Misplaced Pages

The Right HonourableThe Lord FowlerPC
Official portrait, 2018
Lord Speaker of the House of Lords
In office 1 September 2016 – 30 April 2021
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	The Lord McFall of Alcluith
Preceded by	The Baroness D'Souza
Succeeded by	The Lord McFall of Alcluith
Shadow cabinet 1997–99 Shadow Home Secretary In office 2 June 1998 – 14 June 1999 Leader William Hague Preceded by Brian Mawhinney Succeeded by Ann Widdecombe Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions In office 11 June 1997 – 1 June 1998 Leader William Hague Preceded by Sir George Young Succeeded by Gillian Shephard
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office 11 May 1992 – 15 July 1994
Leader	John Major
Preceded by	Chris Patten
Succeeded by	Jeremy Hanley
Secretary of State for Employment
In office 13 June 1987 – 3 January 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	The Lord Young of Graffham
Succeeded by	Michael Howard
Secretary of State for Social Services
In office 14 September 1981 – 13 June 1987
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Patrick Jenkin
Succeeded by	John Moore
Secretary of State for Transport
In office 4 May 1979 – 14 September 1981
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Bill Rodgers
Succeeded by	David Howell
Shadow Cabinet 1975–79 Shadow Minister of State for Transport In office 15 January 1976 – 4 May 1979 Leader Margaret Thatcher Succeeded by Bill Rodgers Shadow Secretary of State for Social Services In office 18 February 1975 – 15 January 1976 Leader Margaret Thatcher Succeeded by Patrick Jenkin
Parliamentary Representation Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal Incumbent Assumed office 4 July 2001 Life peerage Member of Parliament for Sutton Coldfield In office 28 February 1974 – 14 May 2001 Preceded by Geoffrey Lloyd Succeeded by Andrew Mitchell Member of Parliament for Nottingham South In office 18 June 1970 – 8 February 1974 Preceded by George Perry Succeeded by Constituency abolished
Personal details
Born	Peter Norman Fowler (1938-02-02) 2 February 1938 (age 86) Chelmsford, Essex, England
Political party	Crossbench
Other political affiliations	Conservative (until 2016) Speaker (2016–2021)
Spouse	Fiona Poole ​(m. 1979)​
Children	2
Alma mater	Trinity Hall, Cambridge

Peter Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler, PC (born 2 February 1938) is a British politician who served as a member of both Margaret Thatcher and John Major's ministries during the 1980s and 1990s. He held the office of Lord Speaker from 1 September 2016 to 30 April 2021.

After serving as Shadow Minister of Transport, Fowler was appointed Minister of Transport in 1979, being responsible for making seat belts compulsory. Later, as Secretary of State for Social Services, he drew public attention to the dangers of AIDS. He resigned from the cabinet as Employment Secretary, and was knighted in 1990.

Fowler was Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1992 to 1994, Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions from 1997 to 1998, and Shadow Home Secretary from 1998 to 1999. In 2001, he was created a Conservative life peer. He renounced party political allegiance upon taking office as Lord Speaker. On 25 February 2021, he announced that in April he would be stepping down as Lord Speaker to focus on campaigning work, particularly in relation to AIDS.

Early life

Fowler was born on 2 February 1938 to Norman Frederick Fowler and Katherine (née Baker). He is an only child. He was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford, Essex. After school, he did National Service as a second lieutenant in the Essex Regiment. He then studied at Trinity Hall, Cambridge (BA Economics & Law 1961). He was Chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association in Michaelmas 1960, in which term he entertained both the Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and Home Secretary Rab Butler. Following university, became a journalist, and worked at The Times.

Member of Parliament

Fowler, who had aspired to become an MP since childhood, was elected for Nottingham South in 1970; after the seat was abolished, he switched to Sutton Coldfield at the February 1974 election.

In opposition

During the mid-1970s, Mr. Fowler was Shadow Minister of Transport. In April 1976, he was photographed outside the Palace of Westminster having just taken delivery of his third four-cylinder MG MGB GT – he had reportedly rejected the idea of buying a V8 version on account of the cost.

In government

Upon Margaret Thatcher becoming Prime Minister in 1979, she did not immediately appoint Fowler to her Cabinet, explaining: "we were short of one place. As a result, Norman Fowler, as Minister of State at Transport, was not able to be an official member of the Cabinet, although he attended all our meetings."

As Secretary of State for Transport, Fowler drove through Lord Nugent's 1981 bill to make seat belts compulsory, a law that came into force in 1983.

As Secretary of State for Social Services in 1986, Fowler implemented the first official drive to educate the British public to the dangers of AIDS. Under his tenure, awareness about how the disease was spread was transmitted through posters, newspaper advertisements, and television campaigns. The main campaign "Don't Die of Ignorance" included mailing a leaflet to 23 million homes. By 1987 a Gallup Poll showed that 98% of the public was aware of how HIV was transmitted, and the vast majority supported Fowler's campaign. By 1990 infection rates in the UK were below those of peer nations, including France and the US.

Some Conservatives, including Thatcher herself, objected to the frank content of these messages, which contained material about needle usage and intravenous drugs, as well as discussions about the risks of unprotected sex. During this time, Thatcher told Fowler that she felt he had become known as the "minister for Aids", and she disapproved of this. The following year, she moved him to the role of Secretary of State for Employment.

Backbenches, retirement and Shadow Cabinet

Fowler later resigned from the Cabinet in January 1990. He later claimed that he was the first politician to cite a desire to spend more time with family as the reason for leaving office. The phrase has been reused by many others as a reason for a resignation, and is often treated as insincere or euphemistic, though Fowler has said he was being literal, as he worried he was growing distant from his young children.

Following his resignation from the frontbench, Fowler was knighted in 1990.

Fowler then returned twice to front-line politics, first as Chairman of the Conservative Party (as a backbencher in Parliament) from 1992 to 1994, during which time he oversaw the parliamentary boundary changes of the early 1990s; then on the Conservative front bench as Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions (1997–98) and finally as Shadow Home Secretary (1998–99).

In 2001, Fowler stepped down as a Member of Parliament.

House of Lords

After standing down from the House of Commons, he entered the House of Lords, sitting on the Conservative benches as Baron Fowler, of Sutton Coldfield, in the County of West Midlands. He had first been offered a peerage in 1989.

In 2003, Lord Fowler proposed that the European Union should appoint a high-level coordinator with ambassadorial rank to deal with the AIDS epidemic.

In 2006, Fowler chaired a House of Lords select committee which criticised the use of the television licence fee, which is used to fund the BBC.

His book A Political Suicide (Politico's Publishing ISBN 978-1-84275-227-2) was published in 2008, and was shortlisted for the Channel 4 Political Book of the Year Award.

In May 2013, Fowler gave his support to legislation aiming to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples, stating: "Parliament should value people equally in the law, and that enabling same-sex couples to marry removes the current inequity."

He was elected as Lord Speaker in 2016. He is the third person and first man to hold the office since it was established by the Constitutional Reform Act 2005. Fowler has stated that he favours reducing the House of Lords to 600 members.

On 19 March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic he announced that he would be withdrawing from Westminster and remote working, with deputy speakers taking over his role in the House of Lords, but he returned in July to continue his role.

On 25 February 2021, Fowler announced that he would be stepping down ahead of the introduction of a series of structural and organisational changes and announced that it would be best if those changes were "seen through by the team who will be implementing them". He also stated his desire to stand down in order to "speak his mind" as an independent member of the House of Lords on issues he has campaigned for, in particular LGBT rights in the United Kingdom and HIV and AIDS. In March 2021, Fowler backed calls for the UK's first ever national AIDS memorial, with the aim of fighting stigma and discrimination against those with HIV and AIDS.

Private sector

Lord Fowler has served on the board of directors of several companies and is non-executive chairman of Aggregate Industries plc. He is a member of the National Union of Journalists.

Personal life

After a previous marriage ended in divorce, Fowler married Fiona Poole, a library clerk at the House of Commons, in 1979. They had two daughters, and Fowler became a stepfather to his wife's son from her prior marriage.

As of 2023, Fowler lives in Fulham, London.

Bibliography

• A Political Suicide: The Conservatives' Voyage into the Wilderness. London: Politicos Publishing. 2008. ISBN 978-1-84275-227-2.
• The Best of Enemies: Diaries 1980–1997. Kingston upon Hull: Biteback Publishing. 2023. ISBN 978-1-78590-815-6.

Notes

1. Known as Minister of Transport until January 1981.
2. As Shadow Minister of Transport.

References

1. "Mr Norman Fowler". Hansard. Retrieved 13 May 2021.
2. "Lord Speaker announces he is stepping down". UK Parliament. 25 February 2021.
3. Dod's Parliamentary Companion 2005, 173rd edition, London, 2004, p.581.
4. ^ Godfrey, Chris (17 March 2021). "Former health secretary Norman Fowler: 'Some said those with HIV should be in isolation. Perpetually'". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
5. "News: An MG for Shadow Minister". Autocar. Vol. 144 (nbr 4146). 24 April 1976. p. 27.
6. Margaret Thatcher, The Downing Street Years (HarperCollins, 1993), p. 29.
7. "Seat belt law introduction recalled by Lord Fowler". BBC News. 21 May 2011. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
8. "RoSPA History - How Belting Up Became Law". Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents. Archived from the original on 15 July 2011. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
9. Our World in Data
10. ^ Stanford, Peter (26 March 2021). "Lord Speaker Norman Fowler: 'There is a strong case for having a complete review of the House of Lords'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
11. Norman Fowler (5 July 2008). "Family first". Guardian Unlimited. Archived from the original on 21 February 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2008.
12. ^ Rayner, Gordon (12 November 2023). "Norman Fowler: 'We should not be under any illusion, the Government is looking defeat in the face'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 15 November 2023.
13. "No. 52026". The London Gazette. 23 January 1990. p. 973.
14. "No. 56266". The London Gazette. 6 July 2001. p. 1.
15. Fowler, Norman (15 June 2023). "One good can come from the Boris Johnson debacle: The will to look afresh at the House of Lords". The Guardian.
16. Michael White (21 February 2003). "Europe should appoint Aids envoy, peer says". Guardian Unlimited. Archived from the original on 4 December 2004. Retrieved 13 April 2008.
17. "Conservative Lord Fowler: If Parliament values people equally, it must make same-sex marriage legal". PinkNews. 10 May 2013. Archived from the original on 17 May 2013. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
18. "Lord Fowler elected as new Lord Speaker". UK Parliament. 13 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 13 June 2016.
19. "House of Lords size should be cut by 200 peers, Lords Speaker says". The Independent. 6 September 2016. Archived from the original on 17 September 2016. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
20. "Lord Speaker announces withdrawal from Parliament amid coronavirus outbreak". PoliticsHome. 19 March 2020.
21. Walker, Peter (25 February 2021). "Normal Fowler to step down early as Lord Speaker". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
22. "Lord Fowler steps down as Lord Speaker to campaign on Aids". BBC News. 25 February 2021.
23. "Speaker Lord Fowler backs calls for National Aids memorial". BBC News. 31 March 2021. Retrieved 31 March 2021.
24. "The board at Aggregate Industries". www.aggregate.com. Archived from the original on 5 December 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
25. "Freelance May00: Freedom of Information: your task". www.londonfreelance.org. Archived from the original on 19 July 2011. Retrieved 7 September 2016.
26. "Biography". Norman Fowler. 20 February 2020. Retrieved 15 November 2023.

External links

• Profile at Parliament of the United Kingdom
• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Norman Fowler
• "Europe should appoint Aids envoy, peer says" - a Guardian article by Michael White, dated 21 February 2003

v t e Secretaries of state for transport of the United Kingdom
Bill Rodgers Norman Fowler (Minister of Transport 1979-1981, Secretary of State for Transport 1981) David Howell Tom King Nicholas Ridley John Moore Paul Channon Cecil Parkinson Malcolm Rifkind John MacGregor Brian Mawhinney George Young John Prescott (as Secretary of State for Environment, Transport and the Regions) Stephen Byers (as Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions) Alistair Darling Douglas Alexander Ruth Kelly Geoff Hoon Andrew, Lord Adonis Philip Hammond Justine Greening Patrick McLoughlin Chris Grayling Grant Shapps Anne-Marie Trevelyan Mark Harper Louise Haigh Heidi Alexander

v t e Health secretaries of the United Kingdom
Ministers of Health	Christopher Addison Alfred Mond Arthur Griffith-Boscawen Neville Chamberlain William Joynson-Hicks John Wheatley Neville Chamberlain Arthur Greenwood Neville Chamberlain Hilton Young Kingsley Wood Walter Elliot Malcolm MacDonald Ernest Brown Henry Willink Aneurin Bevan Hilary Marquand Harry Crookshank Iain Macleod Robin Turton Dennis Vosper Derek Walker-Smith Enoch Powell Anthony Barber Kenneth Robinson
Secretaries of State for Social Services	Richard Crossman Sir Keith Joseph Barbara Castle David Ennals Patrick Jenkin Norman Fowler John Moore
Secretaries of State for Health	Kenneth Clarke William Waldegrave Virginia Bottomley Stephen Dorrell Frank Dobson Alan Milburn John Reid Patricia Hewitt Alan Johnson Andy Burnham Andrew Lansley Jeremy Hunt
Secretaries of State for Health and Social Care	Jeremy Hunt Matt Hancock Sajid Javid Steve Barclay Thérèse Coffey Steve Barclay Victoria Atkins Wes Streeting

v t e Secretaries of state for work and pensions of the United Kingdom
Ministers of Pensions	Barnes Hodge Worthington-Evans Macpherson Tryon Roberts Tryon Roberts Tryon Hudson Ramsbotham Womersley Paling Hynd Buchanan Marquand Isaacs Heathcoat-Amory
Ministers of Social Insurance/National Insurance	Jowitt Hore-Belisha Griffiths Summerskill Peake
Ministers of Pensions and National Insurance	Peake Boyd-Carpenter Macpherson Wood Herbison
Ministers of Social Security	Herbison Hart
Secretaries of State for Social Services	Crossman Joseph Castle Ennals Jenkin Fowler Moore
Secretaries of State for Social Security	Moore Newton Lilley Harman Darling
Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions	Darling A. Smith Johnson Blunkett Hutton Hain Purnell Cooper Duncan Smith Crabb Green Gauke McVey Rudd Coffey C. Smith Stride

v t e Thatcher Cabinet
Margaret Thatcher Humphrey Atkins Kenneth Baker Lord Belstead John Biffen Leon Brittan Peter Brooke Mark Carlisle Lord Carrington Paul Channon Kenneth Clarke Lord Cockfield Nicholas Edwards Norman Fowler Sir Ian Gilmour Lord Gowrie John Gummer Lord Havers Lord Hailsham Michael Heseltine Michael Howard Sir Geoffrey Howe David Howell David Hunt Douglas Hurd Patrick Jenkin Michael Jopling Sir Keith Joseph Tom King Norman Lamont Nigel Lawson Peter Lilley John MacGregor James Mackay John Major Angus Maude John Moore Tony Newton John Nott Cecil Parkinson Chris Patten Jim Prior Francis Pym Peter Rees Nicholas Ridley Malcolm Rifkind Lord Soames Norman St John-Stevas Norman Tebbit David Waddington John Wakeham William Waldegrave Peter Walker William Whitelaw Lord Young of Graffham Baroness Young George Younger

v t e Major Cabinet
Cabinet Members	Jonathan Aitken Kenneth Baker Virginia Bottomley Peter Brooke Kenneth Clarke Viscount Cranborne Stephen Dorrell Michael Forsyth Roger Freeman John Gummer William Hague Jeremy Hanley Michael Heseltine Douglas Hogg Michael Howard David Hunt Douglas Hurd Tom King Norman Lamont Ian Lang Peter Lilley John MacGregor Lord Mackay John Major Brian Mawhinney Patrick Mayhew David Mellor Tony Newton Chris Patten John Patten Michael Portillo John Redwood Malcolm Rifkind Gillian Shephard Lord Waddington Lord Wakeham William Waldegrave George Young
Also attended meetings	Norman Fowler Alastair Goodlad Richard Ryder

v t e Conservative and Unionist Party
History Organisations Conservative Party Archive Topics History of the Conservative Party History of conservatism in Great Britain Electoral history Tories Tamworth Manifesto Carlton Club Primrose League Tariff Reform League Unionist Free Food League Coalition Coupon Carlton Club meeting General election manifestos Fourth Party Liberal Unionist Party Irish Conservative Party Irish Unionist Party Scottish Unionist Party National Party (1917) National Liberal Party
Leadership House of Lords (1828–1922) Wellington Derby Malmesbury Cairns Richmond Beaconsfield Salisbury Devonshire Lansdowne Curzon House of Commons (1834–1922) Peel Bentinck Granby vacant (1848–1849) Disraeli / Granby / Herries Disraeli Northcote Hicks Beach R. Churchill Smith Balfour Law A. Chamberlain Leaders (1922–) Law Baldwin N. Chamberlain W. Churchill Eden Macmillan Douglas-Home Heath Thatcher Major Hague Duncan Smith Howard Cameron May Johnson Truss Sunak Badenoch Chairmen (1911–) Steel-Maitland Younger Jackson Davidson N. Chamberlain Baird Hacking Dugdale Assheton Woolton Poole Hailsham Butler Macleod / Poole Blakenham du Cann Barber Thomas Carrington Whitelaw Thorneycroft Parkinson Gummer Tebbit Brooke Baker Patten Fowler Hanley Mawhinney Parkinson Ancram Davis May Fox / Saatchi Maude Spelman Pickles Warsi / Feldman Shapps / Feldman Feldman McLoughlin Lewis Cleverly / Elliot Milling / Elliot Dowden / Elliot Stephenson / Elliot Berry Zahawi Hands Holden Fuller See also Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party Maudling Whitelaw Lilley Ancram
Leadership elections 1965 Heath 1975 Thatcher 1989 Thatcher re-elected 1990 Major 1995 Major re-elected 1997 Hague 2001 Duncan Smith 2003 Howard 2005 Cameron 2016 May 2019 Johnson July–September 2022 Truss October 2022 Sunak 2024 Badenoch
Party structure Professional Conservative Party Board Conservative Campaign Headquarters Treasurer of the Conservative Party Conservative Research Department Voluntary National Conservative Convention Parliamentary 1922 Committee Conservative Chief Whip's Office Conference Conservative Party Conference Subnational Northern Ireland Conservatives Scottish Conservatives Welsh Conservatives Gibraltar Conservatives Directly elected city mayoral authorities London Conservatives Local Conservative Associations Other Conservative Party Review (2016)
Associated organisations List Organisations associated with the Conservative Party Sectional groups Conservative Women's Organisation Young Conservatives Conservatives Abroad LGBT+ Conservatives Association of Conservative Clubs Factional groups 2020 group Activate The Atlantic Bridge Blue Collar Conservativism Common Sense Group Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation Conservative Christian Fellowship Conservative Co-operative Movement Conservative Countryside Forum Conservative Disability Group Conservative European Forum Conservative Friends of America Conservative Friends of the Chinese Conservative Friends of Gibraltar Conservative Friends of India Conservative Friends of Israel Conservative Friends of Palestine Conservative Friends of Turkey Conservative History Group Conservative Humanist Association Conservative Mainstream Conservative Health Conservative Muslim Forum Conservative Education Society Conservative National Property Advisory Committee Conservative Rural Affairs Group Conservative Science & Technology Forum Conservative Trade Unionists Conservative Transport Group Conservative Way Forward Conservative Women National Committee Conservative Workers & Trade Unionists Conservatives 4 Cities Conservatives Against Fox Hunting Conservatives at Work Conservatives for International Travel Cornerstone Group COVID Recovery Group European Foundation European Research Group Fresh Start Margaret Thatcher Foundation Monday Club 92 Group No Campaign No Turning Back Northern Research Group One Nation Conservatives Popular Conservatism Renewing One Nation Selsdon Group Tory Green Initiative Tory Reform Group Young Britons' Foundation Five Families Politicians List of MPs 2005–2010 2010–2015 London
Think tanks Bow Group Bright Blue Bruges Group Centre for Policy Studies Centre for Social Justice European Foundation Onward Policy Exchange Society of Conservative Lawyers
Party alliances Current List of current alliances European Conservatives and Reformists Party International Democrat Union (European Democrat Union) European Conservatives Group and Democratic Alliance Former List of former alliances Conservative–DUP agreement European People's Party (European People's Party Group) European Conservative Group European Conservatives and Reformists Group European Democrats Movement for European Reform Alliance for an Open Europe Ulster Conservatives and Unionists (Ulster Unionist Party)
Conservatism portal United Kingdom portal

• 1938 births
• Living people
• 20th-century British Army personnel
• 20th-century English journalists
• 20th-century English diarists
• 21st-century English diarists
• Alumni of Trinity Hall, Cambridge
• British LGBTQ rights activists
• British Secretaries of State for Employment
• Chairmen of the Conservative Party (UK)
• Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
• Conservative Party (UK) life peers
• Essex Regiment officers
• Knights Bachelor
• Life peers created by Elizabeth II
• Lords Speaker
• Members of the Bow Group
• Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
• Military personnel from Chelmsford
• People educated at King Edward VI Grammar School, Chelmsford
• People from Chelmsford
• Secretaries of State for Social Services
• Secretaries of state for transport (UK)
• The Times journalists
• UK MPs 1970–1974
• UK MPs 1974
• UK MPs 1974–1979
• UK MPs 1979–1983
• UK MPs 1983–1987
• UK MPs 1987–1992
• UK MPs 1992–1997
• UK MPs 1997–2001