Misplaced Pages

The Right HonourableThe Lord Baker of DorkingCH PC
Official portrait, 2020
Secretary of State for the Home Department
In office 28 November 1990 – 10 April 1992
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	David Waddington
Succeeded by	Kenneth Clarke
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 24 July 1989 – 28 November 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Tony Newton
Succeeded by	Chris Patten
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In office 24 July 1989 – 28 November 1990
Leader	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Peter Brooke
Succeeded by	Chris Patten
Secretary of State for Education and Science
In office 21 May 1986 – 24 July 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Keith Joseph
Succeeded by	John MacGregor
Secretary of State for the Environment
In office 2 September 1985 – 21 May 1986
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Patrick Jenkin
Succeeded by	Nicholas Ridley
Junior ministerial offices 1981–1985 Minister of State for Local Government In office 11 September 1984 – 1 September 1985 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Sec. of State Patrick Jenkin Preceded by The Lord Bellwin Succeeded by William Waldegrave Minister of State for Industry and Information Technology In office 5 January 1981 – 10 September 1984 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Sec. of State Sir Keith Joseph Patrick Jenkin Cecil Parkinson Norman Tebbit Preceded by The Viscount Trenchard Succeeded by Geoffrey Pattie Parliamentary Secretary for the Civil Service Department In office 7 April 1972 – 4 March 1974Serving with Geoff Johnson-Smith (1972-1974) Prime Minister Edward Heath Preceded by David Howell Succeeded by Robert Sheldon
Parliamentary offices Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal Incumbent Assumed office 18 June 1997 Life Peerage Member of Parliament for Mole Valley In office 9 June 1983 – 8 April 1997 Preceded by Constituency created Succeeded by Paul Beresford Member of Parliament for St Marylebone In office 22 October 1970 – 13 May 1983 Preceded by Quintin Hogg Succeeded by Constituency abolished Member of Parliament for Acton In office 28 March 1968 – 29 May 1970 Preceded by Bernard Floud Succeeded by Nigel Spearing
Personal details
Born	(1934-11-03) 3 November 1934 (age 90) Newport, Monmouthshire, Wales
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Mary Elizabeth Gray-Muir ​ ​(m. 1963)​
Children	Oswin · Sophia · Amy
Residence(s)	Iford, East Sussex, England
Education	Hampton Grammar School St Paul's School, London
Alma mater	Magdalen College, Oxford (BA, MSc)
Signature
Website	Official website
Kenneth Baker's voice Baker promotes career colleges for 14 to 19 year olds Recorded 10 June 2015
a. Minister of State for Industry: 5 January 1981 to 12 June 1983

Kenneth Wilfred Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking (born 3 November 1934) is a British politician, Conservative Member of Parliament from 1968 to 1997, and a cabinet minister, including holding the offices of Home Secretary, Education Secretary and Conservative Party Chairman. He is a life member of the Tory Reform Group.

Baker stood down from the House of Commons at the 1997 election and was created a life peer as Baron Baker of Dorking, joining the House of Lords.

Early life

The son of a civil servant, Baker was born in Newport, Monmouthshire. He was educated at Hampton Grammar School between 1946 and 1948, a boys' voluntary aided school in West London (now Hampton School, an independent school). He then went on to study at St Paul's School, and at Magdalen College, Oxford, where he graduated in 1958 with a BA Degree in History. Whilst at Oxford, Baker served as Secretary of The Oxford Union. Four years later he graduated with a MSc degree in International Law and Regulations. He did National Service in the Royal Artillery, reaching the rank of lieutenant, and worked for Royal Dutch Shell before being elected as a Member of Parliament at a by-election in March 1968.

Career

Political career

Member of Parliament

Having unsuccessfully contested Poplar in 1964 and Acton in 1966, Baker was first elected to Parliament when he won Acton at a March 1968 by-election, gaining it from Labour following the suicide of Bernard Floud. However, at the 1970 general election he was defeated by Labour's Nigel Spearing. At an ensuing by-election, held on 22 October 1970—caused by the elevation to the Lords (as a life peer) of Quintin Hogg, so that he could become Lord Chancellor after the surprise Conservative victory at the 1970 election—Baker was elected for the safe Conservative seat of St Marylebone in central London. In the parliamentary seat redistribution of the early 1980s, St Marylebone was abolished and Baker was defeated by Peter Brooke for the Conservative nomination at the nearby new safe seat of Cities of London & Westminster. However he successfully obtained nomination at Mole Valley, a safely-Conservative rural seat in Surrey, which he held until his retirement in 1997. He was succeeded there by Sir Paul Beresford.

Early ministerial career

Baker's first government post was in the Heath ministry; in 1972 he became Parliamentary Secretary at the Civil Service Department, and in 1974 Parliamentary Private Secretary to Edward Heath. Having become closely associated with Heath, he was overlooked for office when Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979, but in 1981 he was appointed Minister for Information Technology, in the then Department of Trade and Industry. Having been sworn of the Privy Council in the 1984 New Year Honours, he entered the Cabinet as Secretary of State for the Environment in 1985.

Education Secretary

Baker served as Secretary of State for Education from 1986 to 1989. His most noted action in his time at the Department of Education was the introduction of the controversial "National Curriculum" through the 1988 Education Act. He also introduced in-service training days for teachers, which became popularly known as "Baker days". At this time Baker was often tipped as a future Conservative leader, including in the 1987 edition of Julian Critchley's biography of Michael Heseltine. Critchley quoted one journalist's witticism "I have seen the future and it smirks" (a reference to the famous line "I have seen the future and it works" written by Lincoln Steffens, an American visitor to Lenin's USSR in 1921). Baker's mannerisms were unpopular with some people: he dressed his hair with Brylcreem, and by the late 1980s he had come to be portrayed by the satirical programme Spitting Image as a slimy slug.

Party Chairman

In the July 1989 reshuffle Baker was appointed Chairman of the Conservative Party, with the intention that he should organise a fourth consecutive General Election victory for Margaret Thatcher. He managed to steer the government through the otherwise disastrous local elections of May 1990 by stressing the good results for Conservative "flagship" councils in Westminster and Wandsworth, i.e. supposedly demonstrating that the poll tax—a source of great unpopularity for the government—could be a vote-winner for Conservative councils who kept it low. He was still Party Chairman at the time Margaret Thatcher resigned in November 1990.

Home Secretary

After the change of regime, Baker was promoted to Home Secretary, dealing with prison riots and introducing the Dangerous Dogs Act.

After his term of office, Baker was found (M v Home Office 1994) to have been in contempt of court for having deported a man back to Zaire in 1991, in breach of an interim injunction and while proceedings were pending. "It would be a black day for the rule of law and the liberty of the subject", the Court of Appeal ruled, "if ministers were not accountable to the courts for their personal actions." This was the first time the courts had reached such a finding against a minister for exercise of Prerogative Powers, something previously thought to be impossible.

After 1992

After the 1992 general election Baker left the government rather than accept demotion to the job of Welsh Secretary. He was appointed a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour (CH) on 13 April 1992. He proposed the Loyal Address in the Queen's Speech debate on 6 May 1992, following the general election. He chose not to stand for re-election to the House of Commons in 1997, and on 16 June was created a life peer as Baron Baker of Dorking, of Iford in the County of East Sussex.

Baker was interviewed in 2012 as part of The History of Parliament's oral history project.

Since 2019, Baker has campaigned for the abolition of General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) examinations, which he introduced as Secretary of State for Education. Baker believes the certificate to be redundant as it fails in creating skills wanted by employers, is incompatible with the new age 18 school leaving age and causes poor mental health in the youth. When the annual GCSE examinations were cancelled twice during the COVID-19 pandemic, Baker believed there to be increasing opposition to their return and considered it a "great opportunity" to abolish them. Baker also criticised government plans to replace Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) qualifications with T-Levels as "vandalism", instead preferring to maintain the status quo where both BTECs and T-Levels are available to students.

In September 2019, Baker criticised attempts by Prime Minister Boris Johnson to deselect rebel Conservative MPs at the next general election.

Baker Dearing Educational Trust

Baker was co-founder along with the late Ronald Dearing of the Baker Dearing Educational Trust, an educational trust set up to promote the establishment of University Technical Colleges in England as part of the free school programme. He is also Chair of the independent education charity Edge Foundation which campaigns for a coherent, unified and holistic education for all young people.

Personal life

Until 1995 Baker lived in Station Road in the village of Betchworth, 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Dorking. He now lives in the hamlet of Iford near Lewes, East Sussex.

In 2005 he published a book on King George IV, George IV: A Life in Caricature, followed by King George III: A Life in Caricature in 2007 (Thames & Hudson). Other publications include several compilations of poetry, a history of political cartoons and his autobiography.

In 2006 Lord Baker announced that he was introducing a bill into the House of Lords to address the West Lothian question. This would prevent Scottish and Welsh MPs from voting on legislation which affects England alone as a result of devolution to the Scottish Parliament or the Welsh Assembly.

Baker's son, Oswin, is a leading member of the Greenwich and Woolwich Labour Party.

According to his entry in Who's Who, Baker enjoys collecting books and political caricatures.

In the media

Baker was interviewed about the rise of Thatcherism for the 2006 BBC TV documentary series Tory! Tory! Tory!. Baker was portrayed as a slug in the political satire television show Spitting Image.

Baker was invited on the 31 January 2023 by BBC Newsnight to comment on the forthcoming, Teachers Strike and on PM Rishi Sunak's management of his Cabinet appointments. Presenter Victoria Derbyshire, at one point was forced to remove Baker's incessantly ringing mobile phone, which continually interrupted the latter part of the live studio interview, during which he quipped that the PM was insistent in attempting to reach him.

Honours

In 1994 Lord Baker was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Richmond, The American International University in London.

In 2013 he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education from Plymouth University.

He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Education from Brunel University in 2016.

Arms

Coat of arms of Kenneth Baker, Baron Baker of Dorking

Crest Upon two closed books each fesswise the upper Azure the lower Gules both garnished and titled Or a cock also Or combed jelopped and legged Gules. Escutcheon Gyronny of eight Gules and Azure a roundel also Azure surmounted by an annulet enfiling the rings of the chains of three portcullises in pairle points inwards Or. Supporters On either side a male griffin reguardant Azure armed forelegged and rayed Or the dexter grasping in the beak a thistle flowered Gules slipped and leaved Or and the sinister a daffodil slipped and leaved Or. Motto Bene Tentare

Bibliography

• George IV: A Life in Caricature (2005 Thames & Hudson ISBN 0-500-25127-4)
• George III: A Life in Caricature (2007 Thames & Hudson ISBN 0-500-25140-1)
• 14–18 – A New Vision for Secondary Education (2013 Bloomsbury Academic ISBN 978-1780938448)

References

1. ^ "Baker of Dorking, Baron, (Kenneth Wilfred Baker) (born 3 Nov. 1934)". WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO. 2007. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u6215. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
2. "OPC Committee list". Old Pauline Club. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
3. "Mr Kenneth Baker (Hansard)". api.parliament.uk. Retrieved 11 May 2021.
4. "No. 49583". The London Gazette (Supplement). 30 December 1983. p. 1.
5. ^ "Kenneth Baker: 'People told me to abandon Thatcher but I stood by her'". the Guardian. 20 January 2013. Retrieved 12 June 2021.
6. Macdonald, Marianne (15 May 1996). "Baker spits back at 'Image' cartoonists". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 6 November 2012. Retrieved 22 January 2010.
7. "Lord Baker of Dorking". St Paul's School Website. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
8. "Baker rejects contempt ruling: Former minister says he had judicial". The Independent. 14 May 1993. Archived from the original on 20 March 2019. Retrieved 3 June 2019.
9. "No. 52911". The London Gazette. 5 May 1992. p. 7755.
10. "No. 54811". The London Gazette. 19 June 1997. p. 7123.
11. "Lord Baker of Dorking - UK Parliament". www.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 11 March 2015. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
12. "Oral history: BAKER, Kenneth (b.1934)". The History of Parliament. Archived from the original on 7 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
13. "Baron Baker interviewed by Mike Greenwood". British Library Sound Archive. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
14. Baker, Kenneth (11 February 2019). "Opinion: I introduced GCSEs in the 1980s – but now it's time to scrap them". The Independent. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
15. Mintz, Luke (24 April 2021). "Lord Baker: The pandemic is a good opportunity to scrap my GCSE revolution". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
16. "Kenneth Baker: plan to scrap BTecs is an act of vandalism". The Guardian. 29 July 2021. Retrieved 20 February 2022.
17. "Lord Kenneth Baker slams Johnson over treatment of rebel MPs". Londonlovesbusiness.com. 4 September 2019.
18. Faber Book of English History in Verse, 1989, ISBN 9780571150625
19. Faber Book of War Poetry, 1997, ISBN 9780571174546
20. Faber Book of Childrens English History in Verse, 1999, ISBN 9781422390122
21. Faber Book of Landscape Poetry, 2000, ISBN 9780571200719
22. "Baker seeks end to West Lothian question". Telegraph.co.uk. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 12 June 2013.
23. "Politics Diary". The Guardian. 11 October 2002. Archived from the original on 29 October 2017. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
24. Newsnight - Strikes - lessons from history?, retrieved 31 January 2023
25. "Honorary Degree Recipients – Richmond University". Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
26. "Lord Kenneth Baker". Archived from the original on 3 August 2021. Retrieved 15 August 2021.
27. "Honorary Graduates". Brunel.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 20 November 2018. Retrieved 4 December 2018.
28. Debrett's Peerage & Baronetage. 2000.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Kenneth Baker
• Kenneth Baker interview at History of Parliament Online
• Kenneth Baker at the Financial Times

v t e Home secretaries of the United Kingdom
Shelburne Townshend North Temple Sydney Grenville Dundas Portland Pelham Yorke Hawkesbury Spencer Liverpool Ryder Sidmouth Peel Sturges Bourne Lansdowne Peel Melbourne Duncannon Wellington Goulburn Russell Normanby Graham Grey Walpole Palmerston Grey Walpole Sotheron-Estcourt Lewis Grey Walpole Hardy Bruce Lowe Cross Harcourt Cross Childers Matthews Asquith Ridley Ritchie Akers-Douglas Gladstone Churchill McKenna Simon Samuel Cave Shortt Bridgeman Henderson Joynson-Hicks Clynes Samuel Gilmour Simon Hoare Anderson Morrison Somervell Chuter Ede Maxwell-Fyfe Lloyd George Butler Brooke Soskice Jenkins Callaghan Maudling Carr Jenkins Rees Whitelaw Brittan Hurd Waddington Baker K. Clarke Howard Straw Blunkett C. Clarke Reid Smith Johnson May Rudd Javid Patel Braverman Shapps Braverman Cleverly Cooper

v t e Education secretaries of the United Kingdom
Department for Education
Presidents of the Board of Education	Devonshire Londonderry Birrell McKenna Runciman Pease Henderson Crewe Fisher Wood Trevelyan Percy Trevelyan Lees-Smith Maclean Irwin Stanley Stanhope De La Warr Soulbury Butler
Ministers of education	Butler Law Wilkinson Tomlinson Horsbrugh Eccles Hailsham Lloyd Eccles Boyle
Secretaries of state	Education and science Hogg Stewart Crosland Gordon Walker Short Thatcher Prentice Mulley Williams Carlisle Joseph Baker MacGregor Clarke Education Patten Shephard Education and employment Shephard Blunkett Education and skills Morris Clarke Kelly Johnson Children, schools and families Balls Innovation, universities and skills Denham Education Gove Morgan Greening Hinds Williamson Zahawi Donelan Cleverly Malthouse Keegan

v t e Secretaries of state for environment of the United Kingdom
Secretaries of State for Environment	Walker Rippon Crosland Shore Heseltine King Jenkin Baker Ridley Patten Heseltine Howard Gummer
Secretaries of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions	Prescott
Secretaries of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs	Beckett Miliband Benn Spelman Paterson Truss Leadsom Gove Villiers Eustice Jayawardena Coffey Barclay

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

• 1934 births
• Living people
• 20th-century British Army personnel
• Alumni of Magdalen College, Oxford
• British Eurosceptics
• British Secretaries of State for Education
• British Secretaries of State for the Environment
• Chairmen of the Conservative Party (UK)
• Chancellors of the Duchy of Lancaster
• Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies
• Conservative Party (UK) life peers
• Life peers created by Elizabeth II
• Members of the Order of the Companions of Honour
• Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
• People educated at Hampton School
• People educated at St Paul's School, London
• People from Newport, Wales
• Presidents of the Oxford University Conservative Association
• Royal Artillery officers
• Secretaries of State for the Home Department
• UK MPs 1966–1970
• 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