John Gummer
John Selwyn Gummer, Baron Deben, PC (born 26 November 1939) is a British Conservative Party politician, formerly the Member of Parliament (MP) for Suffolk Coastal and now a member of the House of Lords. He was Chairman of the Conservative Party from 1983 to 1985 and held various government posts including Secretary of State for the Environment from 1993 to 1997.
The Right Honourable The Lord Deben PC | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2023 | |
| Chairman, Climate Change Committee | |
| In office 2012–2023 | |
| Preceded by | Adair Turner, Baron Turner of Ecchinswell |
| Succeeded by | Piers Forster |
| Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions | |
| In office 2 May 1997 – 11 June 1997 | |
| Leader | John Major |
| Preceded by | John Prescott (Environment) |
| Succeeded by | Norman Fowler |
| Secretary of State for the Environment | |
| In office 27 May 1993 – 2 May 1997 | |
| Prime Minister | John Major |
| Preceded by | Michael Howard |
| Succeeded by | John Prescott (Environment, Transport and the Regions) |
| Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food | |
| In office 24 July 1989 – 27 May 1993 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher John Major |
| Preceded by | John MacGregor |
| Succeeded by | Gillian Shephard |
| Paymaster General | |
| In office 11 September 1984 – 1 September 1985 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Cecil Parkinson |
| Succeeded by | Kenneth Clarke |
| Chairman of the Conservative Party | |
| In office 11 June 1983 – 2 September 1985 | |
| Leader | Margaret Thatcher |
| Preceded by | Cecil Parkinson |
| Succeeded by | Norman Tebbit |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 21 June 2010 Life Peerage | |
| Member of Parliament for Suffolk Coastal Eye (1979–1983) | |
| In office 3 May 1979 – 12 April 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Harwood Harrison |
| Succeeded by | Thérèse Coffey |
| Member of Parliament for Lewisham West | |
| In office 18 June 1970 – 8 February 1974 | |
| Preceded by | James Dickens |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Price |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 26 November 1939 Stockport, Cheshire, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse | Penelope Gardner |
| Alma mater | Selwyn College, Cambridge |
Gummer stood down from the House of Commons at the 2010 general election and was appointed to the House of Lords as Lord Deben.
Lord Deben was Chairman of the UK's independent Climate Change Committee. He also chairs the sustainability consultancy Sancroft International, recycler Valpak, and PIMFA (Personal Investment & Financial Advice Association). He is a director of The Catholic Herald and the Castle Trust – a mortgage and investment firm. He is a trustee of climate change charity Cool Earth, alongside the ocean conservation charity, Blue Marine Foundation.