- Mark Carlisle
-
The Right Honourable
The Lord Carlisle of Bucklow
QC DL PCSecretary of State for Education and Science In office
4 May 1979 – 11 September 1981Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by Shirley Williams Succeeded by Keith Joseph Member of Parliament
for Warrington SouthIn office
9 June 1983 – 11 June 1987Preceded by Constituency established Succeeded by Chris Butler Member of Parliament
for RuncornIn office
15 October 1964 – 9 June 1983Preceded by Dennis Vosper Succeeded by Constituency abolished Personal details Born 7 July 1929 Died 14 July 2005 (aged 76)Political party Conservative Alma mater University of Manchester Mark Carlisle, Baron Carlisle of Bucklow QC DL PC (7 July 1929 - 14 July 2005) was a Conservative British politician and was Member of Parliament (MP) for Runcorn 1964-1983 and Warrington South 1983-1987. Created a life peer in November 1987, he served as Secretary of State for Education and Science from 1979 until 1981.
He was educated at Radley College in Abingdon, Oxfordshire and the University of Manchester before becoming an MP in 1964 for the Cheshire constituency of Runcorn. He was Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs from 1970-1972 when he became a Minister of State for Home Affairs leaving the job when the Conservatives went out of office in 1974. He was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science in 1978 before being appointed to the department itself when Margaret Thatcher was elected in May 1979. Former Labour Cabinet Minister Clare Short has said that it was her low opinion of Carlisle, who she worked under as a civil servant persuaded her to enter elected politics herself because she believed she "could do better" than many of the MPs she dealt with.
Thatcher writes in her memoirs that Carlisle "had not proved a particularly effective Education Secretary" and to this effect he was dismissed in the September 1981 Cabinet reshuffle. However, Thatcher did write that he left with ‘courteousness and good humour', which was in contrast to Sir Ian Gilmour who having left the cabinet in the same reshuffle, stormed out of Downing Street, announcing that government policy was "heading for the rocks". Boundary changes meant that Carlisle appeared to change seats at the 1983 general election but in fact areas to the south of Warrington had previously been part of the Runcorn seat. He remained an MP until June 1987. Later the same year he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Carlisle of Bucklow, of Mobberley in the County of Cheshire where he sat as a Conservative life peer.
Parliament of the United Kingdom Preceded by
Dennis VosperMember of Parliament for Runcorn
1964–1983Constituency abolished New constituency Member of Parliament for Warrington South
1983–1987Succeeded by
Chris ButlerPolitical offices Preceded by
Shirley WilliamsSecretary of State for Education and Science
1979–1981Succeeded by
Keith JosephCategories:- 1929 births
- 2005 deaths
- British Secretaries of State
- British Secretaries of State for Education
- Conservative Party (UK) MPs
- Conservative Party (UK) life peers
- Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom
- Members of the United Kingdom Parliament for English constituencies
- Old Radleians
- UK MPs 1964–1966
- UK MPs 1966–1970
- UK MPs 1970–1974
- UK MPs 1974
- UK MPs 1974–1979
- UK MPs 1979–1983
- UK MPs 1983–1987
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