David Charles Waddington, Baron Waddington, GCVO, PC, QC, DL (born 2 August 1929) is a Conservative politician in the United Kingdom.

Early life

Educated at Sedbergh School, Hertford College, Oxford, where he was President of the Oxford University Conservative Association, he was called to the Bar in 1951.

Member of Parliament

He was first elected to Parliament in 1968, at a by-election in the Nelson and Colne constituency caused by the death of Labour MP Sydney Silverman. He was re-elected in 1970 and in February 1974, but lost his seat at the October 1974 general election, by a margin of 669 votes to Labour's Doug Hoyle.

Waddington's team made significant mistakes defending Stefan Kiszko in July 1976, in what would become one of the most notorious miscarriages of justice in British Law in the 20th Century.

He was returned to Parliament at the by-election in March 1979 for Clitheroe, the constituency being renamed Ribble Valley in 1983.

In government

A junior minister under Margaret Thatcher, Waddington was Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department of Employment (1981?83), Minister of State at the Home Office (1983?87) and Chief Whip from 1987 until his elevation to Cabinet level, becoming Home Secretary in 1989.

Life Peer

In 1990 he was created a life peer as Baron Waddington, of Read in the County of Lancashire. He served as Lord Privy Seal and Leader of the House of Lords until 1992. He later served as Governor of Bermuda.

Personal life

Lord Waddington is currently Chairman of the European Reform Forum.

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