Brian Mawhinney Facts for Kids

Ministerial Offices 1992-7


Minister without Portfolio
In office 5 July 1995 – 2 May 1997
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Jeremy Hanley
Succeeded by	Peter Mandelson
Secretary of State for Transport
In office 20 July 1994 – 5 July 1995
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	John MacGregor
Succeeded by	George Young
Minister of State for Health
In office 14 April 1992 – 20 July 1994
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Virginia Bottomley
Succeeded by	Gerry Malone

Parliamentary representation 1979-2019

Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
In office 24 June 2005 – 9 November 2019 Life peerage
Member of Parliament for North West Cambridgeshire
In office 1 May 1997 – 11 April 2005
Preceded by	Constituency established
Succeeded by	Shailesh Vara
Member of Parliament for Peterborough
In office 3 May 1979 – 8 April 1997
Preceded by	Michael Ward
Succeeded by	Helen Clark

Personal details

Born

Brian Stanley Mawhinney

26 July 1940
Belfast, Northern Ireland

Died

9 November 2019 (aged 79)
Peterborough, England

Nationality

British

Political party

Conservative

Children

Education

Royal Belfast Academical Institution

Alma mater

Queen's University Belfast
University College London

Awards

Knight Bachelor (1997)

n.b.

Brian Stanley Mawhinney, also known as Baron Mawhinney, was an important British politician. He was a member of the Conservative Party. He was born on July 26, 1940, and passed away on November 9, 2019.

Lord Mawhinney was a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1979 to 2005. An MP is someone elected by people to represent them in the House of Commons, which is part of the UK Parliament. He also served in the Cabinet from 1994 to 1997. The Cabinet is a group of senior government ministers who make big decisions for the country.

Early Life and Education
Political Journey
Life Outside Politics
Family Life
See also

Early Life and Education

Brian Mawhinney was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. His parents were Frederick Stanley Arnot Mawhinney and Coralie Jean. He went to school at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution.

He studied physics at Queen's University Belfast. In 1963, he earned a good degree there. Later, he got his PhD in radiation physics from the Royal Free Hospital in London in 1969. His research looked at how radiation affects bone cells grown in a lab.

After his studies, he worked as a professor at the University of Iowa in the United States from 1968 to 1970. Then, he returned to the Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine. He worked there as a lecturer, teaching students, from 1970 to 1984.

Political Journey

Brian Mawhinney started his political career by trying to become an MP for Stockton-on-Tees in 1974. He didn't win that election.

However, he later became an MP for Peterborough. He represented this area from 1979 to 1997. After that, he was the MP for North West Cambridgeshire from 1997 until 2005.

Working in Government

Brian Mawhinney held several important roles in the government. From 1982 to 1983, he was a Parliamentary Private Secretary (PPS) to John Wakeham. A PPS helps a senior minister with their work. He was also a PPS to Tom King from 1984 to 1986.

In 1986, he became a junior minister at the Northern Ireland Office. This office deals with matters related to Northern Ireland. He then became a Minister of State there in 1990. From 1992 to 1994, he was a Minister of State at the Department of Health. In this role, he helped manage health services.

Joining the Cabinet

In 1994, Brian Mawhinney became a member of the Privy Council. This is a group of important advisors to the Queen or King. That same year, he joined the Cabinet as the Secretary of State for Transport. This meant he was in charge of all transport matters in the UK.

From 1995 to 1997, he served as the Chairman of the Conservative Party. This role involves leading the political party. He was also a Minister without Portfolio during this time. This means he was a minister in the government but without a specific department to run. In 1997, he was given the title of Knight Bachelor, which is a special honour.

After Government Roles

After the 1997 election, he became the Shadow Home Secretary. This role is part of the opposition party. He would question the government's decisions on home affairs. He held this position for about a year under William Hague. In April 2005, he decided to step down as an MP.

Becoming a Lord

On May 13, 2005, it was announced that he would become a life peer. This means he would get a special title and a seat in the House of Lords for the rest of his life. On June 24, he officially became Baron Mawhinney, of Peterborough.

As a member of the House of Lords, Lord Mawhinney continued to be involved in politics. He sometimes shared his views on new laws. In October 2017, he took a break from his duties in the House of Lords.

Life Outside Politics

Beyond his political work, Brian Mawhinney was also involved in sports. In 2003, he became the chairman of The Football League. He helped reorganize the league's structure in 2004.

He was a very religious person. He was a key member of the Conservative Christian Fellowship, a group for Christians in the Conservative Party. He was also part of the Church of England's General Synod for five years. He was the president of an organization called Christians in Sport. Lord Mawhinney was also a supporter of Peterborough United, a football club, until he passed away.

Family Life

Brian Mawhinney was married to Betty, who was from the United States. They had two sons and one daughter. He was interested in the relationship between Britain and the United States.

Lord Mawhinney passed away on November 9, 2019, at the age of 79.

Brian Mawhinney facts for kids

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