John Edward Michael Moore, Baron Moore of Lower Marsh (26 November 1937 – 20 May 2019) was a British Conservative Party politician who was Member of Parliament for Croydon Central from February 1974 until 1992. During the Premiership of Margaret Thatcher he enjoyed a meteoric rise through the ranks of government, which culminated in his serving as a Secretary of State in the Cabinet from 1987 to 1989. For a time, he was considered a rising star of his party and a potential leadership contender.

Moore was particularly noted for his "filmstar good looks" and an American background: Moore's wife was American and he had lived for several years in the US. He brought aspects of American corporate culture to government and was reported to speak with a slight American accent. His first political experience was as a Democratic Party organiser in Illinois during the early 1960s.

Moore's fortunes in government waned after 1987 when he was made responsible for the highly sensitive portfolios of health and social security. His earlier success had been as a facilitator of the Thatcher government's privatisation programme. In this capacity he became known as "Mr Privatisation". When Moore attempted to extend this concept into the management of the National Health Service and the wider provision of social services, he encountered opposition from all sides. After losing credibility he was effectively demoted in 1988 (through loss of the health portfolio) and then sacked from his cabinet post in 1989.

Moore left the House of Commons in 1992, subsequently holding a number of corporate directorships and chairmanships.

Early life

Moore was born in Kentish Town, London, in 1937. His father was a factory worker who later became a publican. He attended the Licensed Victuallers' School in Slough, an independent school supported by his father's trade body. After leaving school, Moore undertook two years of National Service from 1955 to 1957. He served with the Royal Sussex Regiment in Korea and won a temporary commission.

He enrolled at the London School of Economics in 1958, and followed a three-year degree course. Moore accompanied Tillotson back to her native Chicago after the two had both completed their studies. Here the couple married in 1962 and Moore found work initially as a financial analyst with a Chicago investment bank. He became a stockbroker, and achieved a senior position at the Chicago office of the Dean Witter brokerage. Dean Witter catered to a mainly middle-class clientele, with the typical client holding only a modest portfolio of stock.

Early political career

Croydon Central was a new constituency, and was initially very marginally Conservative. Moore won the seat in the February 1974 general election by a majority of 1,300 votes over Labour. His majority was reduced to 164 in the October 1974 election. However, he was able to strengthen his position in the constituency; the last time he contested the seat (in the 1987 election) he achieved a majority of over 10,000. His wife, Sheila, acted as his constituency secretary, speech writer and political adviser. She combined her duties in this regard with studying for a law degree and acting as a local magistrate. Observers commented that Sheila was very much the driving force behind his rise in politics.

Moore projected the image of a young, vigorous politician. He would usually rise at 05:30 and be at his desk by 07:00.

Margaret Thatcher appointed Moore as one of five Conservative Party vice-chairmen in March 1975, shortly after she became Conservative leader. Moore's remit was "youth". He held this position until the Conservatives were returned to office in 1979, at which time he was appointed as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Energy. In this capacity, one of his main duties was responsibility for the nationalised British coal industry.</blockquote>

By now, Moore was being widely spoken of as a future Prime Minister, with journalist Brian Walden saying in 1987 that "he has future Tory leader written all over him".

Once established in his new job, Moore delivered a series of speeches on policy in the social services. These speeches appeared to indicate a move to a healthcare system based on private insurance, similar to the American model. Specific proposals included making private healthcare insurance contributions tax-deductible, and allowing nurses' wage rates to be established by local bargaining rather than by central negotiation. Moore found difficulties in his relationships with senior civil servants. Not all the latter were comfortable with a working day that started at 07:00. Moore's wife (and political adviser), Sheila, had clashes with civil servants, and Moore was privately warned that she did not understand the British way of doing things. It is believed that Sheila may have drafted some of Moore's more controversial speeches.

A 1987 Cabinet Office memo written by Moore stated that the Government had adopted a Policy of not accepting any direct responsibility for the Contaminated Blood Scandal. It was unearthed and made public in 2017 with many of those affected by the scandal alleging a cover-up.

In November 1987, Moore was struck down with bacterial pneumonia. He initially ignored the illness and tried to attend a cabinet meeting, during which he lost consciousness, and was subsequently admitted to Parkside Hospital in Wimbledon.

Between his sacking from the Cabinet in 1989 and stepping down from the House of Commons in 1992 his only contributions were in two transport debates. He gave up his parliamentary seat at the time of the 1992 general election. After leaving government Moore held a number of directorships with large concerns, including Credit Suisse Asset Management and Rolls-Royce. In 2010 he retired as Chairman of the Monitor Group.

After leaving the Commons, Moore became a life peer as Baron Moore of Lower Marsh, of Lower Marsh in the London Borough of Lambeth. His attendance was very sparse; a BBC feature in August 2011 reported that after 20 years in the House of Lords, Moore had still to make his maiden speech.

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