Nigel Lawson dies as Sunak leads Tories hailing Thatcher's pivotal Chancellor
Former Conservative Party MP and journalist Nigel Lawson has died at the age of 91, just months after retiring.
The politician represented the constituency of Blaby from 1974 to 1992 and served in the Cabinet of Margaret Thatcher from 1981 to 1989.
He leaves behind six children, including food writer and celebrity cook Nigella Lawson, journalist Dominic Lawson and Tom Lawson, headmaster of Eastbourne College.
Before entering the Cabinet, Mr Lawson was the Financial Secretary to the Treasury from May 1979 to September 1981.
Then, from September 1981 to June 1983, the MP was Secretary of State for Energy and then served as Chancellor of the Exchequer from June 1983 to October 1989.
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Mr Lawson with his daughter, food writer and celebrity cook Nigella Lawson (David Fisher/REX/Shutterstock)
Nigel Lawson chaired the Vote Leave campaign during the EU referendum (PA)The Conservative Party politician spent six years as Chancellor of the Exchequer, the second longest tenure since the Second World War.
He abolished at least one tax in every Budget he presented and in 1988 cut the top rate of income tax from 60p to 40p.
But he resigned in October 1989 following after he fell out with Mrs Thatcher over her adviser, Sir Alan Walters.
The Tory heavyweight also served in the House of Lords, retiring from the upper chamber in December 2022, with the deputy speaker praising his "much-valued service" as he ended his political career spanning almost five decades.
Mr Lawson in Downing Street with his second wife Therese (Mirrorpix)Lord Lawson of Blaby chaired the Vote Leave campaign during the 2016 EU referendum campaign and once warned of the "undesirable insurrectionary forces" if Parliament failed to accept the result of the Brexit vote.
At the time, he was criticised by Labour MPs for leading the campaign to drag Britain out of the European Union from his luxury home in the south of France.
In 2017, the BBC apologised for an interview with Lord Lawson, a climate sceptic who founded the group Global Warming Policy Foundation, for '"not sufficiently challenging" the ex-Chancellor.
The Tory grandee had falsely claimed in a 2017 interview that "official figures" showed world temperatures had "slightly declined".
An Ofcom spokeswoman said: "Statements made about the science of climate change were not challenged sufficiently during this interview, which meant the programme was not duly accurate."
Lord Lawson was the chairman of the 'Vote Leave' campaign (Getty Images)As tributes poured in after Lord Lawson's death, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "One of the first things I did as Chancellor was hang a picture of Nigel Lawson above my desk.
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"He was a transformational Chancellor and an inspiration to me and many others.
"My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time."
Chancellor Jeremy Hunt said Nigel Lawson's shoes "have been impossible to fill".
He tweeted: "Nigel Lawson was a rarity amongst politicians, someone who transformed our thinking as well as transforming our economy.
"Since he stepped down as Chancellor his shoes have been impossible to fill but he inspired all his successors, leaving the country more prosperous & enterprising."
The Chairman of the Conservative Party Greg Hands said: "Am sad to learn of the passing of Nigel Lawson.
"He was active in Conservative politics until very recently, and will be remembered for his clarity of thinking, commitment to free market economics & willingness to challenge orthodoxies. Rest in peace, Nigel".
The Foreign Secretary James Cleverly described Lord Lawson as a "true statesman", saying: "His contributions to this nation will not be forgotten".
The MP with former PM Margaret Thatcher at the Conservative Party Conference in Blackpool in 1989 (Mirrorpix)Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab added that Lord Lawson was a "giant who change the political weather, a lodestar for Conservatives, and a kind of man always generous with his wisdom".
Ex-PM Boris Johnson said: "Nigel Lawson was a fearless and original flame of free market Conservatism. He was a tax-cutter and simplifier who helped transform the economic landscape and helped millions of British people achieve their dreams.
"He was a prophet of Brexit and a lover of continental Europe. He was a giant. My thoughts and prayers are with his family."
Posting an image from Lord Lawson's 'memoirs of a Tory radical', which was first published in 1992 detailing his time serving under Ms Thatcher, the former Brexit Secretary David Frost described him as a "true economical radical".
He added: "A supporter of Brexit, an early advocate of a more reasoned approach to climate change - and the author of simply one of the best political memoirs ever."
Former civil servant and permanent secretary to the Treasury between 2008 and 2016, Nick Macpherson, said: "One of the great Chancellors of the 20th century. His microeconomic reforms particularly on tax were both daring and substantial, and have stood the test of time.
"His intellectual energy and openness to debate was inspirational in the Treasury of the 1980s."
Commons speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle tweeted: "My condolences to the family of Lord Lawson who passed away today. He served many years as an MP and in Government, and my thoughts are with friends and family."
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