biography
| name: |
Tebbit (of Chingford), Norman (Beresford) Tebbit, Baron
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| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1931– )
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| biography:
| British statesman, born in Enfield, N Greater London, UK. He left school at 16, worked as a journalist, and after national service in the RAF became an airline pilot, later heading the British Airline Pilots' Association. He became a Conservative MP in 1970, serving in Margaret Thatcher's governments as employment secretary (1981–3) and secretary for trade and industry (1983–5). His career was interrupted in 1984 when both he and his wife were badly hurt in the IRA bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton. In 1985 he became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and also chairman of the party. In 1987, there were open disagreements between him and Mrs Thatcher over the handling of the general election campaign, and shortly after the Conservative victory he retired to the back-benches. Noted for a vigorous style of rhetoric, he is remembered for his ‘on your bike’ speech (recommending a course of action to the unemployed) to the Conservative Party conference in 1981. He was made a life peer in 1992. |
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