Michael Fallon
Encyclopedia
For the American Physician / Candidate for U.S. House of Representatives see Mike Fallon
Michael Cathel Fallon (born 14 May 1952, Scotland
) is a British
Conservative Party
politician
. He is the Member of Parliament
for Sevenoaks
, and as of September 2010 the deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party
.
, at Epsom College
and at the University of St Andrews
where he obtained a MA
in classics
and ancient history
in 1974.
, working first for Lord Carrington
in the House of Lords until 1977 and then as European Desk Officer until 1979. In 1979 he became research assistant to Baroness Elles
.
In July 1982 he was chosen as Conservative candidate for Darlington
and fought the Darlington by-election
on 24 March 1983 following the death of Ted Fletcher, the Labour MP. Although he lost to Labour's Ossie O'Brien
by some 2,412 votes, just 77 days later he defeated O'Brien by 3,438 votes in the June 1983 election. He remained the MP there until the 1992 General Election
when he was defeated by Labour's Alan Milburn
by a margin of 2,798 votes.
He re-entered Parliament at the 1997
general election
in the safe Conservative constituency of Sevenoaks
following the retirement of the sitting Tory MP, Mark Wolfson
, and has served as the MP there since.
Michael Fallon was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
to the Secretary of State for Energy Cecil Parkinson
following the 1987 General Election
, and in 1988 joined the government of Margaret Thatcher
as an Assistant Whip, becoming a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury in 1990.
Mrs Thatcher appointed him the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Science in July 1990 a position he continued to hold under the new premiership
of John Major
He held the position until his defeat at the 1992 General Election.
Following his re-election at the 1997 General Election he was an Opposition spokesman on Trade and Industry and then Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury
, but he resigned from the front-bench through ill-health in October 1998, and has remained on the backbenches until his promotion to Deputy Chairman of the Party.
Since 1999 he has been a member of the Treasury Select Committee, and was chairman of its Sub-Committee from 2001-2010. He also served on the 1922 Committee
Executive from 2005-2007.
. While he was out of Parliament he was a director for Quality Care Homes plc and of other companies founded by Dragon's Den star Duncan Bannatyne
.
Mike Fallon
For the British politician, see Michael FallonMichael Peter "Mike" Fallon, M.D. is a Colorado physician who was the 2010 Republican nominee to represent Colorado's 1st congressional district.-Early life and education:...
Michael Cathel Fallon (born 14 May 1952, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. He is the Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
for Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks (UK Parliament constituency)
Sevenoaks is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
, and as of September 2010 the deputy Chairman of the Conservative Party
Chairman of the Conservative Party
In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of the Conservative Party is responsible for running the party machine, overseeing Conservative Central Office. When the Conservatives are in power, the Chairman is usually a member of the Cabinet being given a sinecure position such as Minister without Portfolio...
.
Early life
Michael Fallon is the son of a surgeon. He was educated at Craigflower School in DunfermlineDunfermline
Dunfermline is a town and former Royal Burgh in Fife, Scotland, on high ground from the northern shore of the Firth of Forth. According to a 2008 estimate, Dunfermline has a population of 46,430, making it the second-biggest settlement in Fife. Part of the town's name comes from the Gaelic word...
, at Epsom College
Epsom College
Epsom College is an independent co-educational public school in Epsom, Surrey, England, for pupils aged 13 to 18. Founded in 1853 to provide support for poor members of the medical profession such as pensioners and orphans , Epsom's long-standing association with medicine was estimated in 1980 as...
and at the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
where he obtained a MA
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in classics
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
and ancient history
Ancient history
Ancient history is the study of the written past from the beginning of recorded human history to the Early Middle Ages. The span of recorded history is roughly 5,000 years, with Cuneiform script, the oldest discovered form of coherent writing, from the protoliterate period around the 30th century BC...
in 1974.
Political career
After graduation he joined the Conservative Research DepartmentConservative Research Department
The Conservative Research Department is part of the central organisation of the Conservative Party of the United Kingdom. It operates alongside other departments of Conservative Campaign Headquarters at 30 Millbank, London SW1....
, working first for Lord Carrington
Peter Carington, 6th Baron Carrington
Peter Alexander Rupert Carington, 6th Baron Carrington, is a British Conservative politician. He served as British Foreign Secretary between 1979 and 1982 and as the sixth Secretary General of NATO from 1984 to 1988. He is the last surviving member of the Cabinets of both Harold Macmillan and Sir...
in the House of Lords until 1977 and then as European Desk Officer until 1979. In 1979 he became research assistant to Baroness Elles
Diana Elles, Baroness Elles
Diana Louie Elles, Baroness Elles was a barrister and United Nations representative from the United Kingdom. She was a delegate to the European Parliament for over a decade.-Early years:...
.
In July 1982 he was chosen as Conservative candidate for Darlington
Darlington (UK Parliament constituency)
Darlington is a borough constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election....
and fought the Darlington by-election
Darlington by-election, 1983
The Darlington by-election, 1983 was a parliamentary by-election held on 24 March 1983 for the British House of Commons constituency of Darlington in County Durham....
on 24 March 1983 following the death of Ted Fletcher, the Labour MP. Although he lost to Labour's Ossie O'Brien
Oswald O'Brien
Oswald O'Brien was a British Labour Co-operative politician.He was born Oswald O'Brien into a family of teachers in 1928, in Darlington...
by some 2,412 votes, just 77 days later he defeated O'Brien by 3,438 votes in the June 1983 election. He remained the MP there until the 1992 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1992
The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992, and was the fourth consecutive victory for the Conservative Party. This election result was one of the biggest surprises in 20th Century politics, as polling leading up to the day of the election showed Labour under leader Neil...
when he was defeated by Labour's Alan Milburn
Alan Milburn
Alan Milburn is a British Labour Party politician, who was the Member of Parliament for Darlington from 1992 until 2010...
by a margin of 2,798 votes.
He re-entered Parliament at the 1997
United Kingdom general election, 1997
The United Kingdom general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997, more than five years after the previous election on 9 April 1992, to elect 659 members to the British House of Commons. The Labour Party ended its 18 years in opposition under the leadership of Tony Blair, and won the general...
general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
in the safe Conservative constituency of Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks (UK Parliament constituency)
Sevenoaks is a county constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It elects one Member of Parliament by the first past the post system of election...
following the retirement of the sitting Tory MP, Mark Wolfson
Mark Wolfson
Geoffrey Mark Wolfson, known as Mark Wolfson, was the British Conservative MP for Sevenoaks from 1979 until he retired in 1997....
, and has served as the MP there since.
Parliamentary career
In parliamentPalace of Westminster
The Palace of Westminster, also known as the Houses of Parliament or Westminster Palace, is the meeting place of the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom—the House of Lords and the House of Commons...
Michael Fallon was appointed as the Parliamentary Private Secretary
Parliamentary Private Secretary
A Parliamentary Private Secretary is a role given to a United Kingdom Member of Parliament by a senior minister in government or shadow minister to act as their contact for the House of Commons; this role is junior to that of Parliamentary Under-Secretary, which is a ministerial post, salaried by...
to the Secretary of State for Energy Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson
Cecil Parkinson, Baron Parkinson, PC , is a British Conservative politician and former Cabinet Minister.-Early life:...
following the 1987 General Election
United Kingdom general election, 1987
The United Kingdom general election of 1987 was held on 11 June 1987, to elect 650 members to the British House of Commons. The election was the third consecutive election victory for the Conservative Party under the leadership of Margaret Thatcher, who became the first Prime Minister since the 2nd...
, and in 1988 joined the government of Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990...
as an Assistant Whip, becoming a Lord Commissioner to the Treasury in 1990.
Mrs Thatcher appointed him the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Education and Science in July 1990 a position he continued to hold under the new premiership
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the Head of Her Majesty's Government in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister and Cabinet are collectively accountable for their policies and actions to the Sovereign, to Parliament, to their political party and...
of John Major
John Major
Sir John Major, is a British Conservative politician, who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990–1997...
He held the position until his defeat at the 1992 General Election.
Following his re-election at the 1997 General Election he was an Opposition spokesman on Trade and Industry and then Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury
Financial Secretary to the Treasury is a junior Ministerial post in the British Treasury. It is the 4th most significant Ministerial role within the Treasury after the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, and the Paymaster General...
, but he resigned from the front-bench through ill-health in October 1998, and has remained on the backbenches until his promotion to Deputy Chairman of the Party.
Since 1999 he has been a member of the Treasury Select Committee, and was chairman of its Sub-Committee from 2001-2010. He also served on the 1922 Committee
1922 Committee
In British politics, the 1922 Committee is a committee of Conservative Members of Parliament. Voting membership is limited to backbench MPs although frontbench Conservative MPs have an open invitation to attend meetings. While the party was in opposition, frontbench MPs other than the party leader...
Executive from 2005-2007.
Personal life
Fallon has been married to Wendy Elisabeth Payne since 1986 and they have two sons and the family lives in Sundridge, KentSundridge, Kent
Sundridge is a village within the civil parish of Sundridge with Ide Hill, in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The village is located on the A25 road to the east of WesterhamIts church is dedicated to St Mary....
. While he was out of Parliament he was a director for Quality Care Homes plc and of other companies founded by Dragon's Den star Duncan Bannatyne
Duncan Bannatyne
Duncan Walker Bannatyne, OBE is a Scottish entrepreneur, philanthropist and author. His business interests include hotels, health clubs, spas, media, TV, stage schools, property and transport. He is most famous for his appearance as a business angel on the BBC programme Dragons' Den...
.
Publications
- The Quango Explosion: Public Bodies and Ministerial Patronage by Philip Holland and Michael Fallon, 1978, Conservative Political Centre ISBN 0-85070-621-1
- Sovereign Members by Michael Fallon, 1982
- The Rise of the Euroquango by Michael Fallon, 1982, Adam Smith Institute ISBN 0-906517-22-2
- Brighter Schools: Attracting Private Investment into State Schools by Michael Fallon, 1993, Social Market Foundation ISBN 1-874097-15-1