Nigel Lawson was a prominent and prolific figure in British politics and journalism who played a major role in shaping the economic and social policies of the Thatcher era.
He served as Treasury Secretary for six years, overseeing a period of unprecedented growth but also rising inequality and instability.
He is also an avid writer and commentator who has expressed his views on a wide range of topics, from European integration to climate change.
He is the father of six children, one of whom is celebrity chef and television personality Nigella Lawson.
File
- Full name: Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby
- Date of birth: March 11, 1932
- Age: 91 years old (at time of death)
- Gender: Male
- Place of birth: Hampstead, London, England
- Nationality: British
- Occupation: Politician, journalist, author, broadcaster
- Height: 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
- Parents: Ralph Lawson and Joan Elisa Davis
- Siblings: None
- Spouse: Vanessa Salmon (married 1955; divorced 1980), Therese Maclear (married 1980; divorced 2019)
- Children: Dominic, Thomasina, Nigella, Horatia, Tom and Emily
- Relationship status: Divorced
- Net worth: £10 million
Early life and education
Nigel Lawson, who will be 91 when he dies in 2023, was born on 11 March 1932 in Hampstead, London.
He was the only child of Ralph Lawson, a wealthy Jewish businessman who owned a textile company, and Joan Elisa Davis, a nurse and social worker. He grew up in a comfortable and cultured environment, surrounded by books and art.
He attended several private schools, including Westminster School and Christ Church College, Oxford, where he studied Philosophy, Politics and Economics.
He graduated with honors in 1953 and won a scholarship to Harvard University, where he spent a year as a research fellow.
Personal life
Nigel Lawson was married twice and had six children from his first marriage. He met his first wife, Vanessa Salmon, heiress to the Lyons Corner House empire, in Oxford.
They married in 1955 and had four daughters and two sons. Their eldest daughter, Thomasina, died of breast cancer in 1993 at the age of 32.
Their second daughter, Nigella, became a well-known food writer and television chef, inheriting her mother’s cooking skills and her father’s gift for communication.
Their other children also pursued successful careers in various fields, such as journalism, law and finance. Lawson and Salmon divorced in 1980, after 25 years of marriage, amid rumours of his infidelity.
He married his second wife, Therese Maclear, a former secretary at the Financial Times, in 1980.
They had no children together and separated in 2019 after 39 years of marriage.
Lawson cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce. He also revealed that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2017 and had been living in a nursing home since 2020.
Career
Nigel Lawson began his career as a journalist, working for various newspapers and magazines, such as The Sunday Telegraph, The Spectator, The Financial Times and The Economist.
He was known as an incisive and insightful commentator on economic and political issues, and was a strong critic of the Labor Party government in the 1960s and 1970s.
He also wrote several books on economics, such as The View from No. 11: Memoirs of a Tory Radical (1992), which detailed his experiences as Secretary of the Treasury.
He entered politics in 1974 when he was elected as a Conservative MP for Blaby, a constituency in Leicestershire.
He rose rapidly in the party ranks, becoming Finance Minister in 1979, Energy Minister in 1981 and Treasury Secretary in 1983.
He was one of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s closest allies and supporters, sharing his vision of transforming Britain into a more market-oriented and entrepreneurial society.
He was a key architect of Thatcher’s policies of privatisation, deregulation, tax cuts and monetarism, which aimed to reduce the role of the state and increase the efficiency and competitiveness of the economy.
He oversaw the sale of state-owned industries such as British Telecom, British Gas and British Airways, generating billions of pounds in revenue and attracting millions of new shareholders.
He also reduced the top income tax rate from 60% to 40% and the basic tax rate from 30% to 25%, thereby increasing income and incentives for workers and businesses.
He also introduced the Community Tax, or Head Tax, which replaced the property-based tax system with a flat rate for all adult residents, regardless of income or wealth. He claimed this would make local governments more accountable and responsible for their spending.
He was widely praised for his management of the economy, achieving rapid growth, low inflation and rising living standards in the mid-1980s, known as the Lawson Boom.
However, he also faced criticism for fueling the housing bubble, increasing the trade deficit and increasing public debt.
He was accused of being too complacent and confident about the economic situation and ignoring warning signs of an impending recession.
He was also involved in a series of disputes with Thatcher and her economic adviser, Alan Walters, over Britain’s membership of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM), which linked the pound to other European currencies.
Lawson supported joining the ERM, believing that it would help control inflation and promote closer cooperation with the European Community. Thatcher, on the other hand, was sceptical about deeper European integration and wanted to keep the pound free from external constraints.
Lawson felt that he had lost the authority and autonomy to run the Treasury and that Walters was undermining his policies.
After a heated argument with Thatcher, he resigned from the Cabinet in October 1989. His resignation was seen as a blow to Thatcher’s leadership and a sign of growing divisions within the Conservative Party.
After leaving politics, Lawson became a journalist, author and broadcaster. He has written several books on economics, politics and climate change, including An Appeal to Reason: A Cool Look at Global Warming (2008), which challenges the scientific consensus on climate change and argues against policies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
He also founded and chairs the Global Warming Policy Foundation, a think tank that promotes skeptical and conflicting views on climate change and advocates a more balanced and rational approach to environmental issues.
He also regularly appears on radio and television shows such as Question Time, The Andrew Marr Show and Today, where he expresses his views on a variety of topics, from Brexit to Bitcoin.
Death
Nigel Lawson died in a London nursing home on 6 December 2023, aged 91. He had suffered from Alzheimer’s disease for many years and had lived in the nursing home since 2020. He is survived by five children, 12 grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
His funeral was held on 13 December 2023 at Westminster Abbey, where he was buried in Poets’ Corner next to his favourite poet, John Betjeman.
He was honored by the Prime Minister, the Queen and other dignitaries who paid tribute to his legacy and achievements. He was also remembered by friends, colleagues and admirers who praised his intelligence, courage and humour.
Argumentative
Nigel Lawson is a controversial figure in British politics and society who has evoked strong reactions from both his supporters and opponents.
Many people admire him for his economic reforms that helped revive the British economy and create a more dynamic and prosperous society.
He was also respected for his intellectual rigour, eloquence and independence of thought. However, many critics criticised his economic policies, which contributed to the social and regional inequalities, fiscal capacity and environmental education that plagued Britain in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
He has also been criticized for his views on climate change, which are considered irresponsible, ignorant and dangerous by the scientific community and the environmental movement.
He was also accused of being arrogant, dogmatic, stubborn and having strained relationships with family and colleagues.
Social media
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- Instagram Name: None
Net worth
Nigel Lawson has an estimated net worth of £10 million. He amassed his wealth from his career as a politician, journalist, author and broadcaster, as well as from his investments and inheritance.
He also received a generous pension and a lifetime peerage from the government, which gave him a seat in the House of Lords and an annual allowance of £300 a day.
