Lord Howe of Aberavon obituary | Politics | The Guardian Lord Howe of Aberavon obituary Tory chancellor and foreign secretary whose resignation speech hastened the downfall of Margaret Thatcher Geoffrey Howe working on budget papers as chancellor of the exchequer. In the period 1979-83 he oversaw a shift from direct to indirect taxation, the abolition of exchange controls and the privatisation of utilities. Photograph: Mike Lawn/Getty Images Saturday 10 October 2015 11.17 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 19 July 2016 09.06 EDT Share on Messenger Close It is the supreme irony of his long Westminster career that the political legacy of Geoffrey Howe, Lord Howe of Aberavon, will not be the 20 years he spent continuously on the Conservative front bench, which included occupying two of the great offices of state, but the manner of his departure from government, successfully precipitating, as he intended, the fall of Margaret Thatcher as prime minister in 1990.

The man whom Thatcher had once described as “a brilliant young Tory barrister” used his own resignation to make unquestionably the most powerful speech of his career in the House of Commons, drawing attention to the “tragic conflict of loyalties” that existed within the then Conservative government over its future approach to Europe, and effectively inviting the challenge to Thatcher’s leadership that would lead within two weeks to the election of John Major. Howe, who has died aged 88, had himself earlier aspired to the leadership of the Conservative party, although after leaving office he publicly asked: “Did I ever have what it takes?” Geoffrey Howe dies: prime minister leads tributes to 'quiet hero' Read more His readiness to seek compromise had persuaded him the previous year to accept his humiliating demotion from the job of foreign secretary to become leader of the house, instead of resigning then and mounting his own challenge to Thatcher. His meek decision to remain in office, having insisted upon the meaningless title of deputy prime minister, allowed his resentment to fester but also disqualified him from the succession stakes.

In her memoirs, Thatcher wrote: “This quiet, gentle, but deeply ambitious man – with whom my relations had become progressively worse, as my exasperation at his insatiable appetite for compromise led me sometimes to lash out at him in front of others – was now out to make trouble for me if he possibly could.” Earlier in the Thatcher government, however, as a forceful chancellor of the exchequer during the difficult four years to 1983 and then as the last cold-war foreign secretary for the next six years, Howe had been one of the pivotal figures on whom the prime minister depended. He was the longest-serving minister in her government and won something of a reputation as a great survivor. Howe was wont in later years to compare their relationship to that of a couple in a stormy marriage, a simile that would certainly not have appealed to his own fiercely strong-minded wife, Elspeth, who notoriously did not get on with Thatcher. But it was undoubtedly the case that his low-key, patient, intensely loyal determination provided the underpinning that enabled Thatcher successfully to pursue the radical monetarist financial policies that marked her administration. Pinterest Geoffrey Howe on the way to delivering his 1980 budget speech.

Photograph: Chris Skarbon/Rex Shutterstock In a series of budgets, he oversaw a shift from direct to indirect taxation, the abolition of exchange controls – which he described as “the most difficult and lonely decision I took as chancellor” – the institution of a medium-term financial strategy and the wholesale privatisation of utilities. He was fiercely criticised, notably in a letter to the Times signed by 364 academic economists, but his alliance with Thatcher to deliver the policies she sought gave them by the time of the 1983 election a formidable combined political strength, enabling both prime minister and chancellor to withstand even their own party critics. While Howe was derided by some on the left of the Conservative party, he did not become personally unpopular and was justified in retaining some hopes of eventually succeeding to the leadership. Similarly he was a powerful foreign secretary, who successfully pursued detente with the communist world and encouraged the emergent democracies of eastern Europe, acting on behalf of a prime minister who was seeking to enhance the international stature of the UK.

Geoffrey Howe's most celebrated quotes Read more He was brave in encouraging dissidents in eastern Europe and on one foreign visit took part in a decoy party in a Gypsy wine cellar in Prague, singing Cwm Rhondda for his official hosts, while his own FCO officials secretly met the Czechoslovakian government’s political opponents on the Charles bridge. A note passed to him after the meeting with members of Charter 77 was said to have read “mission accomplished”. In fact the note had read: “Doesn’t the Gypsy fiddler remind you of Ernest Borgnine?” and Howe had replied: “Rather more like Nigel Lawson, I think?” He had a good relationship with the US secretary of state George Shultz, reflecting that of Thatcher with President Ronald Reagan, and he was intimately involved in the negotiations with China over the future of Hong Kong. He played an important part as an emissary of the European community in attempting to end apartheid in South Africa, an issue which dominated Commonwealth affairs throughout the 1980s.

But it was, of course, his passionate belief in Britain’s future within an integrated European Union and the moves towards economic and monetary union at the Madrid European summit in 1988 which increasingly brought him, and Lawson, his successor as chancellor, into conflict with Thatcher and ultimately led to the end of all three of their careers in government. Pinterest Geoffrey Howe and Margaret Thatcher at the European Union summit meeting in Copenhagen, December 1987. Photograph: Thierry Orban/Thierry Orban/Sygma/Corbis Howe’s political career was certainly hampered by his ineffably dull speaking style. He brought to parliamentary debates all the jury-numbing skills he had earlier practised as a lawyer specialising in the intricacies of industrial relations. He was nicknamed Mogadon man after a fashionable sleeping pill of the day, while Denis Healey memorably likened an attack by Howe on his own policies as chancellor in 1978 to “being savaged by a dead sheep”. Despite their antipathy across the floor of the Commons, Howe and Healey and their wives were actually close friends in private, sharing an enthusiasm for music.

Both couples had been married in the same church and dined together discreetly on a regular basis. Though Howe had a lugubrious appearance and manner, he was a profoundly funny man. He had a quirky sense of humour, was an excellent anecdotalist, and was warm, unpretentious and unfailingly courteous. Sir Geoffrey Howe: a life in politics - in pictures Read more Geoffrey was born in Aberavon, a district of Port Talbot, Glamorganshire, into a comfortable professional household with a maid, a piano in the sitting-room and two cars in the driveway. His Welsh-speaking father, Edward, was a lawyer who became the coroner for West Glamorgan and clerk to the Aberavon county justices. His grandfather, also Edward, had been a founder member of the Tinplaters’ Union. The Howe side of the family voted Labour or Liberal. Geoffrey’s mother Lili (nee Thomson) was half Cornish and half Scottish, an instinctive Conservative and became a magistrate and a charity worker. Geoffrey attended a local preparatory school, then Abberley Hall, near Worcester, where he discarded his Welsh accent and secured a place as an exhibitioner at Winchester college.

His first encounter with what he described as creative accounting was winning the inter-house National Savings competition. After school he did three years’ national service, undertaking a six-month course in physics and advanced mathematics before setting off for the lower slopes of Mount Kenya as a second lieutenant with the Royal Corps of Signals. He knew that he wanted to be a lawyer and went to Trinity Hall, Cambridge, to read law in 1948. He had also already acquired an appetite for politics, “thinking, talking, brooding and beavering” on the subject from his early teens, and joined the university Conservative Association, which he chaired in 1951. But he was typically assiduous, secured his degree and was called to the bar at Middle Temple in 1952. He established himself as a highly competent lawyer, specialising in industrial cases on the Wales and Chester circuit, an experience which would help him once he was in parliament. He took silk in 1965 and became a high earner in the courtroom. Pinterest Elspeth and Geoffrey Howe with the Jack Russell terrier that they called Summit.

Photograph: David Crump/ANL/Rex Shutterstock In 1966 he represented 12 National Coal Board officials at the Aberfan inquiry into the slippage of a tip of spoil that engulfed a school, causing the death of 116 children and 28 adults. “As a politician I was appalled by the insensitivity of a state-owned industrial monolith in a small community, whose livelihood depended upon it,” he wrote of that sombre experience. In 1969 he chaired an inquiry into cruelty at Ely hospital, Cardiff, and he was also a member of a Tory inquiry set up by Edward Heath in 1969 to examine discrimination against women, particularly in the tax system, which he later legislated to change. In pursuit of his political interests, he was involved in the development of the Bow Group, an internal party group of “young modernisers”, which influenced much of his thinking and came to have a significant role in Tory policy for the next generation of aspirant politicians. He chaired the group in 1955 and was managing director and later editor of its influential newsletter, Crossbow.

In the general elections of 1955 and 1959 he fought with predictable lack of success as the Conservative candidate for his home constituency of Aberavon, a rock solid Labour seat, but in 1964 he was rewarded with the candidacy of the marginal seat of Bebington, Wirral, which he won but held for only two years. It was nevertheless a useful introduction to Westminster; he was on the opposition frontbench as a spokesman on labour and social services for a year and when he returned to the Commons for the safe Tory seat of Reigate (later Surrey East) in 1970, Heath immediately appointed him solicitor general and awarded him a knighthood. The issue of labour relations dominated the Heath government and ultimately brought it down in 1974. Howe’s first job in government was securing the passage of the hugely controversial Industrial Relations Act of 1971, which provoked considerable unrest and led to demonstrations against the government, its legislation and the National Industrial Relations court set up by the act. Pinterest Geoffrey Howe addressing a Conservative party conference in Brighton.

Photograph: The Independent/Rex Shutterstock Once the legislation was on the statute book, he was next given responsibility for the European communities bill, the legislation designed to secure UK membership of what was then known as the common market, but which was not then a subject of dispute within the Tory party. The bill had 12 clauses and four schedules and was carried through the Commons with a few Conservative and Unionist dissidents opposing, but without an amendment. In 1972 Heath moved Howe to become minister of trade at the Department of Trade and Industry, where he remained until the 1974 Tory defeat. Howe did not contest the first round of the leadership election in 1975, out of loyalty to Heath. He stood in the second round, however, when Heath had dropped out, coming equal third with James Prior, with 19 votes each after William Whitelaw in second place and Thatcher, elected party leader. In his campaign he urged strict control of public spending, monetary restraint, a government dialogue with industry on wages and indexation of benefits. Thatcher named him as her Treasury spokesman. Howe retired from the Commons in 1992 and was made a life peer as Baron Howe of Aberavon.

In retirement he took on a number of non-executive directorships and advisory posts in legal, political and academic spheres. Elspeth (nee Morton Shand), whom he married in 1953, was a former deputy chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission and chaired the Broadcasting Standards Commission. She was made a life peer in 2001 as Lady Howe of Idlicote and they were one of the few couples in the House of Lords to both hold titles in their own right. In May 2015, he announced his retirement from the Lords. He is survived by Elspeth and their three children, Caroline (Cary), and twins, Amanda and Alec. • Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe , Lord Howe of Aberavon, politician and lawyer, born 20 December 1926; died 9 October 2015 Geoffrey Howe dies aged 88 - Telegraph Geoffrey Howe dies aged 88 Former Conservative Cabinet minister Lord Howe of Aberavon has died after a suspected heart attack By Tim Ross , Senior Political Correspondent 12:21PM BST 10 Oct 2015 Follow Geoffrey Howe, the Conservative former Cabinet minister, has died. He was 88.

In a statement, Lord Howe's family said he died on Friday night after suffering a suspected heart attack. • Geoffrey Howe, the man who ended Margaret Thatcher's career, retires from the Lords The Prime Minister said the Conservative "family" had lost "one of its greats", describing Lord Howe as the "quiet hero" of Margaret Thatcher's government. Lord Howe's death, which was announced on Saturday, comes five months after he retired from the House of Lords. His career in parliament spanned half a century and saw him serve as chancellor, foreign secretary, leader of the Commons, and deputy prime minister in the governments led by Mrs Thatcher. David Cameron paid tribute to Lord Howe, saying he had "benefited greatly" from the elder statesman's wisdom. The Prime Minister said: "Geoffrey Howe was a kind, gentle and deeply thoughtful man - but at the same time he had huge courage and resolve. "His time as Chancellor of the Exchequer was vital in turning the fortunes of our country around, cutting borrowing, lowering tax rates and conquering inflation. Lifting exchange controls may seem obvious now, but it was revolutionary back then. He was the quiet hero of the first Thatcher government.

"He loved his politics and never stopped giving strong and sound advice. George Osborne and I benefited greatly from his wisdom and determination to improve the state of the country. The Conservative family has lost one of its greats. Our thoughts are with his family." A statement issued by Lord Howe's family on Saturday said: "It is with deep sadness that the Howe family today announced that Geoffrey Howe died suddenly late yesterday evening, aged 88, at his home in Warwickshire, of a suspected heart attack, after enjoying a local jazz concert with his wife Elspeth. "There will be a private family funeral, followed by a memorial service in due course. The family would be grateful for privacy at this time." Lord Howe is likely to be remembered for the dramatic resignation statement he made in November 1990, a speech that stunned the Commons and triggered the leadership challenge that ultimately forced Mrs Thatcher from Number 10. In a scathing resignation speech from the backbenches, Lord Howe criticised Mrs Thatcher’s approach to Europe and her “no, no, no” speech to further integration.

Geoffrey Howe Photo: Rex On her approach to European negotiations, he said: “It is rather like sending your opening batsmen to the crease, only for them to find that their bats have been broken before the game by the team captain.” Mrs Thatcher sat stony-faced throughout as the opposition descended into laughter in the Commons. A fortnight later she stepped down as prime minister after a leadership tussle. In May this year, Lord Howe decided that after 51 years in Parliament, it was time to retire. In a statement explaining his decision at the time, he said: "As you can imagine, as it is more than half a century since I first entered the House of Commons, I leave Parliament with fond memories and with a strong sense of the privilege of having been able to serve in both Chambers over so many decades, including many exciting years in government. “However, I feel that the advent of a new Parliament now offers the appropriate moment at which to step aside from active public life.” Other senior politicians paid tribute to Lord Howe. George Osborne, the Chancellor, recalled Lord Howe as a softly spoken "radical" who helped rescue Britain during the Thatcher years. I will miss Geoffrey Howe.

He was a great source of advice to me;a quietly-spoken radical,whose bitterly contested budgets rescued Britain — George Osborne (@George_Osborne) October 10, 2015 Sajid Javid, the Business Secretary, was among the first to express his sadness at the news. "Saddened to hear about Geoffrey Howe. He did so much for our country and will be deeply missed by many. RIP," he said. Lord Lamont of Lerwick, who served as Chancellor in Sir John Major’s government, said he first became friends with Lord Howe when they worked together for the Tory think-tank, the Bow Group, which Lord Howe chaired in the 1960s. “I was very sorry to hear of the death of Geoffrey Howe," Lord Lamond told The Telegraph. "He was a friend and mentor of mine for over 50 years, starting with the Bow Group, when we collaborated on pamphlets. “He was a brilliant Chancellor of the Exchequer. Behind a quiet, modest, unassuming demeanour, there was a man of steel, dogged determination, but clear principles and a sense of direction.

“Although he later fell out with Mrs Thatcher, they were for a long period a highly effective partnership and she could not have succeeded without him. Although he had to make tough decisions as chancellor, he was a liberal Conservative, never forgot his South Wales roots and wanted opportunity for all.” Greg Hands, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, also joined the tributes. Another former @hmtreasury titan has gone, with the death of Geoffrey Howe. A great man who saw the country start to live within its means. — Greg Hands (@GregHands) October 10, 2015 Sir Eric Pickles, the former Communities Secretary, remembered Lord Howe's kindness. Very sorry to learn of the death of Geoffrey Howe, Lady T's first Chancellor, a kind and gentle man pic.twitter.com/z8YkEGbSRE — Sir Eric Pickles (@EricPickles) October 10, 2015 Labour MP Chris Bryant also paid tribute: Geoffrey Howe was a thoroughly decent man with a gentle spirit, an enquiring mind and an internationalist outlook.

RIP — Chris Bryant MP (@RhonddaBryant) October 10, 2015 Geoffrey Howe: Timeline 1926 Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe was born in Port Talbot in south Wales on December 20 to Charles, an economist, solicitor and local coroner, and Gwyneth. His grandfather had been a loyal trade unionist. 1944 He left Winchester College and joined the Army, serving as a signals officer in Kenya where he learned Swahili. 1948 He turned down the opportunity to stay in the army and went to Cambridge where he read law and dabbled in politics, eventually becoming the chair of the university’s Conservative Association. 1951 HOWE, Geoffrey (1926-2015).

| History of Parliament Online History of Parliament Online View image (will open as a pop-up window) Links 15 October 1964 - 31 March 1966 Reigate 18 June 1970 - 28 February 1974 East Surrey 28 February 1974 - 9 April 1992 Biography Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe was born in Glamorgan, Wales, on 20 December 1926. He was educated at Winchester College and did National Service with the Royal Corps of Signals (1945-48) before going to Cambridge. He was a member and chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association and a founding member of the Bow Group. He married Elspeth Rosamund Morton Shand (Baroness Howe of Idlicote) in 1953. Howe was called to the Bar in 1952 and was made a QC in 1965. He unsuccessfully contested Aberavon in 1955 and 1959, a safe Labour seat. He was elected at Bebington, but lost the seat at the following election.

Elected for Reigate in 1970, he became Solicitor General, working on the Industrial Relations Act and European Communities Act in 1972. In that same year he became Minister for Trade and Consumer Affairs until the end of Heath’s government in 1974. In 1974 he was elected for East Surrey and served as Social Services spokesman and Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer. When Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister in 1979, Howe was named Chancellor of the Exchequer and occupied the post until 1983. His tenure was marked by policies to liberalise the economy and to reduce inflation. From 1983 he served as Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs until 1989 when he became Deputy Prime Minister, Leader of the House of Commons and Lord President of the Council. He was Thatcher’s longest-serving Cabinet minister but resigned in 1990 over the government’s policy towards Europe. Howe stood down from the House of Commons in 1992 and was made a life peer as Baron Howe of Aberavon. Geofrey Howe died on 9 October, 2015.

Transcript of clip “It was quite difficult but it was always manageable [to have both a legal and a political career]. In a large number of the county court personal injury cases I did for the unions one could predict the duration... On one occasion I was doing a criminal case in Shropshire assizes and was on a three line whip back in London. The case was on Monday and Tuesday, and I chartered a plane to come back for the Monday vote... [On another occasion] I'd been doing a case at Haverfordwest Assizes against Emlyn Hooson. And I was able to say to him at the end of the second day when the case ended, ‘can I give you a lift back to London?’ And we did fly back in my chartered plane. As we flew over the RAF base in Wiltshire, as our plane was going over, the radio to which we were listening in the plane gave the news of the verdict of the case we’d been in. I won.” Summary of interview Click here to find this interview in the British Library Track 1 [01:19:14] Talks about his early family life and parents’ background in Wales. Went to Welsh chapel.

Politically his grandfather and great uncle were Liberals. Talks about his Great uncle [00.55] Regrets at not learning to speak Welsh. Wife called him “a fiery Welshman” –but flames diminished by being a Wykhamist by education. Born 1926, aware of long queues outside labour exchange in the 1920s -Port Talbot was a working class town [02.10] with steel works. Grandfather was a founder member of a trades union. Later, as a barrister, his best clients were in the Iron and Steeltrades Confederation. Development of personal political views [3.18] as protégé of friend (Robert Sheaf) at Winchester. Wrote “Charter of St Martha’s Vineyard” influenced by GK Chesterton –mixed but individualistic [4.20] Going to Winchester public school after local schools. Interesting and diverse influences –headmaster Spencer Leeson became Bishop of Peterborough –introduced him to Europe. Eric James was responsible for Debating Society which he joined. Winchester deeply linked to European religion and politics [06.20].

He and Robert planned out future political careers aged 15 –planned to be Prime Minister. Talks about an essay he wrote during military training. [08.40] Cyril Robinson another important influence at Winchester (mentions other names too). History lessons gave an important grounding in world to come. Describes cycling round Hampshire and visiting old churches. Found Roman coin near Andover. Links with Winchester continued. [12.05] 1945 Election –he was campaigning for Liberal Party before joining the army, he enlisted in 1944 and expressed preference for Royal Signals. Had served in Home Guard and OCTU (Officer Training Cadets) signals platoon –was keen on making his own radio sets. [12.55] He was a Liberal Unionist, canvassed for Liberals at Exeter –they also had good sandwiches. Became a Conservative on arriving at Cambridge (University) –still regarded himself as “Chestertonian”. [14.57] Army career in Signals –training and commission.

Snowed in at Catterick then went to East Africa for 20 months as 2nd in command of 100 soldiers [16.00] His commander had enlisted from the dole. Not tempted by career in army already had a scholarship to study Law to Cambridge. [18.00] Father and Great Uncle were Solicitors, no question that he would be a lawyer. Trinity Hall [18.55]. Active in the Cambridge Union. Politics dominated his life at Cambridge chairman of Conservative Association [19.45] Peers at Cambridge –mentions Denzil Freath, Tony Lloyd, Douglas Hurd, Greville Janner, Percy Craddock , Jack Ashley [22.06] A lot of intermingling. [23.22] Took Bar Exams (with Patrick Jenkin, close colleague). Refers to origins of Bow Group [24.20] to match the intellectual component of the Fabian Society. First pamphlet was on “Coloured people in Britain” trying to influence colonial and commonwealth people (who were otherwise voting Labour) with Conservative ideas [25.30] Prepared them to focus on immigrants when they came.

Described himself as Centre Conservative. [27.45] Influx of immigration –refers to Enoch Powell and Kenya where Mau Mau prisoners were being maltreated principles of Imperial rule should be universal [28.45] Importance of Ian Macleod –and also Enoch Powell –broadminded and diverse party [29.45] Legal career –diverse chambers -mentions some of the people (Rose Heilbron ?, Ewan Montague, Brian Gibbons, Norman Richards). “Inherited” the brief for organisations like the Police Federation and Iron and Steel Workers Union. Welsh background equipped him to represent Unions. Tells joke about his wife’s father stipulating whom could she could marry (not a lawyer, a politician or a Welshman) [31.50] Managed to maintain career in law and in politics –became Solicitor General. Assumed it could happen –regarded the Lord Chancellorship as a better bet than the Premiership [32.15] Doesn’t regard himself as ambitious. Talks about last cases at the Bar –against Quentin Hogg.

Tells story about Hogg and the Kenno-meat dogfood case which he fought and won [34.45] Law always part of a parallel career. 1955 & 59 Fought Aberavon constituency –invited to become candidate without selection process. Issues were about “large Government” and reducing the tax burden. [37.00] Solid Labour constituency. Didn’t want to win seat then –wasn’t ready for Parliament then. Third attempt was Bebington on Merseyside –fitted in with his work on Wales and Chester Law Circuit. Fully competitive Selection process this time. Lost seat in 1966. Talks of Earlier Tory domination of Merseyside [39.35] when Merseyside had voted with their (Protestant) church against the Irish but now voted with their class [40.00] Negative campaign in 1964 on threat of a return of Labour Government. Talks of campaign using a speaker van with music –constituency was “Beatles country”. Also considered idea of launching a pirate radio station [41.45] Successful against the grain of the result in General Election.

Impressions of Parliament –less hostile than he thought it would be -his Trade Union background made him more at ease with mood in Parliament (dominated by Labour Government) [43.20] Working life –absence of secretarial support –shared a secretary with two others; worked sitting on benches. Salary –less than adequate, many had other careers, many Tories were ex-officers with pensions [45.20] Interesting how mood of the House could change. Speaks of handling two major Bills –Industrial Relations Bill and European Communities Bill [46.00] Moved to Front Bench pretty early. 1970 Became Solicitor General. Maiden speech –a mélange of Ian Macleod and Enoch Powell. Became a member of One Nation Group [48.10] Enjoyed speaking. Managing two careers –in Law and Politics. Describes charting a plane to get back for a three line whip [49.30] Tells another story about leaving a case by charter plane and hearing the result –he won –over the radio en route to Westminster (“grande luxe”).

The Whips –had little reason to be fierce –there was lot of automaticity about handling the work; debates were not prolonged unduly people didn’t sin it out to be a damned nuisance. Got advice from people on the other side [52.20] Party willing to acknowledge dissent –e.g. over Europe [54.25] People expect MPs to concentrate more on their position today, plus their workload is higher. He feels Government should be equipped with people with a non-political career. Strong case for preserving the Lords as is [55.45] Makes analogy of Lords as Trial Judge and Commons as the Jury.1966 Lost office –great disappointment, hadn’t expected it. Sent telegram “can you spare a dime?” Continued to be active in party and to practice Law.1970 Elected to Reigate, had earned a safe seat [59.25] Appointments under Ted Heath –Solicitor General. Involvement in major legislation –impact on working life. Opportunity for confidence. Worked with Robert Carr –marvellous man. Important work on European Communities Bill. Still working with modest resources.

Worked alongside Peter Rawlinson (frequently referred to in interview). [1.03.28] Other things to do –trial of alleged unseemliness in theatres – Oh! Calcutta trial. [1.04.18] Relationships with other members –try to maintain civil relationships. Jack Ashley was one of closest friends. Denis Healy jibe [1.05.15] Sad that Denis never achieved leadership of the party. Personal regret about not attaining leadership. Personal v political life [1.07.25] Continuous balance e.g. in Bebington seat; rented house near constituency. Harder today to maintain that balance for a member. Regrets the necessity for a nearly exclusive political career before Westminster. [1.09.40] Admired Macleod, Powell, Carr. [1.10.40] Leaving office. Sad to go. Working with Margaret (Thatcher) was worthwhile and rewarding –despite differences. Impressive to see her perform as leader. [1.12.00] Describes seeing her deal with Russian leadership and then in Tokyo for G5/G7 ? Performed without script-astonishing.

Real personality. Story of European meeting under Danish leadership –Mitterand anecdote. [1.15.17] Moving to the House of Lords 1992. You don’t have access to the same resources. You can use the Library. Workload is what you make of it. You are relieved of burden of constituency work, but kept busy. Wife is also a peer. Rewarding, friendly and courteous atmosphere. [1.17.14] House of Lords reform. Some changes need to be made but not introduction of elected members. No one can demonstrate how situation will be improved –it’s only about “legitimacy”. Expects “sanity to prevail”. Geoffrey Howe - IMDb IMDb 18 January 2017 5:37 PM, UTC NEWS View rank on IMDbPro » Geoffrey Howe (I) (1926–2015) Geoffrey Howe was born on December 20, 1926 in Port Talbot, West Glamorgan, Wales as Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe. He was married to Elspeth Shand. He died on October 9, 2015 in Warwickshire, England.

See full bio » Born: a list of 169 people created 18 Jun 2014 Do you have a demo reel? Add it to your IMDbPage How much of Geoffrey Howe's work have you seen? Known For 2013 Margaret: Death of a Revolutionary (TV Movie documentary) (thanks - as Lord Howe of Aberavon) Hide 2013 Channel 4 News (TV Series) Himself 2013 Margaret Thatcher: Prime Minister (TV Movie documentary) Himself (as Lord Howe) 2010 The Great Offices of State (TV Mini-Series documentary) Himself - Chancellor, 1979-83 / Himself - Foreign Secretary 1983-89 - The Secret Treasury (2010) ... Himself - Chancellor, 1979-83 (as Lord Howe) - Palace of Dreams (2010) ...

Himself - Foreign Secretary 1983-89 (as Lord Howe) 2008 Thatcher (Video documentary) Himself - Chancellor of the Exchequer 1979 - 1983 / Foreign Secretary 1983 - 1989 / Leader, House of Commons 1989 - 1990 (as Lord Howe) 1995-2006 The Sunday Programme (TV Series) Himself 2003 Jonathan Dimbleby (TV Series) Himself 2003 Maggie: The First Lady (TV Series documentary) Himself - Solicitor General 1970-1972 (as Geoffrey Howe) 1995 A Progress Through Politics (TV Movie documentary) Himself - Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1979-1983 (as Lord Howe) 1995 The Car's the Star (TV Series documentary) Himself - Triumph Herald Owner - Triumph Herald (1995) ...

Himself - Triumph Herald Owner (as Lord Howe) 1990-1994 Walden (TV Series) 1993 Thatcher: The Downing Street Years (TV Mini-Series documentary) Himself - Foreign Secretary, 1983-1989 / Himself - Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1979-1983 - Wielding the Knife (1993) ... Himself - Foreign Secretary, 1983-1989 (as Lord Howe) - Midnight in Moscow, Twilight in London (1993) ... Himself - Foreign Secretary, 1983-1989 (as Lord Howe) - Woman at War (1993) ...

Himself - Chancellor of the Exchequer, 1979-1983 (as Lord Howe) 1981-1991 Question Time (TV Series) Himself 1989 The Walden Interview (TV Series) Himself 1974-1987 Weekend World (TV Series) Himself 1987 Election 1987 (TV Movie) Himself (as Sir Geoffrey Howe) 1983 Election 83 (TV Movie) Himself 1979-1982 TV Eye (TV Series) Himself 1975-1980 Panorama (TV Series documentary) Himself 1980 Week in Week Out (TV Series documentary) Himself - Chancellor of the Exchequer - Geoffrey Howe (1980) ...

Himself - Chancellor of the Exchequer (as Sir Geoffrey Howe M.P.) 1979 Decision 79 (TV Movie) Himself - Con, Surrey East (as Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Howe) 1973 This Week (TV Series) Himself 1970 Election 70 (TV Movie) Himself 2016 Too Much TV (TV Series) Himself 2016 That's So... (TV Series documentary) Himself 2012 White Heat (TV Mini-Series) Himself 2006 Tory! Tory! Tory! (TV Mini-Series documentary) Himself 1991 Memories of 1970-1991 (TV Series documentary) Himself 1 Portrayal | See more » Alternate Names: Lord Howe of Aberavon | Lord Howe | Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Howe | Sir Geoffrey Howe | Sir Geoffrey Howe M.P. | Rt Hon Sir Geoffrey Howe MP | Sir Geoffrey Howe QC MP | Sir Geoffrey Howe MP Did You Know?

Personal Quote: [during his resignation speech, referring to Mrs Thatcher's approach to European negotiations] It's rather like sending your opening batsmen to the crease, only for them to find, the moment the first balls are bowled, that their bats have been broken before the game by the team captain. Trivia: His wife,born Elspeth Morton Shand, was made a life peer in her own right as Lady Howe of Idlicote in 2001. She had chaired the Broadcasting Standards Commission. Star Sign: David Cameron leads tributes to Geoffrey Howe following death from heart attack | Daily Mail Online Former Chancellor Lord Geoffrey Howe (pictured in 1998) died last night after a suspected heart attack Former Conservative chancellor Lord Geoffrey Howe died last night after suffering a suspected heart attack. The 88-year-old's family said he passed away shortly after enjoying a local jazz concert with his wife Elspeth. The former Tory politician was the man credited with effectively ending Margaret Thatcher's political career following his dramatic Commons resignation speech in 1990. Lord Howe died just a week after his long time adversary Denis Healey, the former Labour chancellor, who passed away aged 98 after a short illness.

Prime Minister David Cameron led the tributes to the Tory grandee, saying: 'The Conservative family has lost one of its greats'. He added: 'Geoffrey Howe was a kind, gentle and deeply thoughtful man - but at the same time he had huge courage and resolve. 'His time as Chancellor of the Exchequer was vital in turning the fortunes of our country around, cutting borrowing, lowering tax rates and conquering inflation. 'Lifting exchange controls may seem obvious now, but it was revolutionary back then. He was the quiet hero of the first Thatcher government. 'He loved his politics and never stopped giving strong and sound advice. 'George Osborne and I benefited greatly from his wisdom and determination to improve the state of the country. Scroll down for video 117 shares 'The Conservative family has lost one of its greats. Our thoughts are with his family.' Chancellor George Osborne posted on Twitter: 'I will miss Geoffrey Howe.

He was a great source of advice to me; a quietly-spoken radical, whose bitterly contested budgets rescued Britain.' A statement issued by Lord Howe's family said: 'It is with deep sadness that the Howe family today announced that Geoffrey Howe died suddenly late yesterday evening, aged 88, at his home in Warwickshire, of a suspected heart attack, after enjoying a local jazz concert with his wife Elspeth. 'There will be a private family funeral, followed by a memorial service in due course. The family would be grateful for privacy at this time.' Famous speech: The former Tory politician was the man who effectively ended Margaret Thatcher's political career with his dramatic resignation from the House of Commons in 1990 (pictured) Lord Howe was credited with ending the political career of Margaret Thatcher with a dramatic resignation IN QUOTES: SOME OF GEOFFREY HOWE'S MOST MEMORABLE COMMENTS From a speech in 1975 'Britain is poised today on the brink of hyper-inflation. It could destroy our society, as it did in Germany in the 1920s.

There is only a wafer-thin majority of error between our present condition and British inflation of 50 per cent and 100 per cent a year ... that is why it is of such paramount importance for us to come to grips with this present inflation.' As Chancellor of the Exchequer in 1982 'Phrases like "catching up" and "cost of living increase" which trip off the tongue of many negotiators should be on the way out. In the not too distant future, the notion of automatic pay increase must become as exceptional as it was novel a generation ago.' In an article in The Times in July 1982 'Inflation is a great moral evil.

Nations which lose confidence in their currency lose confidence in themselves.' From a speech in 1986 when he was foreign secretary 'The British disease is considering others more responsible than ourselves.' During an interview for A Week In Politics on Channel 4 in 1986 'The future, where most of us are destined to spend the rest of our lives.' Resignation speech to the House of Commons, November 13 1990 'I believe both the Chancellor and the Governor are cricketing enthusiasts so I hope there will be no monopoly of cricketing metaphors. 'It's rather like sending our opening batsmen to the crease only for them to find that before the first ball is bowled, their bats have been broken by the team captain. 'The time has come for others to consider their own response to the tragic conflict of loyalties with which I have myself wrestled for perhaps too long.' From a speech in 1994 'Margaret Thatcher was beyond argument a great prime minister.

Her tragedy is that she may be remembered less for the brilliance of her many achievements than for the recklessness with which she later sought to impose her own increasingly uncompromising views.' Former chancellor Lord Lamont said he was 'deeply saddened' by the news. He said: 'He was a truly brilliant chancellor of the Exchequer. Behind the quiet unassuming demeanour there was steely determination, dogged consistency and a sense of direction. 'He also had an impish sense of humour. Although he later fell out with Mrs Thatcher, they were for a long period a highly effective partnership, and she could not have succeeded without him. 'He was a Tory with a social conscience, who wanted opportunity for all. He was also a great friend and mentor to me for over 50 years.' Another ex-chancellor, Kenneth Clarke, recalled serving as parliamentary private secretary to Lord Howe in the 1970s Heath government.

Political foes: The former Tory chancellor (right) died just a week after his long time adversary Denis Healey (left), the former Labour chancellor, who passed away aged 98 after a short illness Prime Minister David Cameron led the tributes to the Tory grandee, saying: 'The Conservative family has lost one of its greats', while George Osborne also tweeted his sadness after hearing of Lord Howe's death He told the BBC: 'I have regarded myself as an acolyte of Geoffrey Howe throughout my career - free market economics, a special conscience, internationalism, pro-European - and I always admired his pleasant demeanour, his unflappability as well as his steely resolve and his very, very good mind.' Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron described Lord Howe as a 'kind, decent and honourable man', while Labour frontbencher Chris Bryant praised his 'gentle spirit, enquiring mind and internationalist outlook'. The former chancellor was a key figure in the Thatcher years but went on to deliver the devastating Commons speech in November 1990 which signalled the end of her premiership.

Lord Howe stood against Mrs Thatcher in the 1975 Conservative leadership election, but when she won she appointed him as her shadow chancellor In May, after more than half a century in Parliament, he announced his attention to retire from the House of Lords with immediate effect. Lord Howe of Aberavon said at the time that the 'advent of a new Parliament' was the 'appropriate' time to bring to an end his political career. He served as chancellor, foreign secretary, leader of the House of Commons and deputy prime minister under Mrs Thatcher. In 1978, when he was still shadow chancellor in opposition, Labour chancellor Denis Healey, who died last Saturday, once memorably said being attacked by him in the Commons was like being 'savaged by a dead sheep'. Lord Howe stood against Mrs Thatcher in the 1975 Conservative leadership election, but when she won she appointed him as her shadow chancellor. He was one of the key 'dries' in the party, committed to the Thatcherite belief in monetarism. His first Budgets defied conventional wisdom by cutting the size of government at a time of recession – leading to his boss saying: 'The Lady's not for turning'.

After the 1983 election he was moved to the Foreign Office, and tensions began to grow between him and Mrs Thatcher over Europe. She humiliated him in 1989 by demoting him to the Commons Leader with the honorific title deputy of the prime minister. A year later he resigned over Europe – the last member of her 1979 Cabinet to have survived. In his devastating resignations speech on 13 November 1990, he criticised Mrs Thatcher's approach to Europe and her 'no, no, no' speech to further integration. On her approach to European negotiations, he said: 'It is rather like sending your opening batsmen to the crease, only for them to find that their bats have been broken before the game by the team captain.' Mrs Thatcher sat stony-faced throughout the speech, and a day later Michael Heseltine wielded the knife and stood against her. Within two weeks, she was gone.

'THE QUIET HERO OF THATCHER'S GOVERNMENT': LORD HOWE DIES AGED 88 Lord Howe is pictured at Margaret Thatcher's funeral in April 2013 Lord Howe of Aberavon - better known as Sir Geoffrey Howe - was the man whose devastating resignation speech was the catalyst which ultimately destroyed Margaret Thatcher. In just 18 almost unbearable minutes, MPs gasped with amazement and Mrs Thatcher herself sat white with fury and trembling, as the colleague who had served with her in the Cabinet throughout her premiership delivered a clinically cold but savage denunciation of her attitude to Europe. It was one of the most dramatic and intense moments in the House of Commons of the 20th century. His speech was all the more terrible since it emanated from probably the least vociferous senior figure at Westminster. Geoffrey Howe, who had been abruptly dismissed as Foreign Secretary in 1989 and who resigned from the unreal post of Deputy Prime Minister the following year, became increasingly exasperated at her so-called 'foghorn diplomacy' towards Europe.

Some believed there was an element of revenge in his public savaging of a woman who, in the eyes of many people, had meted out a shabby deal to a colleague after years of loyal, devoted, skilful and uncomplaining service to her. It was a sad end to an illustrious ministerial career and overshadowed his years of service as chancellor and then as foreign secretary during the bulk of Thatcher's premiership. As the first committed monetarist Chancellor, he laid the foundations for Britain's economic revival. Then as foreign secretary he ensured Britain continued to have a high profile on the international stage. Throughout his political career he kept his reputation as plodding and methodical, but Mrs Thatcher often publicly praised him for his mastery of detail and his ability to grasp the most complex brief with total command. Labour's Denis Healey once said that being attacked by Lord Howe was 'like being savaged by a dead sheep' - but he was by no means as docile as that famous jibe implied.

As foreign secretary Lord Howe travelled more for Britain than any of his predecessors, clocking up more than 700,000 official miles, at an average of 340 miles a day - roughly the equivalent of circumnavigating the globe every 80 days. Lord Howe could claim credit on several issues for saving Mrs Thatcher from pushing Britain into a corner, most notably perhaps over the future of Hong Kong and the European Community budget. He presided calmly over a number of controversial issues including sanctions against South Africa, the future of Gibraltar, the Iran-Iraq conflict and the row over trade unions at GCHQ Cheltenham. Britain remained a firm ally of the United States through the deployment of cruise missiles, the American bombing of Tripoli using aircraft based in Britain and the controversial US invasion of Grenada. Lord Howe, born Geoffrey Richard Edward Howe on December 20 1926 in Port Talbot, was educated at Winchester College, then Trinity Hall, Cambridge. He was married with three children. He contested Aberavon in 1955 and 1959 and became MP for Bebington between 1964 and 1966.

He was elected MP for Reigate in 1970 and represented East Surrey from 1974 following boundary changes. During the Heath Government he held the post of Solicitor General and then became Minister for Trade and Consumer Affairs. He went on to contest the Conservative Party leadership in 1975 but it was Mrs Thatcher who won the party's support. He became a QC in 1965 and was knighted in 1970. He was made a life peer in 1992 and retired from the House of Lords in May - more than 50 years after entering Parliament, under legislation passed last year. He last spoke in the chamber in February during a question about the Gurkhas.

Geoffrey Howe, the man who ended Margaret Thatcher's career, retires from the Lords - Telegraph Conservative Geoffrey Howe, the man who ended Margaret Thatcher's career, retires from the Lords Lord Howe, whose dramatic resignation triggered the leadership contest that felled Mrs Thatcher, brings to an end a career spanning half a century Geoffrey Howe, left, and Margaret Thatcher By Ben Riley-Smith , Political Correspondent 6:07PM BST 19 May 2015 Follow Geoffrey Howe, the man credited with ending Margaret Thatcher’s political career with a dramatic resignation, has retired from the House of Lords with immediate effect. Lord Howe of Aberavon said the “advent of a new Parliament” was the “appropriate” time to bring to an end a political career that has stretched more than half a century. It comes as it emerged more than a dozen peers have resigned after moves by the government to free up spaces in the Lords by encouraging elderly members to step down. A former Archbishop of York, deputy chief executive at British Aerospace, mistress of Girton College, Cambridge University, and Tory trade minister have all stepped down.

Lord Howe becomes the most senior former Tory to retire following Lord Jenkin, the former environment secretary, and Lord Ashcroft, the former Conservative deputy chairman. “As you can imagine, as it is more than half a century since I first entered the House of Commons, I leave Parliament with fond memories and with a strong sense of the privilege of having been able to serve in both Chambers over so many decades, including many exciting years in government,” Lord Howe said. “However, I feel that the advent of a new Parliament now offers the appropriate moment at which to step aside from active public life.” Lord Howe, 88, served as chancellor, foreign secretary, Commons leader and deputy prime minister under Mrs Thatcher. However he is best known for resigning from Mrs Thatcher’s cabinet in November 1990 and triggering the leadership challenge that brought about her demise. In a scathing resignation speech from the backbenches, Lord Howe criticised Mrs Thatcher’s approach to Europe and her “no, no, no” speech to further integration.

On her approach to European negotiations, he said: “It is rather like sending your opening batsmen to the crease, only for them to find that their bats have been broken before the game by the team captain.” Mrs Thatcher sat stony-faced throughout as the opposition descended into laughter in the Commons. A fortnight later she stepped down as prime minister after a leadership tussle. Lord Howe’s retirement comes after Lord Speaker Baroness D’Souza – the equivalent of House of Commons speaker John Bercow – urged peers to “honourably retire” if willing. She said in February that retiring “at the right time has now become a public duty” for peers and said members who stepped down could hold a “farewell reception”. The House of Lords Reform Act, which came into force on May 14 last year, gave peers the right to retire for the first time and a right to give a valedictory speech. A total of 18 peers have retired since the changes including Baroness Warnock, former mistress of Girton College, Lord Eden of Winton, a former Tory trade minister, Lord Simpson of Dunkeld, a former British Aerospace executive, Lord Hope of Thornes, a former Archbishop of York.

Interview: Geoffrey Howe | Business | The Guardian Share on Messenger Close Lord Howe of Aberavon was Margaret Thatcher's longest-serving minister. As one by one - sometimes two by two - they fell out with the Iron Lady, Howe was the great survivor - until he had finally had enough, and in a stunning resignation speech on 13 November 1990 precipitated the events that led to her own resignation. Just before Christmas last year Howe celebrated his 80th birthday, and Baroness Thatcher attended a party at the Foreign Office. The location was appropriate: Howe is still much involved in a Foreign Office advisory group. Two months before his birthday he spoke in Cardiff about the need for a recreation of British foreign policy after 'the serious damage done to most of its components as a consequence of the profoundly ill-judged Anglo-American invasion of Iraq and subsequent response to the onslaught in Lebanon'. The party was an occasion for peace feelers of a different kind. One of the guests told me that Howe said the events of 1990 'could not wipe out 15 years of close comradeship'. Older readers will remember Howe as a quiet, unassuming but loyal and persistent servant of Thatcher.

He had the air more of a country solicitor than a high-flying cabinet minister. Courteous, mild-mannered and kind, he appeared to have an incongruous relationship with the seemingly uncaring economic and social doctrines that became known as Thatcherism. Even critics of his Chancellorship, such as your correspondent, couldn't possibly dislike him. Yet when it came to economic policy, Howe was as hard as nails. Not long ago he gave a reflective speech on his 1979-83 Chancellorship at the London School of Economics. He told his audience that in the 1960s he had written two tracts for the Bow Group (a Tory think tank) on the welfare state, which, many years later, were to be described by Nicholas Timmins, the commentator on social affairs for the Financial Times, as having 'summed up much of what was to be the radical right's agenda during the 1980s'. Howe's tough approach to the economy evolved during the 1970s.

As Solicitor-General in Edward Heath's government of 1970-74, he worked hard on the Industrial Relations Act of 1971 and seethed when many of its provisions were repealed by Michael Foot in 1974. Steel entered his soul as, during the 1974-79 Labour governments, Britain became known as 'the sick man of Europe', with the annualised monthly inflation rate rising in 1975 to more than 25 per cent and public spending and borrowing scaling un-Conservative heights. The final straw was the 1978-79 Winter of Discontent. It was in those Opposition years that new Conservative think tanks were added to old, and Thatcher and Sir Keith Joseph - the biggest departmental spenders under Heath - became proselytising converts to monetarism. But it was Howe, as Chancellor, who was the toughest of the lot. The theme of his LSE talk was: 'Can 364 economists all be wrong?' This was a reference to his 1981 Budget, which was designed to remove several billion pounds from the economy when the UK was in the depths of recession.

The 364 economists had written to the Times: 'There is no basis in economic theory or supporting evidence for the government's present policies ... The time has come to reject monetarist policies.' Sir Geoffrey, as those of us who knew him then still refer to him, has argued for two decades that the 364 were wrong and that his apparently deflationary Budget in fact sowed the seeds of economic recovery. But the recovery was tenuous at best. Unemployment kept rising, to more than 3 million by the mid 1980s. And, insofar as the Budget marked a turning point, this was because of something the 364 economists could not have known: namely that, under the influence of Thatcher's economic adviser Sir Alan Walters, monetary policy was being relaxed, with the object - eventually successfully - of bringing the pound down from dizzy heights where the atmosphere was threatening to suffocate even the best of British industry. In fact, the Thatcher government itself was forced to reject monetarism policies, and today Howe is derisive about the confused message given to him by monetary economists at the time.

But when I met him recently at the House of Lords, he displayed not a shadow of doubt that the shock therapy of his Chancellorship had been justified. 'Everyone knew we were in the last chance saloon,' he said. And to those of us who say he and his colleagues did not make matters any easier by promising in 1979 to honour vast public-sector wage claims (a blatantly electioneering move), he answers that this commitment was given 'against my strong advice'. This is important because inflation was around 10 per cent when the Thatcher government entered the last chance saloon, and the Clegg Commission pay awards aggravated the trend of inflation. On the rather important other hand, Howe revealed to me that in his first Budget of 1979, when he slashed income tax rates, it was he who insisted on almost doubling the main rate of VAT from 8 to 15 per cent, when Thatcher herself wanted a ceiling of 12.5. This fed into the retail price index, also affecting wage claims and subsequent inflation. Similarly, he was much more hawkish than Thatcher over the 1981 Budget.

He is rather proud of the fact that the public image is of the Iron Lady and the hesitant Chancellor, whereas the truth was rather different. At a crucial pre-Budget meeting, Howe concluded: 'I'm going to listen to the Jeremiahs, not the voices of comfort.' It is well known that Howe held strong pro-European views at the Foreign Office that set him on a collision course with Thatcher. But before we got on to 'Europe' and foreign affairs, he wanted to reminisce about the 1970s and events leading up to that last chance saloon.

'Had we won [in 1974] and had the Industrial Relations Act survived, we would have saved a whole decade.' But he added: 'In retrospect, what happened enabled us to do really tough things in 1979.' (This reminded me of Geoffrey Goodman's impression from discussions at the time with Howe and others - recorded in From Bevan to Blair - that they were 'quite content to let the Wilson government grapple with an "impossible" economic climate, inflation, pressure from the IMF and cuts in social spending'.) Interestingly, Howe recalls trying to dissuade Joseph - John the Baptist to Thatcher's Messiah - from making the controversial speech in Preston in 1974 that actually advocated higher unemployment. 'I first went to the Centre for Policy Studies [the Thatcher-Joseph think tank] to try to persuade Keith Joseph to soften his speech.' He insists that the tough approach of the Heath government in 1970-72 - before the U-turn as unemployment hit 1 million - was right. 'Selsdon Man was not a myth. We were persuaded against our will.

Perhaps we needed 10 years of a learning curve, which enabled us to rethink the strategy.' One aspect of his tough approach as Chancellor of which Howe is most proud is the abolition of exchange controls in October 1979 - as dramatic as Gordon Brown's granting of independence to the Bank of England 18 years later. It was something he had wanted to do since, as he says in his memoirs, 'several courtroom encounters in 1969 [in his barrister days] had convinced me of the totalitarian nature of this regime'. He found support from the Bank of England, which hoped in that way to moderate the rise in the pound. Thatcher was hesitant and said: 'On your own head be it, Geoffrey, if anything goes wrong.' Yet the pound kept rising and unemployment went on up after the tough 1981 Budget. The state of the economy played a large part in making Thatcher the most unpopular Prime Minister since records began, but the Conservatives were saved in the 1983 election by the political boost from the 1982 Falklands war and the reaction to the left-wing, anti-European Labour manifesto of 1983.

Yet it was the anti-Europeanism of Thatcher that was to rile Howe and prove her undoing. From the Foreign Office, the increasingly frustrated and spurned Howe was to prepare his own Exocet. In 1983 he had wanted to stay at the Treasury, and was half expecting the Home Office. The prospect of dealing with prisons did not appeal. He recently told a friend: 'I have every reason to be grateful to Cecil [Parkinson]' - because it was the exposure of his affair with Sara Keays that prevented Mrs Thatcher from making Parkinson, her preferred choice, Foreign Secretary.' In his memoirs, Douglas Hurd, who became Home Secretary in 1985, dates the problem between Thatcher and Howe from the Westland affair in 1986, when she was almost forced to resign, and Howe and Hurd pressed for a return to Cabinet government. 'But nothing happened, except that Mrs Thatcher recovered her poise.

The Prime Minister became increasingly overbearing towards Geoffrey Howe , who had been her close political companion in the early years of her government.' Sir Robin Day once asked Howe at a dinner party: 'What would have happened if Westland had gone the other way?' An eyewitness says Howe replied: 'I would have been Prime Minister.' He was sacked from the Foreign Office and made Deputy Prime Minister in July 1989, after Thatcher had finally had enough of the efforts of Howe and Chancellor Nigel Lawson to persuade her to put the pound into the European exchange rate mechanism. Howe certainly wanted to be Prime Minister. It still might have happened in 1989, if Thatcher had retired on her 10th anniversary. I asked whether there was a sudden moment when it all went wrong with Thatcher, but he sees it as a process of erosion, dating from 1986, and the abortive discussions about the ERM and 'Europe' - a relationship 'eroded by the divergence of our positions on the European Union'. There were also 'tensions over South Africa'.

(Howe was much more liberal than Thatcher, to put it mildly.) But when he gently said that Thatcher's 'Bruges Speech' (in 1988, when she went out on a limb to oppose further European integration) was 'a demonstration' of his problems with her, I think I was meant to deduce that it was also pretty close to the final straw. But things dragged on. It was common gossip that they were both at their wits' end in what had become an incompatible political marriage. Edmund Dell in The Chancellors concluded: 'Even differences on Europe might not have led to the final breach, had any mutual sympathy survived between these two pillars of the Thatcher revolution.' Talking to Howe, I was not so sure. The differences on Europe were central to the erosion of mutual sympathy. The big issue was ERM - membership as a discipline when monetarism had failed - and, of course, the prospect of the single currency. I asked whether, in the light of Black Wednesday and the UK economy's subsequent perceived success outside the ERM, he might regret that the EU had become a resigning issue. 'I regret that anything became a resigning issue,' was his firm reply.

The irony was that he resigned after Thatcher had bowed to pressure from almost the whole Establishment, and from new Chancellor John Major, to join the ERM. The final straw was her report back to the Commons after an EU summit in Rome at the end of October 1990. Thatcher had not only dismissed the idea of a single currency but also alternative proposals her own ministers were making. Then she boasted at the Guildhall that: 'The [EU] bowling's going to get hit all round the ground.

That's my style.' That prompted Howe's memorable line in his resignation speech the next day about the difficulties faced by the Cabinet: 'It's rather like sending your opening batsmen to the crease only for them to find, the moment the first balls are bowled, that their bats have been broken before the game by the team captain.' Recalling this, Howe chuckled and told me that years later a passer-by in Banbury had turned to his companion and said 'Isn't that the chap who attacked Mrs Thatcher with a cricket bat?' Metaphorically, he did, and the peroration was devastating: 'The time has come for others to consider their own response to the tragic conflict of loyalties with which I have myself wrestled for perhaps too long.' That speech was an almost historic rejoinder to those who still recall Chancellor Denis Healey saying an attack from Howe, then shadow chancellor, was 'rather like being savaged by a dead sheep'. Healey has since admitted that this was a deliberate diversion from 'some telling points' Howe had made.

Howe told me that, years later, someone came up to Healey and him at the theatre in Stratford and said: 'We didn't know you two were friends.' In fact, Howe describes them as 'very good friends'. Indeed, the Healeys were staying with the Howes when the two former Chancellors were spotted at Stratford. The memory prompted Howe to lament the 'non-clubbability' of certain modern politicians. Talking of which, or whom, he complained about the complexity of Brown's tax and benefit system. A stickler for detail, with all his legal background, he says: 'It is completely beyond me to give any advice to anyone [about claiming benefits].' He has advice for shadow chancellor George Osborne, who is, he says, 'intelligent but not courageous enough' about attacking what Howe regards as 'the relentless growth of public spending as a percentage of gross domestic product'. Yes, just as in 1979, Howe wants 'a reduction in the tax burden'. The point that really made me sit up came towards the end of our conversation, when Howe said he had often asked himself whether the Tory party was better or worse off for Thatcher's disappearance.

Could it have been better for her to lose an election? His answer to his own question was emphatically no. He concluded: 'John Major was too young to become Prime Minister, but deserves huge credit for consolidating Thatcherism. If Neil Kinnock had won [and he insisted he likes Lord Kinnock personally] Thatcherism would have been swept away - the prize was delivered by her resigning and not being defeated [at the polls].' And whose resignation led to the resignation that saved Thatcherism ...?

THE CV Name Lord Howe of Aberavon Born 20 December 1926, Port Talbot Educated Winchester and Cambridge Career 1945-48, Lieutenant, Royal Signals; 1952, called to the bar; 1955 and 1959, unsuccessfully contested Aberavon constituency; 1964-92, MP (for Bebington, then Reigate, then Surrey East); 1965, made QC; 1970, knighted; 1970-72, Solicitor General; 1972-74, Minister for Trade; 1975-79, shadow Treasury spokesman; 1979-83, Chancellor; 1983-89, Foreign Secretary; 1989-90, Leader of the House and Deputy PM; 1992, made life peer Geoffrey Howe (Character) - Biography biography Geoffrey Howe (Character) from Margaret (2009) (TV) The content of this page was created by users. It has not been screened or verified by IMDb staff. Warning!

This character biography may contain plot spoilers. Visit our Character Biography Help to learn more. Character Biography History Discuss Richard Edward Geoffrey Howe, Baron Howe of Aberavon, CH, QC, PC (born 20 December 1926) known 1970-1992 as Sir Geoffrey Howe is a former British Conservative politician. He was Margaret Thatcher's longest-serving Cabinet minister, successively holding the posts of Chancellor of the Exchequer, Foreign Secretary, and finally Leader of the House of Commons, Deputy Prime Minister and Lord President of the Council. His resignation on 1 November 1990 is widely considered to have precipitated Thatcher's own downfall three weeks later. (From Page last updated by jay.wind , 3 years ago

Question: Geoffrey Howe was made a lord he is now known as Lord Howe of where?
Answer: Aberavon