Lilley, Peter (1943– )

British Conservative politician. A right-winger, he came to prominence in 1990 when he was appointed secretary of state for trade and industry. After moving to social security in 1992, he introduced controversial proposals for ending the ‘dependency culture’ of state aid for the unemployed. Following the Conservatives' defeat in the 1997 general election, he made an unsuccessful bid for the party leadership and instead became William Hague's deputy. In June 1999, however, Lilley was sacked in a major reshuffle of the shadow cabinet.

Lilley was born in Kent, and educated at Dulwich College and Clare College, Cambridge. After graduating he worked as an economic consultant in industry and was elected Conservative MP for St Albans in 1983.