The Lord Wills | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Minister of State for Justice | |
| In office 29 June 2007 – 6 May 2010 | |
| Prime Minister | Gordon Brown |
| Preceded by | Harriet Harman |
| Succeeded by | The Lord McNally |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal | |
| Assumed office 10 July 2010 Life Peerage | |
| Member of Parliament forNorth Swindon | |
| In office 1 May 1997 – 12 April 2010 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Justin Tomlinson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1952-05-20)20 May 1952 (age 72) London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Spouse | Jill Freeman |
| Alma mater | Clare College, Cambridge |
Michael David Wills, Baron WillsPC (born 20 May 1952) is a British politician andlife peer who served asMinister of State for Justice from 2007 to 2010. A member of theLabour Party, he wasMember of Parliament (MP) forSwindon North from1997 to2010.
Wills was born in 1952 to Stephen Wills and his wife Elizabeth (née McKeowen). He has a younger sister. He went to the independentHaberdashers' Boys' School inElstree,Hertfordshire and studied atClare College, Cambridge, where he graduated with a double first in History (BA). Following that, he joined the diplomatic service, gaining the highest mark in the entrance exam.
He worked forHM Diplomatic Service from 1976 to 1980. He became a researcher forLondon Weekend Television from 1980 to 1984, being a colleague ofPeter Mandelson. From 1984 to 1997, he was a Director ofJuniper Productions.
He was elected as the MP for Swindon North in 1997 and quickly joined the government, working in various capacities. He eventually left the government to campaign against theCommon Agricultural Policy. This campaign appears to have subsided. He was re-elected as an MP in 2001 and 2005. He has worked as an advisor and speechwriter to Gordon Brown. It was announced he would be appointed to the Privy Council in October 2008.
On 14 September 2009, Wills announced his intention to stand down at the2010 general election.[1] In the2010 Dissolution Honours, he was awarded alife peerage, which was created on 10 July 2010 with the titleBaron Wills,ofNorth Swindon, in theCounty of Wiltshire.[2]
How Michael Wills voted on key issues since 2001:[3]
He married Jill Freeman on 19 January 1984 inWestminster. They have three sons and two daughters.
Michael Wills published two crime novels under the pen name David McKeowen (using his mother's birth name):
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| New constituency | Member of Parliament forSwindon North 1997–2010 | Succeeded by |
| Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom | ||
| Preceded by | Gentlemen Baron Wills | Followed by |
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| People | |
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