As a key ally of Major, Heseltine rose to become President of the Board of Trade and, from 1995, Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State. Following Thatcher's subsequent resignation, Heseltine then lost to John Major on the second ballot, but returned to the Cabinet when Major became Prime Minister. He resigned from the Cabinet in 1986 over the Westland Affair and returned to the back benches.įollowing Geoffrey Howe's resignation speech in November 1990, Heseltine challenged Thatcher for the leadership of the Conservative Party, polling well enough to deny her an outright victory on the first ballot. As Secretary of State for Defence from 1983 to 1986, he was instrumental in the political battle against the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament.
He was one of the most visible "wets", whose "One Nation" views were epitomised by his support for the regeneration of Liverpool in the early 1980s when it was facing economic collapse this later earned him the award of Freeman of the City of Liverpool in 2012. He was considered an adept media performer and a charismatic minister, although he was frequently at odds with Thatcher on economic issues. Heseltine entered the Cabinet in 1979 as Secretary of State for the Environment, where he promoted the " Right to Buy" campaign that allowed two million families to purchase their council houses.
Heseltine served as a Conservative Member of Parliament from 1966 to 2001, and was a prominent figure in the governments of Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and served as Deputy Prime Minister and First Secretary of State under Major. Having begun his career as a property developer, he became one of the founders of the publishing house Haymarket.
Michael Ray Dibdin Heseltine, Baron Heseltine, CH PC ( / ˈ h ɛ z ə l t aɪ n/ born 21 March 1933) is a British politician and businessman.