The Lord Rippon of Hexham | |
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.jpg) Rippon in 1970 | |
| Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament | |
| In office 17 April 1977 – 7 July 1979 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Peter Kirk |
| Succeeded by | James Scott-Hopkins |
| Shadow Foreign Secretary | |
| In office August 1974 – 11 February 1975 | |
| Leader | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Alec Douglas-Home |
| Succeeded by | Reginald Maudling |
| Secretary of State for the Environment | |
| In office 5 November 1972 – 4 March 1974 | |
| Prime Minister | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Peter Walker |
| Succeeded by | Tony Crosland |
| Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster | |
| In office 25 July 1970 – 5 November 1972 | |
| Prime Minister | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Anthony Barber |
| Succeeded by | John Davies |
| Minister of Technology | |
| In office 20 June 1970 – 25 July 1970 | |
| Prime Minister | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Tony Benn |
| Succeeded by | John Davies |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Defence | |
| In office 14 November 1968 – 20 June 1970 | |
| Leader | Edward Heath |
| Preceded by | Reginald Maudling |
| Succeeded by | George Thomson |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 31 March 1966 – 18 May 1987 | |
| Preceded by | Rupert Speir |
| Succeeded by | Alan Amos |
| Constituency | Hexham |
| In office 26 May 1955 – 25 September 1964 | |
| Preceded by | Henry Strauss |
| Succeeded by | Christopher Norwood |
| Constituency | Norwich South |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1924-05-28)28 May 1924 Penn,Buckinghamshire, England |
| Died | 28 January 1997(1997-01-28) (aged 72) Broomfield,Somerset, England |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Alma mater | Brasenose College, Oxford |
Aubrey Geoffrey Frederick Rippon, Baron Rippon of Hexham,PC QC (28 May 1924 – 28 January 1997) was a BritishConservative Party politician. He is most known for drafting theEuropean Communities Act 1972 which took the United Kingdom into theEuropean Communities on 1 January 1973. He was Chairman of theEuropean-Atlantic Group.
Born inPenn,Buckinghamshire, the son of theSomerset cricketerSydney Rippon, Geoffrey Rippon was educated atKing's College, Taunton, andBrasenose College, Oxford, where he was president of theUniversity Conservative Association. He wascalled to the Bar in 1948 and wasMayor ofSurbiton 1951–52 and a member of theLondon County Council from 1952, representingChelsea. From 1958, he was the leader of the Conservative Party group on the council.[1]
After unsuccessfully contesting the seat ofShoreditch and Finsbury in both1950 and1951, he became MP forNorwich South in1955.
AsMinister for Public Building and Works in 1962, Rippon controversially sought to demolish and redevelop the ItalianateForeign and Commonwealth Office main building designed in the 1860s by SirGeorge Gilbert Scott.[2][3] After a campaign led byThe Victorian Society and a public outcry the decision was overturned and the building was subsequently granted Grade I listed building status.
In1964 Rippon was defeated, but moved to the constituency ofHexham inNorthumberland at the1966 general election and remained MP there until retiring in1987. Among his posts in the Shadow Cabinet was that ofShadow Defence Secretary from 1969 to 1970.
In 1970 he becameChancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster underEdward Heath, and being in favour of theCommon Market was given the responsibility of negotiating Britain's entry into it. In 1972 he moved to becomeSecretary of State for the Environment. During his tenure theDepartment of the Environment was housed onMarsham Street in unattractive tower blocks nicknamed 'the three ugly sisters'. Rippon is supposed to have commented to his civil servants that the view from the top floor was the best in London, as one could not see the towers themselves.[citation needed]
While Secretary of State for the Environment he introduced theWater Act 1973, which amalgamated over 1500 separate private, and local authority water provision, sewage, water treatment, and regulatory entities into 10Regional Water Authorities, organised on a natural Hydrological basis.
He was at one time a prominent member of theConservative Monday Club, for whom he authored a booklet entitledRight Angle, and was guest-of-honour at their Annual Dinner in 1970. The Club was, however, divided on the EEC (European Community) issue, and at their conference in October 1971 members moved and carried a resolution opposing Britain's entry.
From 1979 to 1982, Rippon was President of theEuropean Documentation and Information Centre (CEDI).
He was created alife peer on 5 October 1987 taking the titleBaron Rippon of Hexham, of Hesleyside in the County ofNorthumberland.[4]
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| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
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| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forNorwich South 1955–1964 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Member of Parliament forHexham 1966–1987 | Succeeded by |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Shadow Secretary of State for Defence 1969–1970 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster 1970–1972 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Secretary of State for the Environment 1972–1974 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Shadow Foreign Secretary 1974–1975 | Succeeded by |
| Party political offices | ||
| Preceded by | Leader of the Conservative Party on theLondon County Council 1958–1961 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Leader of the Conservatives in the European Parliament 1977–1979 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| Academics | |
| People | |
| Other | |
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