Shadow Foreign Secretary
Francis Maude was born in 1953. He was educated at Abingdon School, Corpus Christi College, Cambridge and the College of Law, and is married with five children.
He practised at the criminal bar from 1977-85 and was a Westminster City Councillor from 1978-84.
Mr Maude was Member of Parliament for North Warwickshire from 1983-92 during which time he PPS to the Hon Peter Morrison MP, Minister of State for Employment, (1984-85); Government Whip (1985-87; Minister for Corporate and Consumer Affairs at the DTI (1987-89); Minister of State at Foreign and Commonwealth Office (1989-90); and Financial Secretary to the Treasury (1990-92).
In June 1992 he was created a Privy Counsellor in the Dissolution Honours List.
He was a Director of Salomon Brothers from 1992-93; Managing Director of Morgan Stanley 1993-97. He was a non-executive Director of ASDA Group Plc from 1992-99. He was appointed a non-executive Director of Benfield Greig Plc in 1999, of Businessesforsale.com Plc and The Spectator Ltd in 2000.
Mr Maude was Chairman of the Government's Deregulation Task Force from 1994-97.
He was elected Member of Parliament for Horsham in May 1997 with a majority of 14,862.
In June 1997 he was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
He was appointed Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer in June 1998, and Shadow
Foreign Secretary in February 2000.
