Member of Parliament
What was the position of Tony Newton, Baron Newton of Braintree in Apr 1988?
Tony Newton , Baron Newton of Braintree Antony Harold Newton , Baron Newton of Braintree , OBE , PC , DL ( 29 August 1937 – 25 March 2012 ) was a British Conservative politician and former Cabinet member . He was the member of Parliament for Braintree from 1974 to 1997 , and was later a member of the House of Lords . Early life . Newton was born in Harwich , Essex . He was educated at Friends School Saffron Walden and Trinity College , Oxford , where he was President of Oxford University Conservative Association and the Union . He unsuccessfully fought Sheffield Brightside in the 1970 General Election . In the 1972 Birthday Honours , Newton was appointed to the Order of the British Empire as an Officer ( OBE ) . Member of Parliament . Newton was first elected for the new constituency of Braintree in February 1974 with a majority of 2,001 , and successfully retained the seat in the October 1974 general election with a reduced majority of 1,090 . The Conservative victory at the 1979 general election boosted his majority dramatically to 12,518 , and it increased at every subsequent election to a high of 17,494 at the 1992 general election before his defeat in the Labour landslide at the 1997 general election by 1,451 votes . In government . Newton was appointed a government whip when the Conservatives came to power in 1979 . In 1982 he moved to a junior ministerial position at the Department of Health and Social Security , where he remained until 1988 , becoming Minister for Social Security and Disabled People in 1984 , and Minister for Health in 1986 . In the 1988 New Year Honours , Newton was sworn of the Privy Council . He became Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and a minister at the DTI for a year , before being promoted to Secretary of State for Social Security from 1989 to 1992 , and then taking up the positions of Lord President of the Council and Leader of the House of Commons until 1997 . From 1992 to 1995 , he answered to Prime Minister’s Questions when Prime Minister Major was not present . His discretion about Majors four-year affair with Edwina Currie is credited with enabling Major to become prime minister . Peerage . In the 1997 Prime Ministers Resignation Honours , after Newton lost his seat , he was raised to the peerage as Baron Newton of Braintree , of Coggeshall in the County of Essex on 31 October 1997 . He attempted to be selected for the 1999 European Parliament Election , but was unsuccessful . In 1998 he was appointed a professional standards director of the Institute of Directors . A position he held until 2004 . Newton chaired the Hansard Society Commission on Parliamentary Scrutiny which ran from 1999 to 2001 . The Commission concluded that Parliament was being left behind by changes in the constitution , government and society and set out reforms for improving its function . On 1 November 2007 he was appointed the first chairman of the new Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council . He became a chairman of the Further Education Funding Council for East Region , serving between 1998 and 2001 , the privy councillors committee on the Anti-Terrorism , Crime and Security Act 2001 between 2002 and 2004 , the Tax Law Rewrite Steering Committee between 2007 2007 and 2010 ) , the North East Essex Mental Health NHS Trust between 1997 and 2001 , the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust between 2001 and 2009 , East Anglias Childrens Hospices between 1998 and 2002 and Help the Hospices between 2002 and 2010 . He became a deputy lieutenant of Essex in 2002 Personal life . Newton was married to Janet Huxley from 25 August 1962 until they divorced in 1986 . He married Patricia Gilthorpe née Thomson on 26 September 1986 . Her first husband had died . Among the many tasks he took on were the chairmanships of the Further Education Funding Council for East Region ( 1998–2001 ) ; the Council on Tribunals , later the Administrative Justice and Tribunals Council ( 1999–2009 ) ; the privy councillors committee on the Anti-Terrorism , Crime and Security Act 2001 ( 2002–4 ) ; the Tax Law Rewrite Steering Committee ( 2007–10 ) ; the Standing Conference on Drug Abuse ( 1997–2001 ) ; the North East Essex Mental Health NHS Trust ( 1997–2001 ) ; the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust ( 2001–8 ) ; the Hansard Society Commission on Parliamentary Scrutiny ( 1999–2001 ) ; East Anglias Childrens Hospices ( 1998–2002 ) ; and Help the Hospices ( 2002–10 ) . He was the professional standards director of the Institute of Directors ( 1998–2004 ) and became a deputy lieutenant of Essex in 2002 . Newton was a heavy smoker from an early age . He died at Colchester Hospital of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease on 25 March 2012 . He was survived by his two daughters from his first marriage .