Michael Nicholson Lord, Baron Framlingham (born 17 October 1938) is a British politician, and was a

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

Member of Parliament for

Central Suffolk and North Ipswich Central Suffolk and North Ipswich is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2024 by Patrick Spencer of the Conservative Party, currently suspended and sitting as an Independent. Constituency profile Cen ...

between 1997 and 2010. He was first elected for the predecessor seat of

Central Suffolk Central Suffolk was a county constituency in the county of Suffolk. It returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. History The constituency was created for the 1983 general election, ...

in 1983. He was the Second Deputy

Chairman of Ways and Means In the United Kingdom, the Chairman of Ways and Means is a senior member of the House of Commons who acts as one of the Speaker's three deputies. The current holder is Nusrat Ghani, following her election to the position on 23 July 2024. H ...

, one of the Deputy Speakers of the House of Commons, from 1997 to 2010.

Early life

He attended

Christ's College, Cambridge Christ's College is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England. The college includes the Master, the Fellows of the College, and about 450 undergraduate and 250 graduate students. The c ...

, where he gained an MA in agriculture in 1962 and a blue for rugby union as a centre. He also played club rugby for

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population was 106,940. Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and seat of the Borough of Bedford local government district. Bedford was founded at a ford (crossin ...

. He is a former president of the Arboricultural Association.

Parliamentary career

He contested

Manchester Gorton Manchester Gorton was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament. It was the safest Labour seat in Greater Manchester by numerical majority and one of the safest in the country. Manchester Gorton was abolished for ...

in 1979 and was first elected as an MP for Central Suffolk in

1983 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning of the ...

. He was a Deputy

Speaker of the House of Commons Speaker of the House of Commons is a political leadership position found in countries that have a House of Commons, where the membership of the body elects a speaker to lead its proceedings. Systems that have such a position include: * Speaker of ...

from 1997, and therefore did not take political stances or vote in the Chamber. Before his position, he was a

eurosceptic Euroscepticism, also spelled as Euroskepticism or EU-scepticism, is a political position involving criticism of the European Union (EU) and European integration. It ranges from those who oppose some EU institutions and policies and seek refor ...

who was one of the

Maastricht Rebels The Maastricht Rebels were British Members of Parliament (MPs) belonging to the then governing Conservative Party who refused to support the government of Prime Minister John Major in a series of votes in the House of Commons on the issue of ...

. He was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

in the

2001 Birthday Honours The Queen's Birthday Honours 2001 was announced on 16 June 2001 for the United Kingdom (including Northern Ireland), New Zealand (4 June), Australia (11 June), Barbados, Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Sa ...

. Lord did not seek re-election at the 2010 general election. On 19 November 2010, it was announced that he would be created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. Life peers are appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister. With the exception of the D ...

and sit as a

in the

House of Lords The House of Lords is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Like the lower house, the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster in London, England. One of the oldest ext ...

. Created on 14 January 2011 and introduced into the House of Lords on 18 January 2011, he took the title Baron Framlingham, of Eye in the

County of Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

. Though life peers usually use their surname in their title, Framlingham was advised he could not become "Lord Lord";Ipswich Tea — Suffolk: Ex-MP ‘Lord Lord’ has a decision to make
(Accessed 22 May 2015) though this nickname has since been used occasionally in jest.

Personal life

He married Jennifer Margaret Childs in 1965 and they have a son,

Tim Lord The Honourable Timothy Michael Lord (born 10 February 1966) is an English barrister, King's Counsel and Bencher of the Inner Temple who successfully acted for Guardian Care Homes against Barclays as part of the Libor fixing scandal. Life Lo ...

, and a daughter.

References

External links

Guardian Unlimited Politics – Ask Aristotle: Sir Michael Lord MP

TheyWorkForYou.com – Michael Lord MP

BBC Politics
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord, Michael 1938 births Deputy speakers of the British House of Commons Living people Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Cambridge University R.U.F.C. players Bedford Blues players Councillors in Bedfordshire UK MPs 1983–1987 UK MPs 1987–1992 UK MPs 1992–1997 UK MPs 1997–2001 UK MPs 2001–2005 UK MPs 2005–2010 Knights Bachelor People educated at William Hulme's Grammar School

Framlingham Framlingham is a market town and civil parish in Suffolk, England. Of Anglo-Saxon origin, it appears in the 1086 Domesday Book and was part of Loes Hundred. The parish had a population of 3,342 at the 2011 census and an estimated 4,016 in 20 ...

British Eurosceptics English rugby union players