Junior ministerial offices

Minister of State for Housing
In office 25 July 1989 – 3 January 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	The Earl of Caithness
Succeeded by	Michael Spicer
Minister of State for the Environment
In office 25 July 1988 – 25 July 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	The Earl of Caithness
Succeeded by	David Trippier
Minister of State for Local Government
In office 13 June 1987 – 25 July 1988
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Rhodes Boyson
Succeeded by	John Gummer

Shadow cabinet offices

Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 18 September 2001 – 6 November 2003
Leader	Iain Duncan Smith
Preceded by	Michael Portillo
Succeeded by	Oliver Letwin
Shadow Foreign Secretary
In office 11 June 1997 – 15 June 1999
Leader	William Hague
Preceded by	John Major
Succeeded by	John Maples
Shadow Home Secretary
In office 2 May 1997 – 11 June 1997
Leader	John Major
Preceded by	Jack Straw
Succeeded by	Brian Mawhinney
Shadow Constitutional Affairs Spokesperson
In office 2 May 1997 – 11 June 1997 Serving with William Hague
Leader	John Major
Preceded by	Position established
Succeeded by	Michael Ancram

Parliamentary offices

Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Life peerage 20 July 2010
Member of Parliament for Folkestone and Hythe
In office 9 June 1983 – 12 April 2010
Preceded by	Albert Costain
Succeeded by	Damian Collins

Personal details

Born

Michael Hecht

7 July 1941 (age 83)
Gorseinon, Swansea, Wales

Political party

Conservative

Other political
affiliations

Labour (1961)

Spouse

Sandra Paul

(m. 1975)

Children

Alma mater

Peterhouse, Cambridge (MA, LLB)
Inns of Court School of Law

Michael Howard, Baron Howard of Lympne (born Michael Hecht; 7 July 1941) is a British politician. He was the Leader of the Conservative Party and Leader of the Opposition from 2003 to 2005. Before that, he held important jobs in the government under Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and John Major. These roles included Secretary of State for Employment, Secretary of State for the Environment, and Home Secretary.

Howard was born in Swansea, Wales. His family was Jewish; his father came from Romania and his mother from Wales. He studied at Peterhouse, Cambridge University. After university, he became a lawyer in 1964. He was first elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) in 1983, representing Folkestone and Hythe. He quickly moved up in politics, becoming a government minister in 1987.

After the Conservative Party lost the 1997 election, he tried to become the party leader but was not successful. He then held important roles in the "Shadow Cabinet," which is the opposition party's team that challenges the government. In 2003, he became the leader of the Conservative Party.

In the 2005 general election, his party gained some seats, but the Labour Party still won. After the election, Howard stepped down as leader. He left Parliament in 2010 and became a member of the House of Lords, which is the upper house of the UK Parliament.

Early Life and Education
Marriage and Family
Becoming a Member of Parliament
Life After Parliament
- Charity Work
Arms
See also

Early Life and Education

Michael Howard was born as Michael Hecht in Gorseinon, Swansea, in 1941. His father, Bernat Hecht, came to Britain from Romania in 1939. His mother, Hilda, had lived in Wales since she was a baby. Both of his parents were from Jewish families. Sadly, Howard's grandmother was killed during the Holocaust.

His father was a synagogue cantor (a singer who leads prayers) and also worked in his wife's family business. When Michael was six, his parents became British citizens, and their family name was changed to Howard.

Michael went to Llanelli Boys' Grammar School. He joined the Young Conservatives when he was 15. He later studied at Peterhouse, Cambridge University. While there, he was the President of the Cambridge Union, a famous debating society.

After university, he became a lawyer in 1964. He focused on employment and planning law. He became a Queen's Counsel (a senior lawyer) in 1982.

Marriage and Family

In 1975, Michael Howard married Sandra Paul, who used to be a model. They have two children: a son born in 1976 and a daughter born in 1977.

Becoming a Member of Parliament

Michael Howard tried to become an MP twice before, in 1966 and 1970, but he didn't win. In 1982, he was chosen to run for the Folkestone and Hythe seat in Kent. He won this seat in the 1983 general election. An MP's job is to represent the people in their local area in Parliament.

Working in Government

Howard quickly moved up in government. In 1985, he became a junior minister at the Department of Trade and Industry. He helped oversee big changes in the financial markets, known as the "Big Bang," in 1986. After the 1987 election, he became the Minister for Local Government.

He was involved in bringing in a new local tax system called the "poll tax." He supported this tax and helped guide the law through Parliament. In 1988, he became the Minister for Water and Planning, where he helped privatize water companies in England and Wales.

In 1990, he was promoted to the Cabinet as Secretary of State for Employment. He worked to pass laws that limited the power of trade unions. He supported John Major to become Prime Minister in 1990.

After the 1992 election, he became Secretary of State for the Environment. He encouraged the United States to join the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, which was an important meeting about the environment. Soon after, in 1993, he became Home Secretary.

As Home Secretary

As Home Secretary, Michael Howard took a very strict approach to crime. He famously said, "prison works," meaning he believed putting more people in prison would reduce crime. During his time in this role, recorded crime in the UK did fall. He introduced measures to make it harder for defendants to stay silent during police interviews and trials.

In 1993, after a very serious crime involving young offenders, there was a public campaign to increase the time they would spend in custody. Howard was involved in setting a longer minimum term for them. However, courts later ruled that it was the job of judges, not politicians, to decide on minimum sentences for young offenders.

First Try for Party Leader

After John Major resigned in 1997, Michael Howard tried to become the leader of the Conservative Party. However, he did not get enough support from other MPs and withdrew from the race. William Hague eventually won. Howard then served as the Shadow Foreign Secretary for two years.

Leading the Opposition

After the Conservatives lost the 2001 election, Michael Howard returned to a senior role. He became the Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer, which meant he was the main opposition spokesperson on money matters.

In November 2003, the Conservative Party leader, Iain Duncan Smith, was removed from his position. Michael Howard was then chosen as the new leader without anyone else running against him. As leader, he brought more discipline to the party. He removed some MPs from their roles if they did not follow the party's rules.

In 2004, Howard called for Prime Minister Tony Blair to resign over the Iraq War. He said Blair had not asked enough questions about claims of dangerous weapons. Howard stated that he would not have voted for the war if he had known the quality of the intelligence at the time.

2005 General Election

In the 2005 general election, Michael Howard's Conservative Party lost for the third time in a row. However, they did gain 33 new seats in Parliament. The Labour Party still won, but their majority (the number of extra seats they had) was smaller.

The day after the election, Howard announced that he would not lead the party into the next general election. He said he would be "too old" by then. He stepped down as leader in December 2005 and was replaced by David Cameron.

Life After Parliament

Michael Howard announced in 2006 that he would not stand as an MP in the 2010 general election.

Howard in 2010

In 2010, he was made a life peer and given the title Baron Howard of Lympne. This meant he became a member of the House of Lords for life.

In 2011, he was given a special award called the Order of the Companions of Honour for his public and political service.

The award given to Michael Howard in 2011

In 2017, after the UK voted to leave the European Union (Brexit), Howard spoke about the future of Gibraltar. He compared the situation to the Falklands War in 1982, saying he was sure the Prime Minister would protect Gibraltar.

In 2022, Howard called for Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister.

Charity Work

Michael Howard is a strong supporter of the hospice movement, which provides care for people who are very ill. He was the chairman of Hospice UK from 2010 to 2018.

Arms

Arms of Michael Howard
Crest A demi dragon Gules holding between the claws an ancient ship rigged Or the sails furled Proper. Escutcheon Argent on water barry wavy Azure and Argent in base an ancient ship rigged Gules the sails furled and statant on the fore and aft castles two figures of men respectant Proper habited Azure and each blowing a trumpet Or on a chief Azure a lion passant guardant Or. Supporters On either side a pike Azure. Motto Melior Conatus Quam Spectatio

Michael Howard facts for kids

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