Mark Carlisle

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Mark Carlisle, Baron Carlisle of Bucklow PC QC DL (born 7 July 1929 and died 14 July 2005) was a Conservative British politician and was MP for Runcorn 1964-1983 and Warrington South 1983-1987. Created a life peer in November 1987, he served as Secretary of State for Education and Science from 1979 until 1981.

He was educated at Radley College in Abingdon, Oxfordshire and the University of Manchester before becoming an MP in 1964 for the Cheshire constituency of Runcorn. He was Under-Secretary of State for Home Affairs from 1970-1972 when he became a Minister of State for Home Affairs leaving the job when the Conservatives went out of office in 1974. He was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Science in 1978 before being appointed to the department itself when Margaret Thatcher was elected in May 1979.

Thatcher writes in her memoirs that Carlisle "had not proved a particularly effective Education Secretary" and to this effect he was dismissed in the September 1981 Cabinet reshuffle. However, Thatcher did write that he left with ‘courteousness and good humour', which was in contrast to Sir Ian Gilmour who having left the cabinet in the same reshuffle, stormed out of Downing Street, announcing that government policy was "heading for the rocks". Reorganisation meant that Carlisle appeared to change seats at the 1983 UK general election but in fact areas to the south of Warrington had previously been part of the Runcorn seat. He remained an MP until June 1987. Later the same year he was elevated to the House of Lords as Baron Carlisle of Bucklow, of Mobberley in the County of Cheshire where he sat as a Conservative life peer.

Preceded by Shirley Williams

Secretary of State for Education and Science 1979–1981

Succeeded by Keith Joseph