Leader William Hague Preceded by Alastair Goodlad Spouse Thomas Shephard (m. 1975) Preceded by Norman Fowler Succeeded by George Young Party Conservative Party | Succeeded by John Redwood Name Gillian Shephard Books Shephard's watch Leader William Hague Role Politician | |
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Education St Hilda's College, Oxford | ||
Barroness gillian shephard presenting the quality council awards
Gillian Patricia Shephard, Baroness Shephard of Northwold, PC, DL (née Watts; born 22 January 1940) is an English Conservative politician; she was the Member of Parliament for South West Norfolk and served as a Cabinet Minister, and is now Chairman of the Association of Conservative Peers.
Contents
- Barroness gillian shephard presenting the quality council awards
- Early life and career
- Ministerial career
- In opposition
- Life peerage
- References
Baroness Shephard is currently Deputy Chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission She is the chair of the Alumni Association of Oxford University and was the chair of the Council of the Institute of Education until 2015.
Early life and career
The daughter of Reginald and Bertha Watts, she was born in Cromer, Norfolk, and educated at North Walsham Girls' High School and St Hilda's College, Oxford, from which she gained an MA in Modern Languages. After this she became a schoolteacher and then worked as an Education Inspector for Norfolk County Council from 1963 to 1975. From 1975 to 1977 she worked for Anglia Television. She was elected to Parliament in 1987, and became Parliamentary Private Secretary to Peter Lilley in 1988. She was appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Department of Social Security in 1989, and then in 1990, Minister of State at HM Treasury. In 1990 she was given the additional role of Deputy Chairman of the Party. She married Thomas Shephard on 27 December 1975 and has two stepsons.
Ministerial career
After the 1992 general election, she was appointed Secretary of State for Employment, then Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in 1993. She moved to Secretary of State for Education in 1994, and stayed at the department when the Department for Employment merged into it in 1996. She remained in this position until the 1997 general election.
Gillian Shephard provided considerable information regarding her role as Secretary of State for Education in interviews conducted by Brian Sherratt in October 1994 and March 1996
In opposition
After the defeat of the Conservatives, William Hague made her Shadow Leader of the House of Commons and later Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions. She returned to the backbenches in 1999 and stepped down from the House of Commons at the 2005 general election. Her memoirs Shephard's Watch: Illusions of Power in British Politics were published in 2000.
In 2013 following the death of Margaret Thatcher, Shephard published a memoir, The Real Iron Lady, of her time working with the former prime minister.
Life peerage
On 13 May 2005 it was announced that she would be created a life peer, and on 21 June 2005 the peerage was created as Baroness Shephard of Northwold, of Northwold in the County of Norfolk.
She is currently Chairman of the Association of Conservative Peers. She is also currently Deputy Chair of the Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission