Giles Shaw

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Sir John Giles Dunkerley Shaw, known as Giles Shaw, (16 November 1931 – 12 April 2000) was a British Conservative Party politician.

Shaw was educated at Sedbergh School and St. John's College, Cambridge, where he was President of the Cambridge Union 1954. He was an advertising manager and chairman of the Conservative Divisional Executive.

Shaw contested Kingston upon Hull West in 1966. He was Member of Parliament (MP) for Pudsey from 1974 until he retired in 1997.

He held a number of ministerial posts during the Thatcher administration: Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Northern Ireland Office (1979-1981); Parliamentary Under-Secretary, Department of Environment (1981-1983); Parliamentary Under- Secretary, Department of Energy (1983-1984); Minister of State, Home Office (1984-1986); Minister of State, Department of Trade and Industry (1986-1987) ^[1]

Shaw was President of Cambridge Union in 1954 for the Michaelmas term.

Shaw was also appointed director of both British Steel and Yorkshire Water in 1990, and became the 2nd Chairman of Broadcasters' Audience Research Board Ltd (BARB) in 1997. ^[2]

Shaw was probably the most popular man of his time in the Commons. This might have been put beyond question in 1992, when many on all sides wanted him as speaker, but the Tory cabinet insisted on backing his senior, Peter Brooke. Consequently, 74 Tory MPs, led by John Biffen, voted for Betty Boothroyd as the first woman speaker. ^[3]

[edit] References

• Times Guide to the House of Commons, Times Newspapers Limited, 1992 and 1997 editions.
• Leigh Rayment's Peerage Page

1. ^ http://www.parliament.uk/commons/lib/research/rp2009/rp09-031.pdf
2. ^ http://www.barb.co.uk/facts/since1981/?year=1997&view=events
3. ^ http://www.guardian.co.uk/news/2000/apr/17/guardianobituaries.obituaries