Timothy Eric Boswell, Baron Boswell of Aynho DL (born 2 December 1942) is a British politician who was the Conservative MP for Daventry from 1987 until he stood down at the 2010 general election, after which he was appointed to the House of Lords as a life peer.[1][2][3]
The Lord Boswell of Aynho | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | |
| In office 5 July 1995 – 1 May 1997 | |
| Prime Minister | John Major |
| Preceded by | The Earl Howe |
| Succeeded by | The Lord Donoughue |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education | |
| In office 19 December 1992 – 6 July 1995 | |
| Prime Minister | John Major |
| Preceded by | Nigel Forman |
| Succeeded by | Robin Squire |
| Lord Commissioner of the Treasury | |
| In office 14 April 1992 – 11 December 1992 | |
| Prime Minister | John Major |
| Preceded by | Sydney Chapman |
| Succeeded by | Timothy Kirkhope |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 8 July 2010 Life Peerage | |
| Member of Parliament for Daventry | |
| In office 11 June 1987 – 12 April 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Reg Prentice |
| Succeeded by | Chris Heaton-Harris |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 December 1942 Brentwood, Essex, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Helen Delahay Rees |
| Children | 3, including Victoria Prentis |
| Education | Marlborough College |
| Alma mater | New College, Oxford |
| Profession | Farmer and politician |
Personal life
editThe son of a farmer, Tim Boswell was educated at Marlborough College and New College, Oxford, where he obtained a degree in Classics and a diploma in agricultural economics.[3]
Boswell was married to Helen Delahay Boswell, née Rees, for 50 years until her death in 2019.[3][4][5] They had three daughters together including the former Conservative Member of Parliament Victoria Prentis.
Political career
editConservative Party
editHe joined the Conservative Research Department in 1966, becoming head of the economics section in 1974. He stood for Parliament at the February 1974 general election in Rugby but lost by 6,154 votes to Labour's William Price.
He was elected as the Treasurer of the Daventry Conservative Association in 1976 and subsequently its Chairman from 1979 to 1983. He became a political advisor to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Michael Jopling for two years from 1984.
House of Commons
editBoswell was chosen to contest the Daventry constituency after the sitting Conservative MP Reg Prentice announced his retirement. He was elected as the Conservative MP for Daventry at the 1987 general election with a majority of 19,690 and held the safe seat comfortably until his retirement from the House of Commons.
Tim Boswell's Westminster career began unsurprisingly as a Member of the Agriculture Select committee in 1987. He became the Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Financial Secretary to the Treasury Peter Lilley in 1989. Tim Boswell entered John Major's government in 1990 as an Assistant Government Whip, following the 1992 general election he was promoted within the Whip's Office and became a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury.
In December 1992, Tim Boswell was appointed Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department of Education and moved in the same position at the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food until the Major government fell at the 1997 general election.
In opposition Boswell was a spokesman on the Treasury in the immediate aftermath of the 1997 election defeat and became a spokesman on Trade and Industry under William Hague, before speaking on Education and Employment in 1999 until after the 2001 general election. He became the spokesman for Work and Pensions under the leadership of Iain Duncan Smith, moving briefly to speak on Constitutional Affairs in 2003 under Michael Howard and back to Work and Pensions in 2004, where he remained following the 2005 general election.
On 31 March 2006, Boswell announced his intention not to contest the subsequent general election, provided it did not take place unexpectedly soon. The Daventry seat was split in two at the 2010 general election, with the northern portion becoming part of a new Daventry constituency and the southern part becoming part of a South Northamptonshire constituency.
In May 2009, he was listed by The Telegraph as one of the "Saints" in the expenses scandal.[6]
After his retirement from the House of Commons the seat remained Conservative under Chris Heaton-Harris.
House of Lords
editHe was raised to the House of Lords as a Conservative Life peer being created Baron Boswell of Aynho, of Aynho in the County of Northamptonshire on 8 July 2010.[1] In May 2012, he resigned the Conservative whip after being made Principal Deputy Chairman of Committees in the House. He also became Chairman of the European Union Committee.[7][8]
Honours
editOn 10 March 2016, Boswell was elected a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London (FSA).[9] He was appointed a deputy lieutenant of Northamptonshire in 2010.[10]
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References
edit- ^ a b "No. 59487". The London Gazette. 13 July 2010. p. 13285.
- ^ "Lord Boswell of Aynho". Parliament.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ a b c Boswell of Aynho. Who's Who. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U8174. ISBN 978-0-19-954088-4. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "Helen Boswell - Deceased Estates". The Gazette (Official Public Record). Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "Helen Boswell Obituary". Legacy.com. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
- ^ "MPs' Expenses: the saints". The Daily Telegraph. London. 19 May 2009. Retrieved 1 July 2009.
- ^ "Lord Boswell of Aynho biography". Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- ^ "Lords European Union Committee homepage". Retrieved 12 May 2012.
- ^ "10 Mar Ballot Results". Society of Antiquaries of London. 10 March 2016. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
- ^ Deputy Lieutenant Commissions
- ^ Debrett's Peerage. 2019.
External links
edit- ePolitix.com - Tim Boswell MP
- Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Tim Boswell
- Guardian Unlimited Politics - Ask Aristotle: Tim Boswell MP
- Profile on Conservative Party website
- Daventry Conservatives
- TheyWorkForYou.com - Tim Boswell MP
- The Public Whip - Tim Boswell MP voting record
- BBC News - Tim Boswell profile 15 February 2005