28 Facts About Nicholas Scott

Nicholas Scott was a liberal, pro-European Conservative who became President of the Tory Reform Group.

Nicholas Scott's education was modest: at St Andrew's Catholic Primary in Streatham, then Clapham College, and then, part-time, at the City of London College and the City Literary Institute.

Nicholas Scott later secured jobs as a salesman, executive or director, first with Shell, then in the printing trade.

Nicholas Scott contested Islington South West at the 1959 general election and at the 1964 election.

Nicholas Scott was made national chairman of the Young Conservatives in 1963.

Nicholas Scott entered the House of Commons on his third attempt, at the 1966 general election.

Nicholas Scott was returned as Member of Parliament for the Paddington South constituency, defeating Labour's Conrad Russell.

Nicholas Scott quickly became one of the stand-out liberal Tory MPs, speaking out against discrimination of foreign students and demanding more nursery education.

Nicholas Scott was one of the first Conservative MPs to speak out against Enoch Powell's 1968 anti-immigration speech.

Nicholas Scott was a protege of Iain Macleod who made him his parliamentary Private Secretary just one month before Macleod died in 1970.

Nicholas Scott immediately took a seat on the opposition front bench as Edward Heath appointed him spokesman on housing.

Nicholas Scott's prospects were greatly curtailed when Margaret Thatcher won the Conservative Party Leadership race.

Nicholas Scott was offered a more junior position, he refused to serve and became a rallying point for the "wets" within the party.

Nicholas Scott did little to appease Thatcher, opposing sending sports teams to apartheid South Africa, he was a proponent of Proportional Representation, and abstained on new immigration restrictions.

However, when Roy Jenkins tried to enlist him for the newly formed SDP in 1981, Nicholas Scott remained loyal to the Conservative party and turned down the invitation.

In 1981 when Jim Prior, seen as a leader of the 'wet' Conservatives, was transferred to Northern Ireland by Thatcher, Nicholas Scott joined him as a junior Minister.

Nicholas Scott took charge of prisons and quickly came under criticism when there was a mass break out from the Maze Prison and faced calls to resign.

Prior stood by him, declaring that if Nicholas Scott was forced to resign he would go as well.

Nicholas Scott became the longest serving minister in Northern Ireland and was rewarded for his service by being made Minister of State.

Nicholas Scott firmly believed in power sharing in Northern Ireland; this stance made him deeply unpopular with the loyalist element in Northern Ireland, many of whom felt that he had greater sympathy for a united Ireland than he admitted.

Nicholas Scott was a strong supporter of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, and was held in high regard by the Dublin government and by the SDLP.

In 1987 Nicholas Scott was moved sideways to the Department of Social Security, and soon became Minister for the Disabled as well.

Nicholas Scott made no secret of his disquiet at some of the reforms he was forced to put through.

Nicholas Scott was succeeded in this post by William Hague.

Nicholas Scott remained MP for Chelsea until the seat was abolished at the 1997 general election.

Nicholas Scott was initially selected as the Conservative candidate for the new Kensington and Chelsea constituency, but was deselected after allegations of alcoholism surfaced following an incident in which he was found passed out in a gutter during the party conference in Bournemouth.

Away from politics, Nicholas Scott was a keen cricketer and widely regarded as a talented opening batsman.

Nicholas Scott turned out for a number of clubs throughout his career, including MCC, Free Foresters, and the Lords and Commons Cricket team.