Lord Deben
Lord Deben was first elected in the 1970 general election, winning the Lewisham West seat.
Political Career[edit]
He has been the MP for three different constituencies with the other two being Eye from 1979-83 and Suffolk Coastal from 1983-2010. During his time in parliament he was Parliamentary Private Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture before going on to become the Conservative Party Vice Chairman. During John Major’s term as Prime Minister, Deben was made Secretary of State for the Environment in 1993.
When the Conservatives were in opposition, Deben played a major part in the passing of the climate change act in 2008. It was decided that Gummer would be awarded a peerage in the 2010 Dissolution Honours List. He was officially created a life peer on the 21st June, receiving the title Baron Deben, of Winston in the County of Suffolk. In September 2012 he was made chairman of the UK’s Independent Committee on Climate Change.
His role involves advising the UK government on setting and meeting carbon budgets and on preparing for the impacts of climate change.
Education[edit]
Lord Deben began his education at King’s School Rochester. After this he went on to study History at Selwyn College, Cambridge. During his time at Cambridge he was chairman of the Cambridge University Conservative Association and later President of the Cambridge Union Society.
He became a member of the Cambridge Mafia- a group of future Conservative Cabinet members.
Notable Work[edit]
BBC Wildlife Magazine described him as the ‘Environment Secretary against which all others are judged’ placing him as one of its top ten environmental heroes. In 1997, he was awarded a medal of honour by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.
