Difference between revisions of "John Biffen"

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{{person
 
{{person
 
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|birth_date=1930-11-03
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|birth_date=3 November 1930
 
|birth_place=Combwich, United Kingdom
 
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|death_date=2007-08-14
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|death_date=14 August 2007
 
|death_place=London, United Kingdom
 
|death_place=London, United Kingdom
 
|constitutes=politician
 
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|description=Minister in [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s cabinet. [[Mont Pelerin Society]]
 
|alma_mater=Jesus College (Cambridge)
 
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'''William John Biffen, Baron Biffen''' was a British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] politician. A member of the [[House of Lords]], he was previously a [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] for over 35 years, and served in [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s cabinet.
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==Background==
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The son of Victor William Biffen, a tenant farmer, of Hill Farm, [[Otterhampton]], [[Bridgwater]], Somerset, and his wife Edith Annie ('Tish'),<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20190617202555/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-98990 </ref> John Biffen was born in Bridgwater, Somerset, in 1930. He was educated firstly at [[Combwich]] village school, followed by [[Dr. Morgan's Grammar School]], Bridgwater.<ref>Biffen, John (9 December 2013). [https://books.google.com/books?id=cw-uAwAAQBAJ&q=John+Biffen+Semi+detached Semi-Detached]. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 9781849547017.</ref> He then earned a scholarship to [[Jesus College, Cambridge]], where he graduated with a [[first class honours]] degree in History. From 1953 to 1960 he worked for [[Tube Investments]] Ltd. In the 1960s he joined the [[Mont Pelerin Society]].
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==Political career==
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Having previously stood unsuccessfully against [[Richard Crossman]] at [[Coventry East (UK Parliament constituency)|Coventry East]] in [[1959 United Kingdom general election|1959]], Biffen was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of [[Oswestry (UK Parliament constituency)|Oswestry]], later renamed [[North Shropshire (UK Parliament constituency)|Shropshire North]], from the time of his election at a [[1961 Oswestry by-election|by-election in 1961]] until his retirement at the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]].
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In his early political career he was a disciple of [[Enoch Powell]], voting for him in the [[1965 Conservative Party leadership election|Conservative leadership election of 1965]]. Biffen was a [[Eurosceptic]] and voted in a [[Division (vote)|parliamentary division]] in 1972, opposing his own party, against the UK's entry into the [[European Community|EC]]. He championed tight fiscal policy and opposed state intervention in economic management. This stance barred his way to advancement under [[Edward Heath]], but contributed to his promotion under [[Margaret Thatcher]].
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===In government===
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Biffen served in Thatcher's government in the successive positions of [[Chief Secretary to the Treasury]], [[Secretary of State for Trade]], and as [[Leader of the House of Commons]]. Thatcher writes in ''[[The Downing Street Years]]'' (1993) that "(Biffen) had been a brilliant exponent in Opposition of the economic policies in which I believed... But he proved rather less effective than I had hoped in the gruelling task of trying to control public expenditure."<ref>[[Margaret Thatcher]], ''The Downing Street Years'' (HarperCollins, 1993), p. 26.</ref>
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In 1981, he allowed [[Rupert Murdoch]] to buy ''[[The Times]]'' and ''[[The Sunday Times]]'' without reference to the [[Monopolies Commission]].<ref>[[John Campbell (biographer)|Campbell, John]], ''Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady'' (Jonathan Cape, 2003), p. 572.</ref> According to [[Woodrow Wyatt]], who helped persuade Thatcher to ensure this, the Commission "almost certainly would have blocked it".<ref>Woodrow Wyatt, ''The Journals of Woodrow Wyatt: Volume 3'' (Pan, 2001), p. 582.</ref>
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As Leader of the House, Biffen used the [[Cloture|guillotine]] to cut short debate on the [[European Communities (Amendment) Act 1986]]. [[Edward Pearce (journalist)|Edward Pearce]] has written that Biffen "was widely thought the best post-war floor leader".<ref>Ramsden, John (ed.), ''The Oxford Companion to 20th-Century British Politics'' (Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 55.</ref>
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Biffen's image as an economic "dry" mellowed during his time in government, and he made blunt public calls for greater moderation in government policy. In 1980 he warned the country to prepare for "three years of unparalleled austerity". In 1981 Biffen gave a speech to a fringe meeting at that year's Conservative Party Conference in which he argued the party was "within touching distance of the débâcles of [[1906 United Kingdom general election|1906]] and [[1945 United Kingdom general election|1945]]". He further claimed that far from cutting public spending, the government had increased it by two per cent since 1979 and that the government was part of an all-party consensus in favour of the welfare state and public spending: "We are all [[social democrat]]s now", Biffen concluded in his speech.<ref>[[Hugo Young]], ''One of Us'' (Pan, 1990), p. 240.</ref>
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On 9 February 1986, he said that Toryism was "not a raucous political faction" and after the Conservative Party's losses in the 1986 local government elections, and poor performances in the two parliamentary by-elections held simultaneously, Biffen was interviewed on ''[[Weekend World]]'' by [[Brian Walden]] on 11 May as the government's spokesman. He called the results "Black Thursday", said the Conservatives needed to fight the next general election on a "[[Ticket balance|balanced ticket]]" and that "no one seriously supposes that the Prime Minister would be Prime Minister throughout the entire period of the next Parliament".<ref>[[John Campbell (biographer)|John Campbell]], ''Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady'' (Jonathan Cape, 2003), p. 448.</ref> This alienated him from Thatcher and resulted in his being dropped from the Cabinet after the [[1987 United Kingdom general election|1987 general election]]. His dismissal was no surprise, in that Thatcher's press secretary [[Bernard Ingham]] had already famously called him a "semi-detached" member of the Cabinet. Thatcher in her memoirs described Biffen's desire for a balanced ticket as "foolish" and "a recipe for paralysis."<ref>Margaret Thatcher, ''The Downing Street Years'' (HarperCollins, 1993), p. 422.</ref> Nevertheless, Thatcher later admitted that Biffen's departure from the Cabinet was "a loss in some ways", because of his Euroscepticism and his "sound instincts on economic matters".<ref>Margaret Thatcher, ''The Downing Street Years'' (HarperCollins, 1993), p. 589.</ref> In the month after his sacking Biffen likened Thatcher's governing style to that of a "[[Stalinist]] regime".<ref>''[[The Sunday Telegraph]]'' (London), 5 July 1987</ref>
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===Return to the Backbench===
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On the backbenches Biffen voted against the Local Government Finance Act 1988 which introduced the [[Poll tax (Great Britain)|Community Charge]] (the poll tax). He voted against the [[Maastricht Treaty]] and was in favour of a [[United Kingdom referendum on the European Constitution|referendum]] on the [[Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe|EU Constitution]] so he could vote "No".<ref>John Biffen, [https://www.theguardian.com/comment/story/0,3604,1506666,00.html Vindication for De Gaulle], ''The Guardian'' (London), 15 June 2005.</ref>
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===House of Lords===
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On 3 June 1997 he was created a [[life peer]], as '''Baron Biffen''', of Tanat in the County of [[Shropshire]].<ref>https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/54787/page/6697</ref>
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==Personal life==
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Biffen married Sarah Wood in 1979. He had one stepson, Nicholas Wood, a correspondent with ''The New York Times'' and ''International Herald Tribune'', and a stepdaughter, Lucy.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20161028173028/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldhansrd/vo051206/text/51206-22.htm</ref> The family lived at Tanat House, [[Llanyblodwel]].
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==Political views==
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Despite his right-wing views on economic policy, he was very much to the left of [[Margaret Thatcher]] on social policy. Similarly to Powell, he completely opposed capital punishment and was very supportive of equal gay rights but wanted less immigration. Biffen also opposed the tightening of laws restricting abortion and voted in 1990 to preserve the limit at 28 weeks.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20121222031105/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1990/apr/24/amendment-of-law-relating-to-termination</ref>
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[[Brian Walden]] noted that Biffen was the "most honest" politician he had interviewed.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20081123101426/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4318201.stm</ref>
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==Death==
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Biffen died on 14 August 2007, aged 76, after a short illness. He had suffered from kidney failure for many years.<ref>https://web.archive.org/web/20170906082707/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6945469.stm</ref> He was survived by his wife, stepson and stepdaughter.
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==In popular culture==
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Biffen was portrayed by [[Roger Brierley]] in the 2004 [[BBC]] production of ''[[The Alan Clark Diaries]]''.
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{{SMWDocs}}
 
{{SMWDocs}}
 
==References==
 
==References==
 
{{reflist}}
 
{{reflist}}
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{{Stub}}
 

Latest revision as of 12:39, 13 September 2024

Person.png John Biffen  Rdf-entity.pngRdf-icon.png
(politician)
John-Biffen.jpg
Born3 November 1930
Combwich, United Kingdom
Died14 August 2007 (Age 76)
London, United Kingdom
Alma materJesus College (Cambridge)
Member ofMont Pelerin Society
PartyConservative
Minister in Margaret Thatcher's cabinet. Mont Pelerin Society

Employment.png Lord Privy Seal Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
11 June 1983 - 13 June 1987

Employment.png Leader of the House of Commons Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
7 April 1982 - 13 June 1987

Employment.png Lord President of the Council

In office
7 April 1982 - 11 June 1983
Succeeded byWilliam Whitelaw

Employment.png Secretary of State for Trade

In office
5 January 1981 - 6 April 1982
Preceded byJohn Nott
Succeeded byArthur Cockfield

Employment.png Chief Secretary to the Treasury Wikipedia-icon.png

In office
4 May 1979 - 5 January 1981
Preceded byJoel Barnett
Succeeded byLeon Brittan

Employment.png Shadow Secretary of State for Industry

In office
19 November 1976 - 4 May 1979
Preceded byMichael Heseltine

Employment.png Shadow Secretary of State for Energy

In office
15 January 1976 - 19 November 1976
Succeeded byTom King

Employment.png Member of Parliament for North Shropshire

In office
9 June 1983 - 1 May 1997
Succeeded byOwen Paterson

Employment.png Member of Parliament for Oswestry

In office
9 November 1961 - 9 June 1983

William John Biffen, Baron Biffen was a British Conservative politician. A member of the House of Lords, he was previously a Member of Parliament for over 35 years, and served in Margaret Thatcher's cabinet.

Background

The son of Victor William Biffen, a tenant farmer, of Hill Farm, Otterhampton, Bridgwater, Somerset, and his wife Edith Annie ('Tish'),[1] John Biffen was born in Bridgwater, Somerset, in 1930. He was educated firstly at Combwich village school, followed by Dr. Morgan's Grammar School, Bridgwater.[2] He then earned a scholarship to Jesus College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a first class honours degree in History. From 1953 to 1960 he worked for Tube Investments Ltd. In the 1960s he joined the Mont Pelerin Society.

Political career

Having previously stood unsuccessfully against Richard Crossman at Coventry East in 1959, Biffen was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Oswestry, later renamed Shropshire North, from the time of his election at a by-election in 1961 until his retirement at the 1997 general election.

In his early political career he was a disciple of Enoch Powell, voting for him in the Conservative leadership election of 1965. Biffen was a Eurosceptic and voted in a parliamentary division in 1972, opposing his own party, against the UK's entry into the EC. He championed tight fiscal policy and opposed state intervention in economic management. This stance barred his way to advancement under Edward Heath, but contributed to his promotion under Margaret Thatcher.

In government

Biffen served in Thatcher's government in the successive positions of Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Secretary of State for Trade, and as Leader of the House of Commons. Thatcher writes in The Downing Street Years (1993) that "(Biffen) had been a brilliant exponent in Opposition of the economic policies in which I believed... But he proved rather less effective than I had hoped in the gruelling task of trying to control public expenditure."[3]

In 1981, he allowed Rupert Murdoch to buy The Times and The Sunday Times without reference to the Monopolies Commission.[4] According to Woodrow Wyatt, who helped persuade Thatcher to ensure this, the Commission "almost certainly would have blocked it".[5]

As Leader of the House, Biffen used the guillotine to cut short debate on the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1986. Edward Pearce has written that Biffen "was widely thought the best post-war floor leader".[6]

Biffen's image as an economic "dry" mellowed during his time in government, and he made blunt public calls for greater moderation in government policy. In 1980 he warned the country to prepare for "three years of unparalleled austerity". In 1981 Biffen gave a speech to a fringe meeting at that year's Conservative Party Conference in which he argued the party was "within touching distance of the débâcles of 1906 and 1945". He further claimed that far from cutting public spending, the government had increased it by two per cent since 1979 and that the government was part of an all-party consensus in favour of the welfare state and public spending: "We are all social democrats now", Biffen concluded in his speech.[7]

On 9 February 1986, he said that Toryism was "not a raucous political faction" and after the Conservative Party's losses in the 1986 local government elections, and poor performances in the two parliamentary by-elections held simultaneously, Biffen was interviewed on Weekend World by Brian Walden on 11 May as the government's spokesman. He called the results "Black Thursday", said the Conservatives needed to fight the next general election on a "balanced ticket" and that "no one seriously supposes that the Prime Minister would be Prime Minister throughout the entire period of the next Parliament".[8] This alienated him from Thatcher and resulted in his being dropped from the Cabinet after the 1987 general election. His dismissal was no surprise, in that Thatcher's press secretary Bernard Ingham had already famously called him a "semi-detached" member of the Cabinet. Thatcher in her memoirs described Biffen's desire for a balanced ticket as "foolish" and "a recipe for paralysis."[9] Nevertheless, Thatcher later admitted that Biffen's departure from the Cabinet was "a loss in some ways", because of his Euroscepticism and his "sound instincts on economic matters".[10] In the month after his sacking Biffen likened Thatcher's governing style to that of a "Stalinist regime".[11]

Return to the Backbench

On the backbenches Biffen voted against the Local Government Finance Act 1988 which introduced the Community Charge (the poll tax). He voted against the Maastricht Treaty and was in favour of a referendum on the EU Constitution so he could vote "No".[12]

House of Lords

On 3 June 1997 he was created a life peer, as Baron Biffen, of Tanat in the County of Shropshire.[13]

Personal life

Biffen married Sarah Wood in 1979. He had one stepson, Nicholas Wood, a correspondent with The New York Times and International Herald Tribune, and a stepdaughter, Lucy.[14] The family lived at Tanat House, Llanyblodwel.

Political views

Despite his right-wing views on economic policy, he was very much to the left of Margaret Thatcher on social policy. Similarly to Powell, he completely opposed capital punishment and was very supportive of equal gay rights but wanted less immigration. Biffen also opposed the tightening of laws restricting abortion and voted in 1990 to preserve the limit at 28 weeks.[15]

Brian Walden noted that Biffen was the "most honest" politician he had interviewed.[16]

Death

Biffen died on 14 August 2007, aged 76, after a short illness. He had suffered from kidney failure for many years.[17] He was survived by his wife, stepson and stepdaughter.

In popular culture

Biffen was portrayed by Roger Brierley in the 2004 BBC production of The Alan Clark Diaries.



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References

  1. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20190617202555/https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-98990
  2. ↑ Biffen, John (9 December 2013). Semi-Detached. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 9781849547017.
  3. ↑ Margaret Thatcher, The Downing Street Years (HarperCollins, 1993), p. 26.
  4. ↑ Campbell, John, Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady (Jonathan Cape, 2003), p. 572.
  5. ↑ Woodrow Wyatt, The Journals of Woodrow Wyatt: Volume 3 (Pan, 2001), p. 582.
  6. ↑ Ramsden, John (ed.), The Oxford Companion to 20th-Century British Politics (Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 55.
  7. ↑ Hugo Young, One of Us (Pan, 1990), p. 240.
  8. ↑ John Campbell, Margaret Thatcher: The Iron Lady (Jonathan Cape, 2003), p. 448.
  9. ↑ Margaret Thatcher, The Downing Street Years (HarperCollins, 1993), p. 422.
  10. ↑ Margaret Thatcher, The Downing Street Years (HarperCollins, 1993), p. 589.
  11. ↑ The Sunday Telegraph (London), 5 July 1987
  12. ↑ John Biffen, Vindication for De Gaulle, The Guardian (London), 15 June 2005.
  13. ↑ https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/54787/page/6697
  14. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20161028173028/http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld200506/ldhansrd/vo051206/text/51206-22.htm
  15. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20121222031105/http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1990/apr/24/amendment-of-law-relating-to-termination
  16. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20081123101426/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4318201.stm
  17. ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20170906082707/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/6945469.stm
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