David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral

David James Fletcher Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral MBE PC, is a British Conservative politician, and was a member of the Cabinet during the Margaret Thatcher and John Major administrations, while also being appointed to serve on the Privy Council in 1990.

The Right Honourable The Lord Hunt of Wirral MBE PC
Hunt in 2017
Secretary of State for Wales
In office 26 June 1995 – 5 July 1995 Acting
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	John Redwood
Succeeded by	William Hague
In office 4 May 1990 – 27 May 1993
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher John Major
Preceded by	Peter Walker
Succeeded by	John Redwood
Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster
In office 20 July 1994 – 26 June 1995
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	William Waldegrave
Succeeded by	Roger Freeman
Secretary of State for Employment
In office 27 May 1993 – 20 July 1994
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Gillian Shephard
Succeeded by	Michael Portillo
Treasurer of the Household
In office 15 June 1987 – 25 July 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	John Cope
Succeeded by	Tristan Garel-Jones
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 October 1997 Life Peerage
Member of Parliament for Wirral West Wirral (1976–83)
In office 12 March 1976 – 8 April 1997
Preceded by	Selwyn Lloyd
Succeeded by	Stephen Hesford
Personal details
Born	Glyn Ceiriog, Wales
Political party	Conservative

Education

Hunt was educated at Liverpool College, an independent school for boys (now co-educational), in Liverpool, at the time in Lancashire (and now in Merseyside), followed by the University of Bristol, where he studied Law. In 1965, representing the university, he won The Observer Mace debating competition, speaking with Bob Marshall Andrews.[1] In 1995, the competition was renamed the John Smith Memorial Mace and is now run by the English-Speaking Union.

Early life

Born in Glyn Ceiriog in 1942, the son of former Royal Naval Reserves Officer Alan N Hunt OBE and Jessie E E Northrop, David Hunt was the middle child of three, with two sisters. Growing up, David was an active member of the Young Conservatives where he was inspired into running for political office for the Conservative Party.

Parliamentary career

Hunt unsuccessfully contested Bristol South in 1970. In the 1973 Birthday Honours, he was appointed to the Order of the British Empire as a Member (MBE) for 'political services in the West of England'.[2] He then unsuccessfully contested Kingswood in 1974. Hunt became the Member of Parliament for Wirral after winning a by-election in 1976. The seat was broken up and Hunt became Member of Parliament for the new Wirral West constituency in 1983.

In Government

In Government he served as a whip and junior minister under Margaret Thatcher, who made him Secretary of State for Wales in 1990, shortly before her resignation later that year. In the 1990 Conservative Party (UK) leadership election he is widely believed to have been the only member of the Cabinet to vote for Michael Heseltine on the first ballot. He remained at the Welsh Office until 1993, then served as Secretary of State for Employment from 1993 to 1994 and as Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster from 1994 to 1995. In the Cabinet reshuffle of 1995, Hunt was offered the position of Health Secretary which was turned down, that position then going to Stephen Dorrell. He briefly returned to the Welsh Office, whilst remaining Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, for two weeks during the leadership election in mid-1995 as acting Secretary of State for Wales after the incumbent, John Redwood stepped down in order to be a candidate.

He lost his seat in the Labour landslide at the 1997 general election.

Peerage

In the 1997 Prime Minister's Resignation Honours, he was raised to the peerage as Baron Hunt of Wirral of Wirral in the county of Merseyside.[3] Lord Hunt was senior partner at the national law firm Beachcroft Wansbroughs (now DAC Beachcroft) between 1996 and 2005. He is now chairman of the firm's financial services division and is regarded as a major figure in the world of insurance and financial services. On certain Bills he used to occasionally step back up to the opposition front bench in the House of Lords, on an ad hoc basis. On 7 October 2008, David Cameron formally appointed him to the front bench to shadow Peter Mandelson in the House of Lords on Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform matters.

Hunt was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree by the University of Bristol on 21 February 2008. He is vice-president of the Holocaust Educational Trust.[4] He became chairman of the Press Complaints Commission on 17 October 2011.[5] In December 2011 he recommended closing the PCC and replacing it with an alternative independent press regulator.[6]

Arms

Coat of arms of David Hunt, Baron Hunt of Wirral

Crest Statant upon a portcullis chained Or an oyster catcher wings elevated and addorsed Proper holding in its beak by the strings Gules a bugle horn or garnished Gules. Escutcheon Azure a stag's caboshed Argent on a chief Or a rose Gules barbed and seeded Proper between two ostrich feathers Sable. Supporters Dexter a lion Azure resting the dexter forepaw on an anchor Or, sinister a dragon Azure resting the sinister foreclaws on a pickaxe head downwards Or. Motto Pro Deo Et Civitate (For God And State) [7]

Notes

2. "No. 45984". The London Gazette (Supplement). 22 May 1973. p. 6487.
3. "No. 54850". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 August 1997. p. 1. "No. 54928". The London Gazette. 23 October 1997. p. 1.
4. "About the Holocaust Educational Trust". n.d. Archived from the original on 4 October 2006. Retrieved 5 March 2008.
5. Dan Sabbagh (13 October 2011). "Lord Hunt of Wirral named chairman of Press Complaints Commission (PCC)". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 October 2011.
6. David Hencke (14 December 2011). "Hunt plans to replace PCC with new Press regulator". Exaro news. Retrieved 30 January 2012.
7. Burke's Peerage. 2003.

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by David Hunt
• Profile at the Conservative Party website
• Profile at Beachcroft LLP

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Selwyn Lloyd	Member of Parliament for Wirral 1976–1983	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for Wirral West 1983–1997	Succeeded by Stephen Hesford
Political offices
Preceded by John Cope	Treasurer of the Household 1987–1989	Succeeded by Tristan Garel-Jones
Preceded by Peter Walker	Secretary of State for Wales 1990–1993	Succeeded by John Redwood
Preceded by Gillian Shephard	Secretary of State for Employment 1993–1994	Succeeded by Michael Portillo
Preceded by William Waldegrave	Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1994–1995	Succeeded by Roger Freeman
Preceded by John Redwood	Secretary of State for Wales 1995	Succeeded by William Hague
Media offices
Preceded by Peta Buscombe	Chair of the Press Complaints Commission 2011–present	Incumbent