Biffen, (William) John (1930–2007)

British Conservative politician who held senior posts in the Margaret Thatcher administration 1979–87. In 1961 he was elected to Parliament for the Oswestry seat, which was later renamed Shropshire North. A strong supporter of Enoch Powell in his early parliamentary career, he was a staunch Euro-sceptic, who had voted against joining the European Economic Community in 1972, and supported low levels of public spending and a monetarist economic policy. With these views, he held key positions in the governments of Margaret Thatcher, although he stood to the left of Thatcher on social policy. He was chief secretary to the Treasury 1979–81, trade secretary 1981–82, lord president of the council 1981–82, and leader of the House of Commons 1982–87. He was dismissed after the general election of 1987 after suggesting the need for more balance in Thatcher's approach.

The son of a Somerset tenant farmer, he studied history at Cambridge University. Before becoming an MP in 1961, he worked for the engineering firm Tube Investments Ltd. His publications include Inside the House of Commons (1989) and Inside Westminster (1996). He was created a life peer, as Baron Biffen of Tanat, after his retirement as an MP in 1997.