Mark Lennox-Boyd, MP

     

    Health –

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR HEALTH – The Rt. Hon. William Waldegrave, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE –

    Minister for Health – Mrs. Virginia Bottomley, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARIES OF STATE –

    The Baroness Hooper

    Stephen Dorrell, Esq, MP

     

    Home Office –

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT – The Rt. Hon. Kenneth Baker, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE –

    The Rt. Hon. The Earl Ferrers

    The Rt. Hon. John Patten, Esq, MP

    The Rt. Hon. Mrs. Angela Rumbold, CBE, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER SECRETARY OF STATE – Peter Lloyd, Esq, MP

     

    Law Officers’ Department –

    ATTORNEY-GENERAL – The Rt. Hon. Sir Patrick Mayhew, QC, MP

    SOLICITOR-GENERAL – The Rt. Hon. Sir Nicholas Lyell, QC, MP

    Lord Chancellor –

    The Rt. Hon. The Lord Mackay of Clashfern

     

    Northern Ireland Office –

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR NORTHERN IRELAND – The Rt. Hon. Peter Brooke, MP

    PAYMASTER GENERAL – The Rt. Hon. The Lord Belstead

    MINISTER OF STATE – Dr. Brian Mawhinney, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARIES OF STATE –

    Richard Needham, Esq, MP

    Jeremy Hanley, Esq, MP

    Paymaster General’s Office –

    PAYMASTER GENERAL – The Rt. Hon. The Lord Belstead

     

    Privy Council Office –

    LORD PRESIDENT OF THE COUNCIL AND LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF COMMONS – The Rt. Hon. John MacGregor, OBE, MP

    LORD PRIVY SEAL AND LEADER OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS – The Rt. Hon. The Lord Waddington, QC

    MINISTER OF STATE – The Rt. Hon. Tim Renton, MP

     

    Scottish Office –

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SCOTLAND – The Rt. Hon. Ian Lang, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE – Michael Forsyth, Esq, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARIES OF STATE –

    Lord James Douglas Hamilton, MP

    The Lord Strathclyde

    Allan Stewart, Esq, MP

     

    Social Security –

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR SOCIAL SECURITY – The Rt. Hon. Tony Newton, OBE, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE –

    Minister for Social Security and Disabled People – The Rt. Hon. Nicholas Scott, MBE, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARIES OF STATE –

    The Lord Henley

    Michael Jack, Esq, MP

    Miss Ann Widdecombe, MP

     

    Trade and Industry –

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRADE AND INDUSTRY AND PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF TRADE – The Rt. Hon. Peter Lilley, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE –

    Minister for Trade – The Hon. Tim Sainsbury, MP

    Minister for Corporate Affairs – John Redwood, Esq, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDUSTRY AND CONSUMER AFFAIRS – Edward Leigh, Esq, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE FOR INDUSTRY AND TECHNOLOGY – The Lord Reay

     

    Transport –

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT – The Rt. Hon. Malcolm Rifkind, QC, MP

    MINISTERS OF STATE –

    Minister for Aviation – The Lord Brabazon of Tara

    Minister for Public Transport – Roger Freeman, Esq, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARIES OF STATE –

    Christopher Chope, Esq, OBE, MP (Minister for Roads and Traffic)

    Patrick McLoughlin, Esq, MP (Minister for Shipping)

     

    Treasury –

    PRIME MINISTER, FIRST LORD OF THE TREASURY AND MINISTER FOR THE CIVIL SERVICE – The Rt. Hon. John Major, MP

    CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER – The Rt. Hon. Norman Lamont, MP

    CHIEF SECRETARY – The Rt. Hon. David Mellor, QC, MP

    FINANCIAL SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY – The Hon. Francis Maude, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE – Mrs. Gillian Shephard, MP

    ECONOMIC SECRETARY – John Maples, Esq, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY TO THE TREASURY – The Rt. Hon. Richard Ryder, OBE, MP

     

    LORDS COMMISSIONERS –

    The Hon. Tom Sackville, MP

    Sydney Chapman, Esq, MP

    Greg Knight, Esq, MP

    Irvine Patnick, Esq, OBE, MP

    Nicholas Baker, Esq, MP

     

    ASSISTANT WHIPS –

    Timothy Wood, Esq, MP

    Timothy Boswell, Esq, MP

    Neil Hamilton, Esq, MP

    Timothy Kirkhope, Esq, MP

    David Davis, Esq, MP

     

    Welsh Office –

    SECRETARY OF STATE FOR WALES – The Rt. Hon. David Hunt, MBE, MP

    MINISTER OF STATE – The Rt. Hon. Sir Wyn Roberts, MP

    PARLIAMENTARY UNDER-SECRETARY OF STATE – Nicholas Bennett, Esq, MP

     

    Her Majesty’s Household

    LORD CHAMBERLAIN – The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Airlie, KT, GCVO

    LORD STEWARD – The Viscount Ridley, TD

    MASTER OF THE HORSE – The Rt. Hon. The Earl of Westmorland, KCVO

    TREASURER – Alastair Goodlad, Esq, MP

    COMPTROLLER – David Lightbown, Esq, MP

    VICE-CHAMBERLAIN – John Taylor, Esq, MP

    CAPTAIN OF THE HONOURABLE CORPS OF GENTLEMEN-AT-ARMS – The Rt. Hon. The Lord Hesketh

    CAPTAIN OF THE QUEEN’S BODYGUARD OF THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD – The Viscount Davidson

    LORDS IN WAITING – The Viscount Long, The Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne, The Lord Cavendish of Furness, The Viscount Astor, The Earl Howe

  • Doorstep Interview – 28 November 1990

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s interview with journalists at the doorstep of 10 Downing Street on 28th November 1990.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    Good morning to you all.

    May I say firstly that I am extremely grateful for the trust that my Parliamentary colleagues have put in me and for the tremendous support that we have already had from so many people up and down the country. I hope in the next few years that I will be able to prove that that trust is justified.

    I am grateful also for the enormous achievements that I inherit from Margaret Thatcher. I think history will record that she was a towering Prime Minister who left our country in a far better condition than she found it eleven years ago.

    I hope in the next few years to build on those achievements. I certainly hope in those years to build a society of opportunity. By that I mean an open society, a society in which what people fulfil will depend upon their talent, their application and their good fortune. What people achieve should depend particularly upon those things and I hope increasingly in the future that that will be the case.

    I believe very firmly in the 1990s that we will have a decade of the most remarkable opportunities. We have soon the full opening and flowering of the single Market in Europe. We have seen in the last few years the remarkable ending of the Cold War and the bringing together of nations in a fashion that no-one would have imagined just a few years ago. We have in front of us the building and development of an entirely new Europe, a building and development in which this country will play a full and leading role.

    In the past week we have seen openly and publicly the uniting of the Conservative Party. I would like to express again my thanks to all members of the Party and particularly Douglas Hurd and Michael Heseltine for the enormous contributions they have made during the leadership contest to ensure that the Party can remain united for the future.

    There is no ill-feeling at the end of this contest, at the end of this week for the leadership of the Conservative Party. At the end of this week I believe that there is a smile on the face of the Party that will mean we are fully united for the future.

    I hope in the next few years that we will carry on with much of the work that has been done in the last few years. In particular I want to see us build a country that is at ease with itself, a country that is confident, and a country that is prepared and willing to make the changes necessary to provide a better quality of life for all our citizens.

    I do not promise you that it will be easy and I do not promise you that it will be quick, but I believe it is an immensely worthwhile job to do. Because it will be neither easy nor quick, if you will forgive me, I will go into Number 10 straight away and make a start right now.

    Thank you very much indeed.

  • Conservative Leadership Results – November 1990

    Below are the results from the 1990 Conservative Party leadership contest.

    November 20th 1990 – First round of Conservative Party leadership contest. Margaret Thatcher obtained 204 votes, Michael Heseltine 152 votes, 6 abstentions and 17 void.

    November 22nd 1990 – Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister.

    November 27th 1990 – John Major became Leader of the Conservative Party following the second round of the leadership contest. John Major obtained 185 votes, Michael Heseltine 131 votes and Douglas Hurd 56 votes.

    November 28th 1990 – John Major became Prime Minister after being summoned to Buckingham Palace by the Queen.

  • Doorstep Interview – 27 November 1990

    Below is Mr Major’s interview with journalists at the doorstep of 10 Downing Street on 27th November 1990.

    PRIME MINISTER:

    I’d like firstly if I may, to thank my many Parliamentary colleagues for the tremendous support they’ve given me today. It’s an enormous encouragement to know that so many people in the Parliamentary Party are prepared to entrust me with the leadership of the Conservative Party and I will endeavour to discharge those responsibilities to the best of my ability.

    If I may, I do think this particular election has enhanced the democratic process quite substantially, it has been a very clean election, an election based on substance and not personality and an election that has dealt very constructively with the issues and I would like to offer my grateful thanks to Douglas Hurd and to Michael Heseltine, both for the way they conducted the election and also for the very gracious way in which they have conceded that they will not stand on the third ballot.

    It is a very exciting thing to become leader of the Conservative Party and particularly exciting I think, to follow one of the most remarkable leaders that the Conservative Party has ever had. I believe as time proceeds and Margaret Thatcher’s period as Prime Minister is seen in a proper perspective, it will be seen that she has been a very great Prime Minister indeed.

    Our job now I think is quite clear, we’re going to unite, we’re going to unite totally and absolutely and we’re going to win the next General Election. Thank you all very much indeed. Thank you all very much.

    REPORTER:

    What’s your first task?

    JOHN MAJOR:

    My first task, immediately….

    REPORTER:

    How do you feel, Mrs Major?

    MRS NORMA MAJOR:

    Delighted.

    JOHN MAJOR:

    My first task, immediately, is to go and thank the enormous number of my Parliamentary colleagues, friends and others, who have been working in this campaign.

  • Conservative Leadership Results – 20 November 1990

    Below are the results from the 1990 Conservative Party leadership contest.

    November 20th 1990 – First round of Conservative Party leadership contest. Margaret Thatcher obtained 204 votes, Michael Heseltine 152 votes, 6 abstentions and 17 void.

    November 22nd 1990 – Margaret Thatcher resigned as Prime Minister.

    November 27th 1990 – John Major became Leader of the Conservative Party following the second round of the leadership contest. John Major obtained 185 votes, Michael Heseltine 131 votes and Douglas Hurd 56 votes.

    November 28th 1990 – John Major became Prime Minister after being summoned to Buckingham Palace by the Queen.

  • Mr Major’s Statement in Support of Margaret Thatcher – 16 November 1990

    Below is the text of Mr Major’s statement in support of the Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, in the Conservative Party leadership election. The statement was released by Conservative Central Office on Friday 16 November 1990, reference 696/90.

    CHANCELLOR OF THE EXCHEQUER:

    I am sorry that a leadership election is taking place. I do believe it is an unnecessary distraction when the task that faces us is to implement the Party’s present policies in Government and prepare future policy for the next General Election and beyond.

    Margaret Thatcher is one of this country’s most successful peace time Prime Ministers and is a political leader of authority who commands respect throughout the world. At home, her leadership has brought about immense changes and has helped to transform our economy.
    Margaret Thatcher’s qualities of clarity, purpose and vigour have secured the Conservative Party victory at the polls on three successive occasions and are needed by the Party today. We should all unite and support her.