John Biffen, Baron Biffen
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The Right Honourable The Lord Biffen PC DL |
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Portrait by Walter Bird in 1965
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| Lord Privy Seal | |
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In office 11 June 1983 – 13 June 1987 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | The Baroness Young |
| Succeeded by | John Wakeham |
| Leader of the House of Commons | |
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In office 7 April 1982 – 13 June 1987 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Francis Pym |
| Succeeded by | John Wakeham |
| Lord President of the Council | |
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In office 7 April 1982 – 11 June 1983 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Francis Pym |
| Succeeded by | William Whitelaw |
| Secretary of State for Trade | |
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In office 5 January 1981 – 6 April 1982 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | John Nott |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Cockfield |
| Chief Secretary to the Treasury | |
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In office 4 May 1979 – 5 January 1981 |
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| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Joel Barnett |
| Succeeded by | Leon Brittan |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Industry | |
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In office 19 November 1976 – 4 May 1979 |
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| Leader | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Michael Heseltine |
| Succeeded by | Eric Varley |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Energy | |
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In office 15 January 1976 – 19 November 1976 |
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| Leader | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Patrick Jenkin |
| Succeeded by | Tom King |
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Member of Parliament for North Shropshire |
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In office 9 June 1983 – 1 May 1997 |
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| Preceded by | Constituency Created |
| Succeeded by | Owen Paterson |
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Member of Parliament for Oswestry |
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In office 9 November 1961 – 9 June 1983 |
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| Preceded by | David Ormsby-Gore |
| Succeeded by | Constituency Abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
3 November 1930 Combwich, United Kingdom |
| Died | 14 August 2007 (aged 76) London, United Kingdom |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Jesus College, Cambridge |
William John Biffen, Baron Biffen, PC, DL (3 November 1930 – 14 August 2007) was a Conservative member of the House of Lords, who previously spent 36 years in the House of Commons and served in Margaret Thatcher's Cabinet.
The son of a tenant farmer Victor Biffen and his wife 'Tish', John Biffen was born at Combwich, a small village on the River Parrett near Bridgwater, Somerset in 1930. He was educated firstly at Otterhampton village school followed by Dr. Morgan's Grammar School, Bridgwater. He then earned a scholarship to Jesus College, Cambridge where he graduated with a first class honours degree in History. From 1953 to 1960 he worked for Tube Investments Ltd.
Having previously stood unsuccessfully against Richard Crossman at Coventry East in 1959, Biffen was the Member of Parliament (MP) for the constituency of Oswestry, later renamed Shropshire North, from the time of his election at a by-election in 1961 until his retirement at the 1997 general election.
In his early political career he was a disciple of Enoch Powell, voting for him in the Conservative leadership election of 1965. Biffen was a Eurosceptic and voted against Britain's entry into the EEC in a parliamentary division in 1972 against his own party. Biffen championed tight fiscal policy and opposed state intervention in economic management.
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