For this week’s quiz, I thought I would pose a question that relates to some people who are not in the Lords.
Former Prime Ministers are offered peerages and, even if they decline initially, can accept them at a later date (as with Harold Macmillan). It is usual, though not automatic, for former Cabinet ministers to be offered peerages. Some, though, fail to make it.
This week’s quiz, then, is to name living former Cabinet ministers (excluding former Prime Ministers Sir John Major and Tony Blair) who have left the Commons but who are not in the House of Lords. The two winners will be those who come up with the most correct names – to encourage as many readers as possible to take part, the list does not have to be exhaustive; it does, though, have to include a Conservative former Cabinet minister.
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I shall leave open last week’s quiz in case any other readers wish to nominate a committee. I am greatly encouraged by the fact that several committees have been chosen already.
Blunkett and Hailsham (Hogg), Hoon, Hewitt come to mind immediately.
Croft: David Blunkett is still an MP.
Jonathan Aitken
Tony Benn
Stephen Byers
Charles Clarke
Ron Davies
Jeremy Hanley
Patricia Hewitt
Geoff Hoon
Ruth Kelly
Ian McCartney
David Mellor
Alan Milburn
Bruce Millan
Michael Portillo
Jacqui Smith
Gavin Strang
For starters we can have David Mellor, Jeremy Hanley, John Nott and Jonathan Aitken as former Conservative cabinet members who aren’t in the Lords.
On the other side,
Tony Benn
Bruce Millan
Geoff Hoon
Charles Clarke
Ruth Kelly
Alan Milburn
Patricia Hewitt
Steven Byers
Clare Short
Gavin Strang
Ron Davies
Oops… missed a couple:
James Purnell
Ian McCartney
In the interests of being thorough, please can I add
John Nott
to my earlier entry!
Labour
Jacqui Smith
Charles Clarke
Alan Milburn
Ruth Kelly
James Purnell
Stephen Byers
Pat Hewitt
John Morris
Hilary Armstrong
Conservatives
David Mellor
Brian Mawhinney
Edward Brunsdon: Hilary Armstrong is in the Lords, as are John Morris and Brian Mawhinnety.
Frank Dobson SSH
Geoff Hoon number of offices
Charles Clarke Home Secretary
Stephen Byers CStT
Gavin Strang Transport
Claire Short International Development
Patricia Hewitt Health Secretary
The Rt Hon Ruth Kelly MP
Secretary of State for Employment – The Rt. Hon. Michael Portillo, MP
(#64,749)
Chief Secretary to the Treasury – The Rt. Hon. Johnathan Aitken, MP
(#64,749)
Minister without Portfolio – The Rt. Hon. Jeremy Hanley, MP (unpaid)
Frank Wynerth Summers III: Frank Dobson is still an MP.
Lord Norton,
Thanks for clarification. In terms of the quiz it seems djb13 has me soundly outflanked even without one false name Ifailed to hit a baker’s dozen…
I think this is exhaustive, although I may well be wrong.
1) Jacqui Smith
2) Des Browne
3) Ruth Kelly
4) James Purnell
5) Geoff Hoon
6) Charles Clarke
7) Alan Milburn
8) Patricia Hewitt
9) Clare Shore
10) Gavin Strang
11) Stephen Byers
12) Ron Davies
13) Mo Mowlam
14) Ian McCartney
15) David Mellor (Con)
16) Jonathan Aitken
17) Jeremy Hanley
18) Bruce Millan
19) Tony Benn
djb13: Des Browne is actually now in the Lords. Mo Mowlam is now deceased.
Can I just add that the smiley man with the sunglasses *in no way* means that Patricia Hewitt makes me feel smiley, or for that matter, sunglassesey.
And there was I thinking that the quiz was another hagiography about how wide spread the skills were in the Lords.
Lets see, whose is not in the Lords?
We are missing hairdressers. In spite of there being a large number of hair dressers and barbers in the UK, we don’t have a representative sample of them giving their expertise.
Car mechanics. Nope they are missing.
Secretaries. We have those, so long as they served the PM. Not open to competition there.
Politicians. Vast numbers of them. Mostly from those who were kicked out by the electorate.
…
Whilst hairdressers, mechanics and secretaries have vast amounts of expertise in areas incredibly helpful to me organising meetings, getting to places on time and looking vaguely stylish (sometimes respectively), they haven’t got much expertise in areas related to government. There is a distinct lack of people with expertise in public services (working nurses, teachers and firefighters), but myself and Lord Norton both advocate an increased number of such people becoming Lords.
In any case, 100% of MPs are (by definition) politicians, as would be the case in an elected House of Lords. At-least in an unelected House of Lords, some of the members can be non-politicians.
djb13,
Perhaps you are just defending your apparently winning position. Not sure how many of the hairdressers, mechanics and secretaries you might be able to list?
I don’t know what you mean? I can name my hairdresser, my mechanic and a few secretaries, but I don’t see how that relates to this discussion.
😉
Tony Benn, in Wilson and Callaghan cabinets
John Nott, in Margaret Thatchers 1979 cabinet
Michael Portillo, in Thatcher and Major cabinets
David Mellor, in Major’s cabinet
Jonathan Aitken, in Major’s cabinet
Jeremy Hanley, in Majors cabinet
Geoff Hoon, in Blairs cabinet
Charles Clarke, in Blairs cabinet
Ruth Kelly, in Blair and Brown cabinets
Alan Milburn, in Blairs cabinet
Patricia Hewitt, in Blairs cabinet
Stephen Byers, in Blairs cabinet
Clare Short, in Blairs cabinet
Gavin Strang, in Blairs cabinet
Ron Davies, in Blairs cabinet
Jaqui Smith, in Browns cabinet
James Purnell, in Browns cabinet
Blagger derailing the topic as usual so perhaps I should chip in with the myth that one of the cleaners of the Palace in the late 80s got so keen that she was elected to the house of commons. Immaculate mahogony/oak?