Cecil Edward Parkinson, Baron Parkinson of Carnforth (1931–2016) was a British Conservative politician and cabinet minister. A close ally of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, he served at the vanguard of 1980s Thatcherism in several ministerial posts, especially at the Department of Trade and Industry.
Born in Carnforth, Lancashire, Parkinson graduated in law from Cambridge’s Emmanuel College and served in the Royal Air Force. He later qualified as a chartered accountant and led a flourishing professional service firm.
Parkinson entered Parliament in November 1970 and was appointed a minister of state for trade 1979–81 in Thatcher’s first government and then paymaster general. As chairman of the Conservative Party, Parkinson successfully managed its 1983 election campaign and was rewarded with an appointment as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry.
Parkinson subsequently served as Secretary of State for Energy and later Secretary of State for Transport. He resigned with Thatcher when she lost power in 1990. He then served in the House of Lords until retirement in 2015.
Parkinson’s autobiography is Right at the Centre (1992.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Cecil Parkinson
In politics, people give you what they think you deserve and deny you what they think you want.
—Cecil Parkinson
Topics: Politicians, Politics
It is better to be a has-been than a never-was.
—Cecil Parkinson
Topics: Fame
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