Peter Norman Fowler, Baron Fowler, PC (born 2 February 1938) known as Norman Fowler before he was given his peerage, and now also known as Lord Fowler, is a British Conservative politician who was from 1981 to 1990 a member of Margaret Thatcher's Cabinet.

Early life

He was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in Chelmsford, in the county of Essex; after which he did National Service as a Second Lieutenant in the Essex Regiment. Whilst studying at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, he was Chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association in Michaelmas 1960, in which term he entertained both the Prime Minister Harold Macmillan and Home Secretary (and de facto Deputy Prime Minister, although he did not hold the title until 1962) Rab Butler.

Member of Parliament

In government

As Secretary of State for Health and Social Security in 1986, Fowler implemented the first official drive to educate the British public to the dangers of AIDS. Edwina Currie (Health) and John Major (Social Security) both served under him as junior ministers.

Backbenches, Retirement and Shadow Cabinet

Fowler later resigned from the cabinet as Employment Secretary in January 1990, becoming the first politician to cite "to spend more time with my (his) family" as his reasoning. Although it was the truth in Fowler's case, the expression later became a smokescreen for politicians who had quit high-profile roles for slightly more dark or controversial reasons.

Having spent time with his family, Fowler then returned twice to the Conservative front bench, first as Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1992 to 1994, during which time he oversaw the Boundary Changes in the early 1990s, then as Shadow Home Secretary from 1997 to 1999.

In 2001, he was made a life peer as Baron Fowler of Sutton Coldfield in the County of West Midlands.

In 2003, he proposed that the European Union should appoint a high-level coordinator with ambassadorial rank to deal with the AIDS epidemic.^[1]

In 2006, he chaired a House of Lords select committee which criticised the use of the television licence fee, which is used to fund the BBC, as a tax.

Work in industry

He has been deeply involved in industry, having been on the board of directors of several companies. Until 24 October 2007, he was Chairman and Non-Executive Director of Aggregate Industries plc.

References

External links

• "Europe should appoint Aids envoy, peer says" - a Guardian article by Michael White, dated February 21, 2003

pl:Norman Fowler