James Prior, Baron Prior
James "Jim" Michael Leathes Prior, Baron Prior of Brampton PC ( born October 11, 1927) is a British politician of the Conservative Party.
Biography
After visiting the traditional, elite Charterhouse School he did his military service in the British Army in the Royal Norfolk Regiment of the 3rd Infantry Division. He then completed a degree in Real Estate Management at Pembroke College, University of Cambridge, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA Estate Management ).
His political career began as a candidate of the Conservative Party when he first time in 1959 as a deputy in the lower house (House of Commons ) has been selected and there to 1983, the constituency represented Lowestoft. Then he was up to 1987 delegates in the House of Commons for the constituency of Waveney.
After the electoral victory of the Tories in the general election on 18 June 1970 he was appointed by Prime Minister Edward Heath as Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in the Cabinet. After a cabinet reshuffle, he was from 1972 until the end of the term of office of Heath 1974 Lord President of the Council, and at the same time leader of the conservative majority party in the House ( Leader of the House of Commons ). During this time, he was a close confidant and adviser to the Prime Minister.
After the electoral defeat of Heath at the general election in February 1974, he applied for the post of chairman of the Conservative Party. After Heath on 4 February 1975, at the election as Leader of the Conservative Party was defeated in the first round of voting against his challenger Margaret Thatcher, the former shadow opposition leader John Peyton joined in the second round of elections on February 11, 1975 against these as opposition candidate to. However, Peyton defeated and scored according to Thatcher (146 votes ) and the favorite of Heath William Whitelaw ( 79 votes ) and Geoffrey Howe and Prior ( 19 votes each ) only 11 votes and makes it last the five candidates of the second round.
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher appointed Prior after winning the general election on 3 May 1979 as Minister for Employment. After a cabinet reshuffle, he was most recently on 14 September 1981 to September 11, 1984 Minister of Northern Ireland. He tried to relax the resulting from the Dirty Protest Irish hunger strike of 1980/81, which had among other things, the death of the IRA activists and Northern Irish House of Representatives Bobby Sands result.
After retiring from the House, he was raised as a life peer with the title Baron Prior of Brampton in the peerage on 16 October 1987 and is one of the Upper House ( House of Lords ) to. Currently, he is one of the furloughed members of the upper house.