This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Surrey10 (talk | contribs) at 22:49, 6 January 2006 (moved Derek Foster to Derek Foster, Baron Foster of Bishop Auckland). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 22:49, 6 January 2006 by Surrey10 (talk | contribs) (moved Derek Foster to Derek Foster, Baron Foster of Bishop Auckland)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Right Honourable Derek Foster, Baron Foster of Bishop Auckland, PC, DL (born 25 June 1937) was the British member of Parliament for Bishop Auckland in County Durham. He is a member of the Labour Party.
Foster was Chief Whip of the opposition between 1985 and 1995, becoming a member of the Privy Council in 1993. After Tony Blair became leader in 1994, he was keen to appoint a new Chief Whip and asked Foster to stand aside, in return for the promise of a seat in the Cabinet if and when Labour returned to power. Foster eventually agreed and became Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in 1995.
However when Labour won the 1997 election, Foster was appointed to the relatively junior role of Parliamentary Secretary in the Cabinet Office, under David Clark. After giving the matter further thought, Foster stood down from the government after just two days, and later publicly accused Mr Blair of having broken his promise to him. He was eventually appointed chair of the Commons sub-committee on employment, becoming something of a thorn in the Government's side during Mr Blair's first term. But the employment sub-committee was abolished in 2001 and he became a backbencher, retiring from the Commons at the 2005 general election. On 13 May 2005 it was announced that he would be created a life peer, and in June 2005 the peerage was gazetted as Baron Foster of Bishop Auckland, of Bishop Auckland in the County of Durham.
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