David Willetts facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Willetts PC FRS FAcSS
Official portrait, 2020
Minister of State for Universities and Science
In office 11 May 2010 – 14 July 2014
Prime Minister	David Cameron
Preceded by	David Lammy
Succeeded by	Greg Clark
Paymaster General
In office 20 July 1996 – 21 November 1996
Leader	John Major
Preceded by	David Heathcoat-Amory
Succeeded by	Michael Bates
Lord Commissioner of the Treasury
In office 6 July 1995 – 28 November 1995
Prime Minister	John Major
Preceded by	Andrew Mitchell
Succeeded by	Liam Fox
Shadow Cabinet positions Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills In office 2 July 2007 – 19 January 2009 Leader David Cameron Preceded by Position established Succeeded by Kenneth Clarke (Business, Innovation and Skills) Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills In office 8 December 2005 – 2 July 2007 Leader David Cameron Preceded by David Cameron Succeeded by Michael Gove (Children, Schools and Families) Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry In office 6 May 2005 – 8 December 2005 Leader Michael Howard Preceded by James Arbuthnot (Trade) Stephen O'Brien (Industry) Succeeded by Alan Duncan Shadow Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Social Security (1999–2001) In office 15 June 1999 – 6 May 2005 Leader William Hague Iain Duncan Smith Michael Howard Preceded by Iain Duncan Smith Succeeded by Malcolm Rifkind Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Employment In office 1 June 1998 – 15 June 1999 Leader William Hague Preceded by Stephen Dorrell Succeeded by Theresa May
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 16 October 2015 Life Peerage
Member of Parliament for Havant
In office 9 April 1992 – 30 March 2015
Preceded by	Ian Lloyd
Succeeded by	Alan Mak
Personal details
Born	David Linsay Willetts (1956-03-09) 9 March 1956 (age 69) Birmingham, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Sarah Butterfield
Education	King Edward's School, Birmingham
Alma mater	University of Oxford (BA)

David Linsay Willetts, Baron Willetts, (born 9 March 1956) is a British politician and a member of the House of Lords. For many years, he was a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Conservative Party. An MP is a person elected to represent their local area, called a constituency, in the House of Commons.

From 1992 to 2015, Willetts represented the constituency of Havant in Hampshire. He was the Minister of State for Universities and Science from 2010 to 2014. After leaving the House of Commons, he became a life peer, which means he has a seat in the House of Lords for the rest of his life. He is also the president of a research group called the Resolution Foundation.

Early Life and Education

David Willetts as a Member of Parliament.

David Willetts was born in Birmingham, England. He went to King Edward's School in Birmingham. After that, he studied philosophy, politics and economics (often called PPE) at Christ Church, Oxford, one of the colleges of the University of Oxford. He did very well and graduated with a first-class degree, the highest grade possible.

Start in Politics

After university, Willetts began working in politics. He was a researcher for a senior politician named Nigel Lawson. At age 28, he started working in the Policy Unit for Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. This group helped the prime minister develop new ideas and policies for the country.

Later, at age 31, he became the head of a think tank called the Centre for Policy Studies. A think tank is an organization that researches and develops ideas on topics like politics and the economy.

Member of Parliament

The office in Havant where Willetts worked for the people in his constituency.

In 1992, at the age of 36, Willetts was elected as the Member of Parliament for Havant. He was known for being very intelligent, and people gave him the nickname "Two Brains."

Early Government Roles

As an MP, Willetts was given several important jobs. He became a minister in the Cabinet Office and was later made Paymaster General. This was a role that helped coordinate the government's policies.

However, in 1996, he had to resign from this job. A committee found that he had not been completely clear in his statements during an investigation about another politician.

In the Shadow Cabinet

After the 1997 election, the Conservative Party was no longer in government. They became the main opposition party. Willetts was given a senior role in the Shadow Cabinet. The Shadow Cabinet is a team of politicians from the opposition party who "shadow" the government ministers. They challenge the government's plans and develop their own policies.

Willetts served in several shadow roles, including Shadow Education Secretary and Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary. He became known as an expert on pensions and benefits.

Minister for Universities and Science

After the 2010 election, the Conservatives formed a government with another party. The new Prime Minister, David Cameron, appointed Willetts as the Minister of State for Universities and Science.

In this role, he was in charge of government policy for higher education and scientific research. One of his most well-known policies was to increase the maximum amount that universities in England and Wales could charge students for tuition fees. This was a major change to how university education was funded.

Life After Parliament

Willetts decided not to run for re-election as an MP in the 2015 general election. He said it was time to "move onto fresh challenges." In 2015, he was made a life peer and became Baron Willetts, giving him a seat in the House of Lords.

Since leaving the House of Commons, he has taken on many new roles. He is the president of the Resolution Foundation, a think tank that studies how to improve life for people with low to middle incomes. He is also a visiting professor at King's College London and is involved with other educational groups. In 2022, he became the chair of the board for the UK Space Agency.

Main Ideas: Civic Conservatism

Willetts is known for developing an idea called "civic conservatism." This idea focuses on the importance of groups and institutions that exist between individuals and the government. These include families, local communities, charities, and volunteer groups.

He believes that these groups are very important for a strong society. This way of thinking has influenced the Conservative Party to focus more on local communities and voluntary organizations. Some people have called Willetts "the real father of Cameronism" because his ideas were important to the modern Conservative Party led by David Cameron.

Personal Life

Willetts is married to Sarah Butterfield, who is an artist. They have a daughter and a son.

Honours

Willetts has received many honours for his work in politics and education.

University Degrees

Location	Date	School	Degree
England		Christ Church, Oxford	First-class honours Bachelor of Arts (BA) in PPE

Honorary Degrees

An honorary degree is awarded to recognize a person's achievements, without them having to study for it.

Location	Date	School	Degree
England	21 November 2014	University of Bedfordshire	Doctor of Arts (D.Arts)
England	17 July 2016	University of Leicester	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
England	4 July 2017	University of Bath	Doctor of Laws (LL.D.)
England	2017	Richmond, The American International University in London	Doctor of Public Administration (DPA)
England	2017	University of Chester	Doctor of Letters (D.Litt.)

Memberships and Fellowships

Willetts has been elected as a fellow of several important academic groups, which is a high honour for his contributions to science and learning.

Country	Date	Organisation	Position
United Kingdom	2014 –	Academy of Social Sciences	Fellow (FAcSS)
United Kingdom	2016 –	Academy of Medical Sciences	Honorary Fellow (FMedSci)
United Kingdom	2017 –	Royal Society of Chemistry	Honorary Fellow (HonFRSC)
United Kingdom	2018 –	Royal Society	Honorary Fellow (FRS)
United Kingdom	2023 –	Royal Academy of Engineering	Honorary Fellow (FREng)