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Gillian Shephard

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The Right Honourable
The Baroness Shephard of Northwold
PC
Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
In office
1 June 1998 – 15 June 1999
LeaderWilliam Hague
Preceded byNorman Fowler
Succeeded byJohn Redwood
Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
In office
11 June 1997 – 1 June 1998
LeaderWilliam Hague
Preceded byAlastair Goodlad
Succeeded byGeorge Young
Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office
11 June 1997 – 1 June 1998
LeaderWilliam Hague
Preceded byMichael Heseltine
Succeeded byGeorge Young
Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Employment
In office
2 May 1997 – 11 June 1997
LeaderJohn Major
Preceded byDavid Blunkett
Succeeded byStephen Dorrell
Secretary of State for Education and Employment
In office
5 July 1995 – 2 May 1997
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded byHerself (Education)
Michael Portillo (Employment)
Succeeded byDavid Blunkett
Secretary of State for Education
In office
20 July 1994 – 5 July 1995
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded byJohn Patten
Succeeded byHerself (Education and Employment)
Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
In office
27 May 1993 – 20 July 1994
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded byJohn Gummer
Succeeded byWilliam Waldegrave
Secretary of State for Employment
In office
10 April 1992 – 27 May 1993
Prime MinisterJohn Major
Preceded byMichael Howard
Succeeded byDavid Hunt
Member of Parliament
for South West Norfolk
In office
12 June 1987 – 11 April 2005
Preceded byPaul Hawkins
Succeeded byChristopher Fraser
Personal details
Born (1940-01-22) 22 January 1940 (age 84)
Cromer, United Kingdom
Political partyConservative
SpouseThomas Shephard (1975–present)
Alma materSt Hilda's College, Oxford

Gillian Patricia Shephard, Baroness Shephard of Northwold, PC, DL (née Watts; born 22 January 1940) is an English Conservative politician; she was the Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk[1] and served as a Cabinet Minister, and is now Chairman of the Association of Conservative Peers.

Baroness Shephard is currently Deputy Chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission She is the chair of the Alumni Association of Oxford University and was the chair of the Council of the Institute of Education until 2015.

Early life and career

The daughter of Reginald and Bertha Watts, she was born in Cromer, Norfolk, and educated at North Walsham Girls' High School and St Hilda's College, Oxford,[2] from which she gained an MA in Modern Languages. After this she became a schoolteacher and then worked as an Education Inspector for Norfolk County Council from 1963 to 1975. From 1975 to 1977 she worked for Anglia Television. She was elected to Parliament in 1987, and became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Peter Lilley in 1988.[1] She was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Social Security in 1989,[3] and then in 1990, Minister of State at HM Treasury.[4] In 1990 she was given the additional role of Deputy Chairman of the Party.[3] She married Thomas Shephard on 27 December 1975 and has two stepsons.

Ministerial career

After the 1992 general election, she was appointed Secretary of State for Employment,[1] then Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1993.[3] She moved to Secretary of State for Education in 1994, and stayed at the department when the Department for Employment merged into it in 1996.[3] She remained in this position until the 1997 general election.[4]

Gillian Shephard provided considerable information regarding her role as Secretary of State for Education in interviews conducted by Brian Sherratt in October 1994 and March 1996 [5]

In opposition

After the defeat of the Conservatives, William Hague made her Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and later Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions.[4] She returned to the backbenches in 1999[6] and stepped down from the House of Commons at the 2005 general election.[4] Her memoirs Shephard's Watch: Illusions of Power in British Politics were published in 2000.[6]

In 2013 following the death of Margaret Thatcher, Shephard published a memoir, The Real Iron Lady, of her time working with the former prime minister.[7]

Life peerage

On 13 May 2005 it was announced that she would be created a life peer,[8] and on 21 June 2005 the peerage was created as Baroness Shephard of Northwold, of Northwold in the County of Norfolk.[9]

She is currently Chairman of the Association of Conservative Peers.[10] She is also currently Deputy Chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission[11]

Arms

Coat of arms of Gillian Shephard
Adopted
2006
Coronet
Coronet of a Baroness
Escutcheon
Quarterly Azure and Or three pairs of Ears of Barley in pale Or each pair fesswise leaved and with slips inwards and conjoined all counterchanged
Supporters
On either side a Hare Azure gorged with a Coronet attached thereto a Chain reflexed over the back Or
Motto
SERVO ERGO SUM
Badge
A Hare's Face Azure in the mouth a pair of Ears of Wheat fesswise leaved and with slips inwards and conjoined Or
Symbolism
These Armorial Bearings reflect rural Norfolk with blue for the Conservative party.

References

  1. ^ a b c "Gillian Shephard". BBC News Online. 17 October 2002. Retrieved 5 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  2. ^ "Shephard's scars". Times Higher Education. 20 September 1996. Retrieved 5 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d "Shephard plans to step down as MP". BBC News Online. 17 September 2004. Retrieved 5 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  4. ^ a b c d "Full list of new life peers". BBC News Online. 13 May 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  5. ^ Radical Educational Policies and Conservative Secretaries of State, Ribbins, P and Sherratt, B, Cassell, 1997, pp 200-225
  6. ^ a b "Hague was wrong to rubbish old guard, says Major loyalist". The Independent. 25 July 2000. Retrieved 5 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  7. ^ Gillian Shephard (18 March 2013). The Real Iron Lady: Working with Margaret Thatcher. Biteback Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84954-562-4.
  8. ^ "New peers make Labour giant in Lords". Manchester Evening News. 13 May 2005. Retrieved 5 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  9. ^ "No. 57684". The London Gazette. 24 June 2005.
  10. ^ "All courtesy titles could go in reform of honours". The Times. 29 December 2007. Retrieved 5 December 2010. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  11. ^ https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-appointments-to-the-social-mobility-and-child-poverty-commission.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for South West Norfolk
1987–2005 		Succeeded by
Political offices
Preceded by Secretary of State for Employment
1992–1993 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister of State for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food
1993–1994 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Secretary of State for Education
1994–1995 		Succeeded by
Herself
as Secretary of State for Education and Employment
Preceded by
Herself
as Secretary of State for Education 		Secretary of State for Education and Employment
1995–1997 		Succeeded by
Succeeded byas Secretary of State for Employment
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Employment
1997 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Shadow Leader of the House of Commons
1997–1998 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
1997–1998
Preceded by Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
1998–1999 		Succeeded by
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