The comments made by Nadhim Zahawi, the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, on 8 July 2025.
Rest in eternal peace great man. Norman Tebbit was a giant of Conservative politics & Conservative ideals. A man who looked after his beloved wife beautifully after the horrific terror attack by the IRA. A man who nurtured and befriended young conservatives like me. He was great company on a weekend in the country. RIP.
The comments made by Priti Patel, the former Home Secretary, on 8 July 2025.
Lord Tebbit was a giant of the Conservative Party and British politics. He was a man devoted to promoting freedom and liberty and gave a lifetime of service to our country in the RAF and in Parliament. His formidable record in Government promoting trade, industry and job creation helped lift our country’s economic fortunes and is a legacy to be proud of. Norman spent his life promoting our values and through adversary and challenge, he always displayed great courage.
It was a privilege to know Norman and receive his support and advice.
He will be greatly missed and my thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones. May he rest in peace and be reunited with his dear wife.
The comments made by Boris Johnson, the former Prime Minister, on 8 July 2025.
Norman Tebbit was a hero of modern Conservatism. In the early 1980s he liberated the British workforce from the socialist tyranny of the closed shop. He tamed the union bosses, and in so doing he helped pave the way for this country’s revival in the 1980s and 1990s.
At a time when the Labour government is now disastrously reversing those crucial reforms we need to remember what he did and why. In his single most famous phrase he once said that in the 1930s his unemployed father had got on his bike and looked for work. That wasn’t a heartless thing to say – as the Labour Party claimed. It was because he believed in thrift and energy and self-reliance. It was because he rejected a culture of easy entitlement.
We mourn the passing of a great patriot, a great Conservative – and today more than ever we need to restore the values of Norman Tebbit to our politics.
The comments made by Rishi Sunak, the former Prime Minister, on 8 July 2025.
Saddened to hear of the passing of Lord Tebbit.
He was a titan of Conservative politics whose resilience, conviction and service left a lasting mark on our party and our country. My thoughts are with his family and all those who knew him.
The comments made by Kemi Badenoch, the Leader of the Conservative Party, on 8 July 2025.
Our Conservative family mourns the loss of Lord Tebbit today and I send my sincerest condolences to his loved ones.
Norman Tebbit was an icon in British politics and his death will cause sadness across the political spectrum.
He was one of the leading exponents of the philosophy we now know as Thatcherism and his unstinting service in the pursuit of improving our country should be held up as an inspiration to all Conservatives.
As a minister in Mrs Thatcher’s administration he was one of the main agents of the transformation of our country, notably in taming the trade unions.
But to many of us it was the stoicism and courage he showed in the face of terrorism which inspired us as he rebuilt his political career after suffering terrible injuries in the Brighton bomb, and cared selflessly for his wife Margaret, who was gravely disabled in the bombing – a reminder that he was first and foremost a family man who always held true to his principles.
He never buckled under pressure and he never compromised.
Our nation has lost one of its very best today and I speak for all the Conservative family and beyond in recognising Lord Tebbit’s enormous intellect and profound sense of duty to his country.
May he rest in peace.
OBITUARY
Norman Beresford Tebbit, Baron Tebbit of Chingford, has died at the age of 94. A towering figure in British politics, his career was inextricably tied to the rise of Margaret Thatcher and the political and ideological battles of the 1980s.
Born on 29 March 1931 in Ponders End, Middlesex, Tebbit’s early life was far removed from the corridors of power. He was educated at the local grammar school and served in the Royal Air Force as a pilot during his national service. After leaving the RAF, he became a commercial pilot with BOAC, flying long-haul routes. He entered Parliament in 1970, winning the Epping seat for the Conservatives, before later representing Chingford from 1974 until his retirement from the Commons in 1992. His style was blunt, direct, and unapologetically combative, a tone that resonated with many during a period of deep national change and division that defined the Thatcher years.
Tebbit came to national prominence as one of Margaret Thatcher’s most loyal and effective lieutenants. Appointed Secretary of State for Employment in 1981, he wasted little time in introducing sweeping reforms aimed at curbing the power of the trade unions. The Employment Act of 1982 restricted closed-shop practices and gave individual workers greater protections against union coercion. It was one of the cornerstone measures of the Thatcher government’s agenda and marked a significant turning point in the changing balance of industrial power in Britain.
He later served as Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, where he continued his work dismantling what he viewed as outdated and obstructive elements of Britain’s post-war economic settlement. His appointment in 1985 as Chairman of the Conservative Party and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster placed him at the heart of government and firmly cemented his position as one of Thatcher’s most trusted strategists. Tebbit’s no-nonsense approach led to some of the most memorable lines in modern British political history. During the 1981 riots, he remarked that his father hadn’t rioted, he had simply “got on his bike and looked for work”. The phrase entered the political lexicon and, whether taken as a message of resilience or insensitivity, it captured the ideological mood of the time: hard-edged, unflinching and deeply divisive.
In October 1984, while attending the Conservative Party conference in Brighton, he and his wife Margaret were caught in the blast of an IRA bomb that tore through the Grand Hotel. Tebbit was rescued from the rubble with serious injuries, but his wife was left permanently paralysed. The bombing, aimed at decapitating the government, failed in its political aims but left deep personal scars. Tebbit’s response was stoic and determined, and his care for his wife became a defining feature of his later life.
He left frontline politics in 1987 to support Margaret, but his influence within the party remained strong. In 1992, he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Tebbit of Chingford, where he continued to make interventions characterised by the same clarity and conviction that had marked his Commons career. He was critical of the Major Government and as confusion over Thatcher’s European beliefs continued, he became an early and constant critic of the European Union, undermining the achievements of the Thatcher administration.
Tebbit was not without controversy. His comments on integration, particularly his so-called cricket test for immigrants’ allegiance to Britain, drew accusations of xenophobia and cultural insensitivity. He remained unapologetic, insisting that he was speaking uncomfortable truths others preferred to ignore. His writing, particularly in retirement, was as combative as his speeches had been. He contributed regularly to newspapers and journals, critiquing the evolution of the Conservative Party and lamenting what he saw as a loss of moral clarity and ideological backbone.
He is survived by his three children, and by the enduring legacy of a political life lived without compromise. Norman Tebbit was a man who inspired strong opinions and rarely sought the middle ground. For some, he was a warrior for common sense and national pride. For others, he was a symbol of a more unforgiving time.
STORY
Norman Tebbit, the former Conservative Cabinet Minister, has died at the age of 94. He represented the constituency of Epping between 1970 and 1974 and then Chingford between 1974 and 1992, before then entering the House of Lords as Lord Tebbit of Chingford. He was injured during the 1984 Brighton bomb, which paralysed his wife.
William Tebbit, his son, announced:
“At 11.15pm on 7th July 2025 Lord Tebbit died peacefully at home aged 94. His family ask that their privacy is respected at this time and a further statement regarding funeral arrangements will be made in due course.”
![PRESS RELEASE : Interim Biometrics Commissioner announced [July 2025]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/homeoffice.png)
The press release issued by the Home Office on 1 July 2025.
The Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention has appointed Francesca Whitelaw KC as the interim Biometrics Commissioner.
The role of the Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner has been vacant since August 2024. The government is actively recruiting the next permanent Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner, through open competition.
While this campaign is ongoing, the minister has decided to appoint Francesca as the interim Biometrics Commissioner. Francesca has been appointed in accordance with the Governance Code on Public Appointments.
Francesca will undertake the casework functions of the Biometrics Commissioner set out under the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, providing oversight of National Security Determinations and applications made under section 63G PACE by the police.
Francesca was appointed King’s Counsel in 2023 and is a leading specialist in public law, police, government, information law and human rights. She has expertise in biometrics and national security, working on several inquiries and inquests.
She will take up her post from today, Tuesday 1 July 2025, for a period of up to 6 months, until the new Biometrics and Surveillance Camera Commissioner is appointed. The Surveillance Camera Commissioner post will also remain vacant until this point.
![PRESS RELEASE : Norway’s WTO Trade Policy Review – UK Statement [July 2025]](https://www.ukpol.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/fco.png)
The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 1 July 2025.
UK Statement at Norway’s World Trade Organization Trade Policy Review. Delivered by the UK’s Permanent Ambassador to the WTO and UN, Simon Manley.
State Secretary, a very warm welcome to you and your delegation both from Oslo and here from Geneva. Thank you for bringing the spark of the land of Midnight Sun, beautiful Fjords and magical Northern Lights.
Thank you to the WTO Secretariat, as ever, for their report. Thank you, Chair, for your introductory comments. Thank you to our distinguished discussant for his insightful comments. I thought your final point about the value shown by the Norwegian case, but obviously a much broader point about institutions, is a very worthwhile one.
Thank you, also, to the government of Norway for piloting the new Trade Policy Review portal. We were particularly pleased to see it come to life given that we have our own TPR coming up later this year so we may see it in use again.
Report Analysis
Digitoll
Bilateral Relationship
Gender
WTO Engagement
Conclusion
So, to conclude, State Secretary, keep up the good work! Keep up being an example to all of us.
As this is my last Trade Policy Review, let me say that it has been a real pleasure to end with such a close trading partner and genuine friend as well as a good neighbour. Trade Policy Reviews, Chair, are fundamental to transparency and the good working of this organisation. And I know my successor, Kumar Iyer, and our team, are looking forward to our own first TPR later this year.
‘Tusen takk’ to you, State Secretary, and your team for your full and transparent engagement with this TPR, yet another example of your continued commitment to this organisation. Thank you.
The press release issued by the Home Office on 1 July 2025.
Work to restore control of Britain’s borders has seen the first of sweeping reforms to the immigration system introduced by the Home Secretary today.
New rules to be laid in Parliament see skills and salary thresholds rise, overseas recruitment for care workers end, and more than 100 occupations no longer granted access to the immigration system.
These changes, the first to be rolled out from the Immigration White Paper, represent a fundamental shift in the UK’s approach to immigration and restore order to the points-based system, focusing on higher skills, lower numbers and tighter controls. They are an important step in ending the UK’s reliance on overseas, lower skilled recruitment.
The introduction of an interim, time-limited and conditional temporary shortage list will make sure the immigration system works better for the UK, with international recruitment only providing support where occupations are key to the industrial strategy or building crucial infrastructure.
Each sector must have a workforce strategy in place to train UK workers, or it will lose access to the immigration system.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said:
We are delivering a complete reset of our immigration system to restore proper control and order, after the previous government allowed net migration to quadruple in four years. These new rules mean stronger controls to bring migration down, to restore order to the immigration system and to ensure we focus on investing in skills and training here in the UK.
As part of the Plan for Change, we can build an immigration system that serves the needs of the British economy and people – one that values skills, tackles exploitation, and ensures those who come to the UK make a genuine contribution.
The package of measures includes:
Workers in occupations on the temporary shortage list will no longer be able to bring dependants and will not be permitted salary and visa fee discounts. The occupations included on the List are time-limited until the end of 2026 and will only remain beyond that date if the independent Migration Advisory Committee recommend it.
In the interim, the government will not hesitate to restrict immigration access further, should there be clear signs of abuse and exploitation in sectors. In time, we will also abolish the previous government’s immigration salary list. Subject to parliamentary approval, the changes will come into effect from 22 July, and transitional arrangements have also today been set out for overseas care workers already in the UK.
Further changes to be implemented by the end of this year also include:
The Immigration White Paper forms part of a broader programme of immigration and border security reforms, with further measures on asylum and border security to be announced later this year.