John Haggitt Charles Patten, Baron Patten, PC (born July 17, 1945) was a Conservative party Member of Parliament in the British House of Commons. He was raised Roman Catholic, and educated by the Jesuits at Wimbledon College. He was first elected for Oxford in 1979, transferring to Oxford West and Abingdon in 1983 after boundary changes divided his old seat. He stood down at the 1997 general election, and thus avoided losing his seat, which was won by the Liberal Democrat Evan Harris. He served as Secretary of State for Education from 1992 to 1994. Patten's record as education secretary has been described as "appalling" by David Hart who retired on 31st August 2005, after 26 years, as general secretary of the NAHT, Britain's largest headteachers' union.[1] He was made a life peer as Baron Patten, of Wincanton in the County of Somerset in 1997.
References
- ^ Education Guardian - reference to Hart's analysis of Patten's record Accessed 06 April 2007
| Parliament of the United Kingdom | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Evan Luard |
Member of Parliament for Oxford 1979–1983 |
Succeeded by constituency abolished |
| Preceded by new constituency |
Member of Parliament for Oxford West and Abingdon 1983–1997 |
Succeeded by Evan Harris |
| Political offices | ||
| Preceded by Kenneth Clarke |
Secretary of State for Education 1992–1994 |
Succeeded by Gillian Shephard |
