    james michael leathes prior, baron prior, pc, known as "jim prior" (born 11 october 1927), is a british politician. a member of the conservative party, he was a member of parliament (mp) from 1959 to 1987, representing the constituency of lowestoft from 1959 to 1983 and the renamed constituency of waveney from 1983 to 1987. he served in the cabinet from 1970 to 1974, and from 1979 to 1984. he was made a life peer in 1987. lord prior served as the chairman of the arab british chamber of commerce from 1996 to 2004. although he was in the cabinet of margaret thatcher (1979â81) as employment minister, he disagreed with some of her views on trade unions and her monetarist economic policies generally. this made him a leader of the "wet" faction in the co
1927_births Alumni_of_Pembroke_College,_Cambridge British_Secretaries_of_State British_Secretaries_of_State_for_Employment Conservative_Party_(UK)_MPs Conservative_Party_(UK)_life_peers Leaders_of_the_House_of_Commons Living_people Lord_Presidents_of_the_Council Members_of_the_Parliament_of_the_United_Kingdom_for_English_constituencies Members_of_the_Privy_Council_of_the_United_Kingdom People_educated_at_Charterhouse_School People_from_Suffolk Royal_Norfolk_Regiment_officers Secretaries_of_State_for_Northern_Ireland UK_MPs_1959a64 UK_MPs_1964a66 UK_MPs_1966a70 UK_MPs_1970a74 UK_MPs_1974 UK_MPs_1974a79 UK_MPs_1979a83 UK_MPs_1983a87