Lord (Andrew) Lansley

Lord Lansley served as Conservative MP for South Cambridgeshire from 1997-2015. In Parliament he served on several select committees including Trade and Industry, Health, the Puttnam Commission and various standing committees including the Water Bill, the Competition Bill and the Enterprise Bill. For 13 out of his 18 years in Parliament, he was a member of the Cabinet or Shadow Cabinet (he was first appointed to the Shadow Cabinet in 1999 as Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office). He was elevated to the House of Lords on 5th October 2015, taking the title Baron Lansley of Orwell in the County of Cambridgeshire.

As Leader of the House of Commons and Lord Privy Seal (a post he held from 2012-2014), he led the implementation of the Government’s legislative programme and managed the day-to-day business of the House.

He served as Secretary of State for Health between 2010-12, having previously held the health portfolio in the Shadow Cabinet for seven years prior to the 2010 general election. As Health Secretary, where he was responsible for £105bn budget and 1.3m staff nationally, he delivered comprehensive reforms of the healthcare service, securing the passage of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, establishing NHS England, Public Health England, HealthWatch and Health and Wellbeing Boards in local government, initiated operational reforms in the NHS including the Cancer Drugs Fund, oversaw a one-third reduction in administration costs, the lowest-ever NHS waiting times, and a 50% reduction in hospital-acquired infections.

A former Vice-Chairman of the Conservative Party, prior to being elected to Parliament he was appointed by Margaret Thatcher to serve as Director of the Conservative Party Research Department (1990-95). Between 1987-90 he was Deputy Director General of the British Chambers of Commerce. This followed a career in the civil service from 1979-87 during which time he served as Principal Private Secretary to the Rt Hon Norman Tebbit MP as a Cabinet Minister.

After retiring from the House of Commons, and joining the House of Lords in 2015, Lord Lansley has been a much sought-after speaker, adviser and expert commentator on a range of issues, including Brexit, Healthcare, Life Sciences and the Machinery of Government. His unparalleled experience in running election campaigns, in Government, and at the most senior levels in UK politics gives him a unique insight.

Born in 1956, Andrew was educated at Brentwood School, Essex, and the University of Exeter, where he was President of the Guild of Students. He lives in South Cambridgeshire with his wife, Sally, and their two children, Martha and Charles. Andrew also has three older daughters; Katherine, Sarah and Eleanor.