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The Right Honourable
Sir John Nott
KCB
The Right Honourable Sir John Nott KCB
	Nott in 1982
Secretary of State for Defence
	In office; 5 January 1981 – 6 January 1983
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Francis Pym
Succeeded by	Michael Heseltine
Secretary of State for Trade; President of the Board of Trade;
	In office; 4 May 1979 – 5 January 1981
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	John Smith
Succeeded by	John Biffen
Member of Parliament; for St Ives
	In office; 31 March 1966 – 13 May 1983
Preceded by	Greville Howard
Succeeded by	David Harris
Personal details
Born	John William Frederic Nott; 1 February 1932; Bromley, Kent, England
Died	6 November 2024 (aged 92)
Political party	Conservative (until 2016)
Other political; affiliations	National Liberal Party (1966–1968)
Spouse	Miloska Sekol (m. 1959)
Children	3, including Julian and Sasha
Education	Bradfield College
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Military service
Branch	British Army
Service years	1952–1956
Rank	Lieutenant
Unit	2nd Gurkha Rifles

Sir John William Frederic Nott KCB (1 February 1932 – 6 November 2024) was a British politician who served as Secretary of State for Defence from 1981 to 1983, during the Falklands War. A member of the National Liberal (until 1968) and Conservative parties, Nott was Member of Parliament (MP) for St Ives from 1966 to 1983.

Early life

Nott was born in Bromley, south-east London (part of Kent until 1965), to Richard Nott, a rice broker from a military family, and Phyllis Francis,^[1] and was educated at Bradfield College.

In 1952 he was commissioned as a regular officer in the 2nd Gurkha Rifles, serving in the Malayan Emergency after a period of service with the Royal Scots. In 1956 he left the army to study law and economics at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was president of the Cambridge Union Society. He was called to the bar at the Inner Temple in 1959.^[2]^[3]^[4]

Career

Early parliamentary career

In 1966 Nott was elected as a National Liberal and Conservative MP for the Cornwall constituency of St Ives, the last person elected under the National Liberal label. The party was formally absorbed into the Conservatives in 1968, after which Nott sat as a Conservative MP. He was the last surviving former National Liberal MP.^[2]^[3]

In 1968 he was one of the few MPs to vote against the Commonwealth Immigrants Act 1968, thinking it "disgraceful that people who had British passports should have them taken away".^[5]

Ministerial career

Nott served in the government of Edward Heath as Minister of State at the Treasury.^[2] After a brief spell working as a City of London consultant and focusing on managing his Cornish estate, where he grew flowers commercially, he joined the Shadow Cabinet in 1976.^[1] He was made Secretary of State for Trade after Margaret Thatcher won the 1979 general election and became a privy councillor. The Department of Trade was responsible for shipping and aviation and the privatisation of British Airways, the first privatisation of the Thatcher government. Overseeing the Department of Prices and Consumer Protection, Nott was also responsible for repealing the prices and incomes policy and played a leading role in the abolition of exchange control.^[2]

In the January 1981 reshuffle, Nott became Secretary of State for Defence. Short-term commitment to cost savings meant that defence decisions were made based on affordability at the expense of naval husbandry since prior to the Argentine invasion of the Falklands in 1982, the government had been unwilling to consider such a strategic risk. Time was of the essence and, by prioritising reduced public spending, the government acknowledged the more immediate risk of national bankruptcy against the less pressing strategic analysis of another war.^[6] Nott was widely criticised by Royal Navy chiefs over the 1981 Defence White Paper for his decision to cut back on forward government naval expenditure during the severe economic recession of the early 1980s; the reductions originally included the proposed scrapping of the Antarctic patrol ship HMS Endurance and the reduction of the surface fleet to 50 frigates and from three to two aircraft carriers. He switched the resultant savings to nuclear submarines, naval weapon systems and air defence.^[7] He famously walked out of an interview with Robin Day during the 1982 Conservative Party conference after Day referred to him as a "here today, gone tomorrow politician", although he retained a sense of humour about the incident, later naming his memoir Here Today, Gone Tomorrow.^[4]^[8]

In his white paper Command 8758 "The Falkland Campaign: The Lessons", Nott announced a major rebuilding programme costing around £1 billion to replace all the ships, Harrier aircraft and helicopters lost during the Falklands War, including the building of five new Type 22 frigates. He also closed Chatham Dockyard and ended the mid-life modernisation of old frigates.^[9]^[10] He took through Parliament the upgrading of the nuclear deterrent to the current Trident system (D5).^[11]

Resignation

Nott offered his resignation to Thatcher following the Argentine invasion of the Falklands in 1982. Unlike the Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, however, his resignation was not accepted. Nott remained as defence secretary throughout the four-month conflict. He was eventually replaced in January 1983 by Michael Heseltine after he decided not to seek re-election at the 1983 general election. On retirement he was appointed a knight commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB).^[2]^[12]

Business career

From 1985 to 1989 Nott was chairman and chief executive of Lazard Brothers.^[13]^{[page needed]} This coincided with the cabinet crisis on the future of Westland Helicopters, which severely rocked the Thatcher government. Lazard Brothers acted for Westland against Michael Heseltine's proposal for a European consortium. Among the other well-publicised events that occurred while Nott was at Lazard was the takeover of Guinness. He also served as chairman of Hillsdown Holdings, a multinational food company, and of the Canadian firm Maple Leaf Foods, and was deputy of Royal Insurance. In addition, he was an adviser to APAX Partners and Freshfields.^[1]^[11]

Books

Nott published his autobiography, Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, in 2002.^[14] Other works include: Mr Wonderful Takes a Cruise (2004), Haven't We Been Here Before (2007), Mr Wonderful Seeks Immortality (2014) and Memorable Encounters (2018).^[15]

Personal life

In 1959 Nott married Miloska Sekol, whom he met at the University of Cambridge.^[2] They had two sons (including the film composer Julian Nott) and a daughter, Sasha.^[3]^[4]

He was a supporter of Brexit.^[16] In 2016 he had criticised the "poisoned EU debate" in the Conservative Party and suspended his party membership until there was a change of leadership.^[17]

Nott spent much of his retirement restoring his 200-acre (81 ha) farm in Cornwall. He died on 6 November 2024, at the age of 92.^[3]

At the time of his death, he, John Major and Malcolm Rifkind were the only surviving members of the Thatcher cabinet not sitting in either house of Parliament.^{[original research?]}

In the media

Nott was interviewed about the rise of Thatcherism for the 2006 BBC TV documentary series Tory! Tory! Tory!.^[18]

He was portrayed by Clive Merrison in the 2002 BBC production of Ian Curteis's controversial The Falklands Play,^[19] and by Angus Wright in the film The Iron Lady.^[20]

Published works

— (2002). Here Today, Gone Tomorrow: Recollections of an Errant Politician. Politico's. ISBN 978-1-84275-030-8.
— (2004). Mr Wonderful Takes a Cruise: The Adventures of an Old Age Pensioner. London: Ebury. ISBN 978-0-09-189834-2.
— (2007). Haven't We Been Here Before. Discovered Authors. ISBN 978-1-905108-49-7.
— (2014). Mr Wonderful Seeks Immortality. SilverWood Books. ISBN 978-1-78132-198-0.
— (2018). Memorable Encounters. Pen & Sword Politics. ISBN 978-1-5267-5115-7.

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Bates, Stephen (7 November 2024). "Sir John Nott obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Collection: The Papers of Sir John Nott". ArchiveSearch. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Sir John Nott obituary: Sharp-tongued defence secretary". The Times. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Former Defence Secretary John Nott dies aged 92". BBC News. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.
^ Lattimer, Mark (22 January 1999). "When Labour played the racist card". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
^ Bennett 2016, p. 177.
^ O'Brien 2013, p. 197.
^ Nott, John (October 1982). "Walks out of interview". Newsnight (Interview). Interviewed by Robin Day. Brighton. Retrieved 16 June 2011 – via YouTube.
^ Hunter, Chris (11 July 2020). "Fading down the river: How the closure of Chatham Dockyard ended a 400 year story". Kent Online. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
^ Feron, James (8 July 1982). "War prods British into military changes". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
^ ^a ^b "Sir John Nott, radical Tory individualist and Defence Secretary during the Falklands War". The Telegraph. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
^ "Mr John Nott (Hansard)". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 10 May 2021.
^ Cohan 2008.
^ Nott 2002.
^ Nott 2004; Nott 2007; Nott 2014; Nott 2018.
^ Evans, Albert (24 June 2019). "Boris Johnson backer claims candidate wants a no-deal Brexit". i. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
^ Dominiczak, Peter (8 June 2016). "Margaret Thatcher's defence secretary Sir John Nott suspends Tory membership because of 'poisonous' EU campaign". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2020.
^ Tory! Tory! Tory! (Documentary). Gwynne, Haydn; Jenkins, Simon; Williams, Shirley. Mentorn. 8 March 2006. Retrieved 26 December 2024 – via IMDb.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
^ Samuels, Michael (10 April 2002). The Falklands Play (Drama, War). Hodge, Patricia; Fox, James; Standing, John. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Retrieved 26 December 2024 – via IMDb.
^ "The Iron Lady (2012)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016.

Works cited

Bennett, G. H. (2016). The Royal Navy in the Age of Austerity 1919–22: Naval and Foreign Policy under Lloyd George. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4742-6839-4.
Cohan, William D. (2008). The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co. Penguin Books Limited. ISBN 978-0-14-191683-5.
O'Brien, Phillips Payson (2013). Technology and Naval Combat in the Twentieth Century and Beyond. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-136-33560-0.

External links

John Nott at IMDb
Portraits of John Nott at the National Portrait Gallery, London
Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by John Nott
Thatcher's Class of '79

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Greville Howard	Member of Parliament for St Ives 1966–1983	Succeeded by David Harris
Political offices
Preceded by John Smith	Secretary of State for Trade 1979–1981	Succeeded by John Biffen
Preceded by Francis Pym	Secretary of State for Defence 1981–1983	Succeeded by Michael Heseltine

[Bates-2024-1] Bates, Stephen (7 November 2024). "Sir John Nott obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 18 December 2024.

[ArchiveSearch-2] ^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Collection: The Papers of Sir John Nott". ArchiveSearch. University of Cambridge. Retrieved 18 December 2024.

[The_Times-2024-3] "Sir John Nott obituary: Sharp-tongued defence secretary". The Times. 6 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.

[BBC_News-2024-4] "Former Defence Secretary John Nott dies aged 92". BBC News. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 7 November 2024.

[5] Lattimer, Mark (22 January 1999). "When Labour played the racist card". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 5 September 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2020.

[FOOTNOTEBennett2016177-6] Bennett 2016, p. 177.

[FOOTNOTEO'Brien2013197-7] O'Brien 2013, p. 197.

[8] Nott, John (October 1982). "Walks out of interview". Newsnight (Interview). Interviewed by Robin Day. Brighton. Retrieved 16 June 2011 – via YouTube.

[9] Hunter, Chris (11 July 2020). "Fading down the river: How the closure of Chatham Dockyard ended a 400 year story". Kent Online. Retrieved 8 November 2024.

[10] Feron, James (8 July 1982). "War prods British into military changes". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 November 2024.

[The_Telegraph-2024-11] "Sir John Nott, radical Tory individualist and Defence Secretary during the Falklands War". The Telegraph. 7 November 2024. Retrieved 8 November 2024.

[12] "Mr John Nott (Hansard)". Parliament of the United Kingdom. Retrieved 10 May 2021.

[FOOTNOTECohan2008-13] Cohan 2008.

[FOOTNOTENott2002-14] Nott 2002.

[FOOTNOTENott2004Nott2007Nott2014Nott2018-15] Nott 2004; Nott 2007; Nott 2014; Nott 2018.

[16] Evans, Albert (24 June 2019). "Boris Johnson backer claims candidate wants a no-deal Brexit". i. Retrieved 14 November 2020.

[17] Dominiczak, Peter (8 June 2016). "Margaret Thatcher's defence secretary Sir John Nott suspends Tory membership because of 'poisonous' EU campaign". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 14 November 2020.

[18] Tory! Tory! Tory! (Documentary). Gwynne, Haydn; Jenkins, Simon; Williams, Shirley. Mentorn. 8 March 2006. Retrieved 26 December 2024 – via IMDb.{{cite AV media}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)

[19] Samuels, Michael (10 April 2002). The Falklands Play (Drama, War). Hodge, Patricia; Fox, James; Standing, John. British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Retrieved 26 December 2024 – via IMDb.

[20] "The Iron Lady (2012)". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 12 November 2016.

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PROFILPELAJAR.COM

John Nott

Early life

Career

Early parliamentary career

Ministerial career

Resignation

Business career

Books

Personal life

In the media

Published works

See also

References

Works cited

Further reading

External links

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