Patrick Cormack
Encyclopedia
Patrick Cormack, Baron Cormack, FSA
DL
(born 18 May 1939, Grimsby
, England
) is a British
politician
, historian
, journalist
and author
. He was a Conservative Party
Member of Parliament
from 1970 to 2010.
just before the outbreak of World War II
. He was educated locally at the St James's Choir School and the Havelock School, before attending the University of Hull
where he received a Bachelor of Arts
degree in 1961. He was a teacher at his former school, St James's Choir School, in 1961, before becoming a training and education officer with Ross Ltd in 1966. In 1967 he was appointed an assistant house master at the Wrekin College
in Wellington
for two years, after which he became the head of history
at the Brewood Grammar School
in 1969.
parliamentary seat of Bolsover at the 1964 general election
, where he lost to the sitting MP Harold Neal, who won with a majority of 23,103 votes. At the 1966 general election
, Cormack contested his hometown seat of Grimsby, but again was defeated, this time by the Secretary of State for Education and Science, Anthony Crosland
, who had a majority of 8,126.
At the 1970 general election
, Cormack stood for the seat of Cannock
, and this time was elected, narrowly defeating the incumbent Labour MP Jennie Lee (the wife of the founder of the National Health Service
, Aneurin Bevan
). Cormack won with a majority of 1,529.
Prior to 1970, Cormack was a member of the Bow Group
and the Conservative Monday Club
, resigning from both at the end of 1971.
to the Department of Health and Social Security
. He moved constituencies at the February 1974 general election
, leaving marginal seat of Cannock and instead contesting the newly drawn seat of South West Staffordshire
, which he won comfortably with a majority of 9,758. Cormack was a member of the Education
Select Committee for the duration of the 1979 Parliament.
On 7 October 1981, with national unemployment approaching 3,000,000 (compared to 1,500,000 two years previously), Cormack urged prime minister Margaret Thatcher
to change her economic policies, namely monetarism
to tackle inflation, if Britain was to avoid economic disaster.
In 1983, his constituency changed to its present incarnation, Staffordshire South, and after the 1983 general election
, he became a member of the Chairman's Panel. Cormack was knighted
in 1995 for his service to parliament, and in 1997, after 27 years as an MP on the backbenches
, he was finally promoted by the then Leader of the Opposition, William Hague
, to become the opposition's Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
. He resigned from this position in 2000 in order to run for the position of Speaker of the House of Commons (following the retirement of Betty Boothroyd
). However he was unsuccessful in his bid for the Speakership, with the House instead choosing Labour MP Michael Martin
for the role. During the 2005-10 parliament, Cormack was the chairman of the Northern Ireland
Select Committee.
The vote in Staffordshire South was postponed at the 2005 general election
due to the death of the Liberal Democrat candidate Jo Harrison. When the election did take place on 23 June 2005, Cormack won comfortably. In February 2007, it was announced that Cormack had failed to win the readoption of his constituency party for the next general election. This vote was later declared invalid as the number of votes recorded exceeded the number of people present at the meeting. In July 2007, the South Staffordshire Conservatives' executive council voted on the matter, but it resulted in a tie. Consequently, a vote of all local party members was held to decide whether Cormack should remain the party's candidate at the next general election. In the vote, held on 14 September, Cormack was readopted as the Conservative candidate, receiving the backing of over 75% of participating party members. Cormack expressed his gratitude and called the victory a "great relief". Subsequently, on 1 December 2009, Cormack announced his intention to stand down at the 2010 general election.
Cormack was created a life peer
on 18 December 2010, as Baron Cormack. He sits on the Conservative
benches in the House of Lords
.
Cormack is seen as a One Nation
Tory. He was a Heathite
, and was a frequent rebel under Margaret Thatcher
.
. He is also a very knowledgeable parliamentary historian.
Cormack has written many books on subjects ranging from the history of parliament, British castles, English cathedrals, and a book on William Wilberforce
.
Cormack has been a trustee of the Churches Preservation Trust since 1972, and is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
. He has been a council member of British Archaeology
since 1979, and also a member of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass
for the same length of time. From 1983-93, he was trustee on the Winston Churchill
Memorial Trust. He is a consultant and adviser to FIRST
, an international affairs organisation since 1985.
A committed Christian
, Cormack was a rector's warden at Parliament's parish church
, St Margaret's, Westminster
, from 1978-90.
Cormack was made a Freeman of the City of London
in 1980. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant
of Staffordshire
in 2011.
|-
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
DL
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
(born 18 May 1939, Grimsby
Grimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. He was a Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
from 1970 to 2010.
Early life
Cormack was born in GrimsbyGrimsby
Grimsby is a seaport on the Humber Estuary in Lincolnshire, England. It has been the administrative centre of the unitary authority area of North East Lincolnshire since 1996...
just before the outbreak of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was educated locally at the St James's Choir School and the Havelock School, before attending the University of Hull
University of Hull
The University of Hull, known informally as Hull University, is an English university, founded in 1927, located in Hull, a city in the East Riding of Yorkshire...
where he received a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in 1961. He was a teacher at his former school, St James's Choir School, in 1961, before becoming a training and education officer with Ross Ltd in 1966. In 1967 he was appointed an assistant house master at the Wrekin College
Wrekin College
Wrekin College is a co-educational independent school located in Wellington, Shropshire, England. It was founded by Sir John Bayley in 1880 and was known as ‘The School in the Garden’ owing to its extensive gardens and playing fields...
in Wellington
Wellington, Shropshire
Wellington is a town in the unitary authority of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England and now forms part of the new town of Telford. The population of the parish of Wellington was recorded as 20,430 in the 2001 census, making it the third largest town in Shropshire if...
for two years, after which he became the head of history
History
History is the discovery, collection, organization, and presentation of information about past events. History can also mean the period of time after writing was invented. Scholars who write about history are called historians...
at the Brewood Grammar School
Brewood Grammar School
Brewood Grammar School was a boys' school in the village of Brewood in South Staffordshire, England.Founded in the mid 15th century by the Bishop of Lichfield as a chantry school it was closed by the 1547 Act of Dissolution of Chantries...
in 1969.
Earlier candidatures
Cormack contested the safe LabourLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
parliamentary seat of Bolsover at the 1964 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1964
The United Kingdom general election of 1964 was held on 15 October 1964, more than five years after the preceding election, and thirteen years after the Conservative Party had retaken power...
, where he lost to the sitting MP Harold Neal, who won with a majority of 23,103 votes. At the 1966 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1966
The 1966 United Kingdom general election on 31 March 1966 was called by sitting Labour Prime Minister Harold Wilson. Wilson's decision to call an election turned on the fact that his government, elected a mere 17 months previously in 1964 had an unworkably small majority of only 4 MPs...
, Cormack contested his hometown seat of Grimsby, but again was defeated, this time by the Secretary of State for Education and Science, Anthony Crosland
Anthony Crosland
Charles Anthony Raven Crosland , otherwise Tony Crosland or C.A.R. Crosland, was a British Labour Party politician and author. He served as Member of Parliament for South Gloucestershire and later for Great Grimsby...
, who had a majority of 8,126.
At the 1970 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1970
The United Kingdom general election of 1970 was held on 18 June 1970, and resulted in a surprise victory for the Conservative Party under leader Edward Heath, who defeated the Labour Party under Harold Wilson. The election also saw the Liberal Party and its new leader Jeremy Thorpe lose half their...
, Cormack stood for the seat of Cannock
Cannock (UK Parliament constituency)
Cannock was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire which returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until it was abolished for the 1983 general election.- Members of Parliament :...
, and this time was elected, narrowly defeating the incumbent Labour MP Jennie Lee (the wife of the founder of the National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
, Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin Bevan
Aneurin "Nye" Bevan was a British Labour Party politician who was the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party from 1959 until his death in 1960. The son of a coal miner, Bevan was a lifelong champion of social justice and the rights of working people...
). Cormack won with a majority of 1,529.
Prior to 1970, Cormack was a member of the Bow Group
Bow Group
The Bow Group is one of the oldest think tanks in the United Kingdom. Taking its name from the Bow area of London where it first met, it was founded in 1951...
and the Conservative Monday Club
Conservative Monday Club
The Conservative Monday Club is a British pressure group "on the right-wing" of the Conservative Party.-Overview:...
, resigning from both at the end of 1971.
Parliamentary career
From 1970-3, Cormack served as a Parliamentary Private SecretaryParliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to the Department of Health and Social Security
Department of Health and Social Security
The Department of Health and Social Security was a ministry of the British government in existence for twenty years from 1968 until 1988, and was headed by the Secretary of State for Social Services.-History:...
. He moved constituencies at the February 1974 general election
United Kingdom general election, February 1974
The United Kingdom's general election of February 1974 was held on the 28th of that month. It was the first of two United Kingdom general elections held that year, and the first election since the Second World War not to produce an overall majority in the House of Commons for the winning party,...
, leaving marginal seat of Cannock and instead contesting the newly drawn seat of South West Staffordshire
South West Staffordshire (UK Parliament constituency)
South West Staffordshire was a parliamentary constituency in Staffordshire. It returned one Member of Parliament to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected by the first past the post system.-History:...
, which he won comfortably with a majority of 9,758. Cormack was a member of the Education
Education
Education in its broadest, general sense is the means through which the aims and habits of a group of people lives on from one generation to the next. Generally, it occurs through any experience that has a formative effect on the way one thinks, feels, or acts...
Select Committee for the duration of the 1979 Parliament.
On 7 October 1981, with national unemployment approaching 3,000,000 (compared to 1,500,000 two years previously), Cormack urged prime minister Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
to change her economic policies, namely monetarism
Monetarism
Monetarism is a tendency in economic thought that emphasizes the role of governments in controlling the amount of money in circulation. It is the view within monetary economics that variation in the money supply has major influences on national output in the short run and the price level over...
to tackle inflation, if Britain was to avoid economic disaster.
In 1983, his constituency changed to its present incarnation, Staffordshire South, and after the 1983 general election
United Kingdom general election, 1983
The 1983 United Kingdom general election was held on 9 June 1983. It gave the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher the most decisive election victory since that of Labour in 1945...
, he became a member of the Chairman's Panel. Cormack was knighted
Knight Bachelor
The rank of Knight Bachelor is a part of the British honours system. It is the most basic rank of a man who has been knighted by the monarch but not as a member of one of the organised Orders of Chivalry...
in 1995 for his service to parliament, and in 1997, after 27 years as an MP on the backbenches
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
, he was finally promoted by the then Leader of the Opposition, William Hague
William Hague
William Jefferson Hague is the British Foreign Secretary and First Secretary of State. He served as Leader of the Conservative Party from June 1997 to September 2001...
, to become the opposition's Deputy Leader of the House of Commons
Leader of the House of Commons
The Leader of the House of Commons is a member of the Cabinet of the United Kingdom who is responsible for arranging government business in the House of Commons...
. He resigned from this position in 2000 in order to run for the position of Speaker of the House of Commons (following the retirement of Betty Boothroyd
Betty Boothroyd
Betty Boothroyd, Baroness Boothroyd, OM, PC is a British politician, who served as Member of Parliament for West Bromwich and West Bromwich West from 1973 to 2000, initially for the Labour Party and, from 1992 to 2000, as Speaker of the House of Commons...
). However he was unsuccessful in his bid for the Speakership, with the House instead choosing Labour MP Michael Martin
Michael Martin (politician)
Michael John Martin, Baron Martin of Springburn, PC is a British politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Glasgow Springburn from 1979 to 2005, and then for Glasgow North East until 2009...
for the role. During the 2005-10 parliament, Cormack was the chairman of the Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland Office
The Northern Ireland Office is a United Kingdom government department responsible for Northern Ireland affairs. The NIO is led by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, and is based in Northern Ireland at Stormont House.-Role:...
Select Committee.
The vote in Staffordshire South was postponed at the 2005 general election
United Kingdom general election, 2005
The United Kingdom general election of 2005 was held on Thursday, 5 May 2005 to elect 646 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party under Tony Blair won its third consecutive victory, but with a majority of 66, reduced from 160....
due to the death of the Liberal Democrat candidate Jo Harrison. When the election did take place on 23 June 2005, Cormack won comfortably. In February 2007, it was announced that Cormack had failed to win the readoption of his constituency party for the next general election. This vote was later declared invalid as the number of votes recorded exceeded the number of people present at the meeting. In July 2007, the South Staffordshire Conservatives' executive council voted on the matter, but it resulted in a tie. Consequently, a vote of all local party members was held to decide whether Cormack should remain the party's candidate at the next general election. In the vote, held on 14 September, Cormack was readopted as the Conservative candidate, receiving the backing of over 75% of participating party members. Cormack expressed his gratitude and called the victory a "great relief". Subsequently, on 1 December 2009, Cormack announced his intention to stand down at the 2010 general election.
Cormack was created a life peer
Life peer
In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the Peerage whose titles cannot be inherited. Nowadays life peerages, always of baronial rank, are created under the Life Peerages Act 1958 and entitle the holders to seats in the House of Lords, presuming they meet qualifications such as...
on 18 December 2010, as Baron Cormack. He sits on the Conservative
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
benches in the House of Lords
House of Lords
The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster....
.
Cormack is seen as a One Nation
One Nation Conservatism
One nation, one nation conservatism, and Tory democracy are terms used in political debate in the United Kingdom to refer to a certain wing of the Conservative Party...
Tory. He was a Heathite
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
, and was a frequent rebel under Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
.
Interest in history
Cormack takes an active interest in historical issues, particularly those related to English HeritageEnglish Heritage
English Heritage . is an executive non-departmental public body of the British Government sponsored by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport...
. He is also a very knowledgeable parliamentary historian.
Cormack has written many books on subjects ranging from the history of parliament, British castles, English cathedrals, and a book on William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce
William Wilberforce was a British politician, a philanthropist and a leader of the movement to abolish the slave trade. A native of Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire, he began his political career in 1780, eventually becoming the independent Member of Parliament for Yorkshire...
.
Cormack has been a trustee of the Churches Preservation Trust since 1972, and is a fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London
Society of Antiquaries of London
The Society of Antiquaries of London is a learned society "charged by its Royal Charter of 1751 with 'the encouragement, advancement and furtherance of the study and knowledge of the antiquities and history of this and other countries'." It is based at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London , and is...
. He has been a council member of British Archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
since 1979, and also a member of the Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass
Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass
The Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. The Guild of Glaziers, or makers of Glass, the Company's forerunner, existed as early as 1328. It received a Royal Charter of incorporation in 1638...
for the same length of time. From 1983-93, he was trustee on the Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
Memorial Trust. He is a consultant and adviser to FIRST
First Magazine Limited
FIRST Magazine , or FIRST is a multi-disciplinary international affairs organisation based in London. The company was founded in 1984 and aims to promote communications between leaders in industry, finance and government worldwide and to promote strategic dialogue...
, an international affairs organisation since 1985.
A committed Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
, Cormack was a rector's warden at Parliament's parish church
Parish church
A parish church , in Christianity, is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish, the basic administrative unit of episcopal churches....
, St Margaret's, Westminster
St. Margaret's, Westminster
The Anglican church of St. Margaret, Westminster Abbey is situated in the grounds of Westminster Abbey on Parliament Square, and is the parish church of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom in London...
, from 1978-90.
Cormack was made a Freeman of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
in 1980. He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant
Deputy Lieutenant
In the United Kingdom, a Deputy Lieutenant is one of several deputies to the Lord Lieutenant of a lieutenancy area; an English ceremonial county, Welsh preserved county, Scottish lieutenancy area, or Northern Irish county borough or county....
of Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
in 2011.
Personal life
Cormack has been married to Kathleen Mary MacDonald since 1967. The couple have two sons.External links
- ePolitix - Sir Patrick Cormack FSA official site
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Patrick Cormack MP
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Patrick Cormack MP
- The Guardian - Election begins in the seat time forgot June 2, 2005
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