Former Conservative party politician Nigel Lawson dies aged 91 - Rishi Sunak pays tribute

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Lord Lawson was also a journalist and the father of celebrity cook, Nigella Lawson

Former Conservative Party politician, Nigel Lawson, has died aged 91. He was also a journalist and represented the constituency of Blaby, Leicestershire from 1974 to 1992 as an MP.

The news, first reported by the Daily Telegraph follows the former Tory chancellor’s retirement from the House of Lords aged 90, last year. Mr Lawson had six children, including celebrity cook and food writer Nigella Lawson.

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Prime Minister Rishi Sunak paid tribute to Lord Lawson, saying: “One of the first things I did as Chancellor was hang a picture of Nigel Lawson above my desk. He was a transformational Chancellor and an inspiration to me and many others. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this time.”

Former prime minister Boris Johnson wrote on Twitter: “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.”

Before his time in the Cabinet, Lord Lawson served as a Financial Secretary to the Treasury. He stayed in this role from May 1979 until he was promoted to Secretary State for Energy.

In June 1983, Lord Lawson took on the role of Chancellor of the Exchequer until he resigned in October 1989. He then became a backbencher before he retired in 1992.

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Lord Lawson sat in the House of Lords from 1992 until his retirement on December 31, 2022. During his time in politics, he also served as Margaret Thatcher’s chancellor from 1983 to 1989.

Lord Lawson was a leading Brexiteer. In April 2019 he warned of “undesirable insurrectionary forces” if the result of the Brexit vote was refused by Parliament. He was also a founding chairman of the Global Warming Policy Foundation.

Foreign secretary, James Cleverly also paid tribute, tweeting: “Sad news that Nigel Lawson has died. A true statesman. His contributions to this nation will not be forgotten.”

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