David Willetts

Education

Willetts was educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham. He then studied philosophy, politics and economics at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated with a first-class degree.

Policy researcher

Having served as Nigel Lawson's Private Secretary, Willetts took charge of the Treasury monetary policy division at 26 before moving over to Margaret Thatcher's Policy Unit at 28. He subsequently took over the Centre for Policy Studies, aged 31.

Paul Foot wrote in Private Eye that in a 1993 document called The Opportunities for Private Funding in the NHS, published by the Social Market Foundation and financed by private healthcare company BUPA, Willetts provided the "intellectual thrust" for private finance initiatives (PFIs) in the National Health Service.

First period in government

Aged 36, Willetts entered Parliament in 1992 as the MP for Havant. He quickly established himself in Parliament, becoming a Whip, a Cabinet Office Minister, and then Paymaster General in his first term (when that role was split between the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury as a policy co-ordination role). During this period Willetts gained "Two Brains" as a nickname, a monicker reportedly coined by The Guardian's former political editor Michael White. However, Willetts was forced to resign from the latter post by the Standards and Privileges Committee over an investigation into Neil Hamilton in 1996, when it found that he had "dissembled" in his evidence to the Committee over whether pressure was put onto an earlier investigation into Hamilton.

Shadow Cabinet

Despite the resignation, Willetts was able to return to the shadow front bench in 1998 while William Hague was Leader of the Opposition, initially serving in the Shadow Cabinet as Shadow Education Secretary before becoming Shadow Social Security (later Shadow Work and Pensions) Secretary. He carved out a reputation as an expert on pensions and benefits. After leaving the DWP post, he was recruited as an external consultant by the actuaries Punter Southall.

Following the 2005 election, he served as Shadow Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in the Shadow Cabinet under Michael Howard. In August 2005, after ruling out running for leader owing to a lack of support, commentators speculated that he was gunning for the post of Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer and would cut a deal with either David Davis or David Cameron. On 15 September he confirmed his support for Davis, at that time the bookies' favourite. Willetts, a centrist moderniser, went to ground following the announcement of the Davis tax plan since it was widely speculated that he disagreed with the seemingly uncosted and widely derided tax plan and found it impossible to defend. Davis then lost the candidacy race to Cameron.

Following Cameron's win, Willetts was appointed Shadow Secretary of State for Education and Skills in Cameron's first Shadow Cabinet in December 2005, the role Cameron had vacated, later becoming Shadow Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills. His title became Shadow Minister for Universities and Skills since Gordon Brown's merger of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills with the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform into the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in June 2009.

On 19 May 2007, Willetts made a controversial speech on grammar schools in which he defended the existing Conservative Party policy of not reintroducing grammar schools. The speech received a mixed reception. The analysis was applauded by The Guardian and The Times. However, The Daily Telegraph was strongly critical of the speech, which was unpopular with some Conservative Party activists. The speech was made more controversial when David Cameron weighed into the argument, backing Willetts' speech and describing his critics as "delusional", accusing them of "splashing around in the shallow end of the educational debate" and of "clinging on to outdated mantras that bear no relation to the reality of life".

The Department for Education and Skills was abolished by the new Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, who established two new departments. On 2 July 2007, Cameron reshuffled Willetts down to the junior of the two departments: the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills.

Second period in government

Following the 2010 general election, Prime Minister David Cameron appointed Willetts as the Minister of State for Universities and Science.(attending Cabinet)

Feminism claim

In June 2011, Willetts said during the launch of the Government's social mobility strategy that movement between the classes had "stagnated" over the past 40 years, and Willetts attributed this partly to the entry of women into the workplace and universities for the lack of progress for men. "Feminism trumped egalitarianism", he said . He went on to say that, "One of the things that happened over that period was that the entirely admirable transformation of opportunities for women meant that with a lot of the expansion of education in the 1960s, '70s and '80s, the first beneficiaries were the daughters of middle-class families who had previously been excluded from educational opportunities [...] And if you put that with what is called 'assortative mating' – that well-educated women marry well-educated men – this transformation of opportunities for women ended up magnifying social divides. It is delicate territory because it is not a bad thing that women had these opportunities, but it widened the gap in household incomes because you suddenly had two-earner couples, both of whom were well-educated, compared with often workless households where nobody was educated".

Tuition fees and student loan debts

As the minister responsible for universities, Willetts was an advocate and spokesperson for the coalition government's policy of increasing the cap on tuition fees in England and Wales from £3,225 to £9,000 per year.

In November 2013, Willetts announced the sale of student loans to Erudio Student Loans – a debt collection consortium – removing £160m from public debt but ignoring the implications for former students.. As Universities Minister he marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Robbins Report with a pamphlet proposing the end of controls on the number of students to be admitted to each university – subsequently announced in the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement of December 2013.

Science Minister

As Science Minister Willetts protected the science budget from proposed cuts and secured a ring-fenced five-year settlement. He created the network of Catapults, as proposed in reports by Herman Hauser and James Dyson. He secured a mission to the Space Station for Tim Peake. He identified the eight great technologies which were then funded with £600m over five years. He negotiated the first systematic use of overseas development funding for research partnerships with emerging scientific powers, the Newton Fund.

Peerage and further ventures

In July 2014, Willetts announced that he would not contest the next general election, saying that "after more than 20 years the time has come to move onto fresh challenges." In October 2014, Willetts was appointed a visiting professor at King's College London. It was announced that he was to be a life peer in the 2015 Dissolution Honours and was created Baron Willetts, of Havant in the County of Hampshire, on 16 October 2015.

In June 2015, Willetts was appointed executive chair of the think tank the Resolution Foundation. He was Chair of the British Science Association from 2015 to 2018. He served on the Board of UKRI from its creation in 2018 to 2024. In May 2018 he was elected a Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society. In December 2018 he became Chair of the Foundation for Science and Technology. In February 2022 he was appointed a director of the Synbioven investment fund.. In April 2022 he was appointed chair of the board of the UK Space Agency. He was appointed chair of the new Regulatory Innovation Office in April 2025.

Brexit

In December 2018, Willetts was one of the signatories of a statement by some senior Conservatives calling for a second referendum over Brexit. This stated, "If we are to remain a party of government, it is absolutely critical that we increase our support among younger generations. To do this, we must listen to and engage with their concerns on Brexit. They voted overwhelmingly to Remain in the European Union in 2016 – and since then have become even stronger in their views. Since the referendum, nearly 2 million young people are now of voting age. Of those in this group who are certain to vote, an astounding 87% support the United Kingdom staying in the European Union. If we do not hear their voices, who could blame them for feeling excluded and powerless on this most vital issue. The truth is that if Brexit fails this generation, we risk losing young people for good. Our party's electoral future will be irrevocably blighted." In early 2019, he co-founded the group Right to Vote.

Free votes record

According to the Public Whip analyses, Willetts was strongly in favour of an elected House of Lords and was strongly against the ban on fox hunting. TheyWorkForYou additionally records that, amongst other things, Willetts was strongly in favour of the Iraq War, strongly in favour of an investigation into it, moderately against equal gay rights, and very strongly for replacing Trident.

Other interests

Following his decision to stand down at the 2015 General Election, Willetts joined the Resolution Foundation in Summer 2015. He Chaired the Foundation's Intergenerational Commission between 2016 and 2018, and is now President of the Resolution Foundation, along with its Intergenerational Centre. He is currently a visiting professor at King's College London where he works with the Policy Institute at King's, a board member of the Institute for Fiscal Studies and an honorary fellow of Nuffield College, Oxford. On 9 February 2018, the University of Leicester announced they had elected David Willetts as successor to Bruce Grocott to become their new chancellor a post he held until 2023.

Willetts is the author of several books on conservatism, including "Why Vote Conservative" (1996) and "Modern Conservatism" (1992), as well as numerous articles. His book “The Pinch: How the Baby Boomers Took Their Children’s Future - and Why they should Give it Back” was published in 2010 with a second updated edition in 2019. “A University Education” was published in 2017. He was a founding signatory in 2005 of the Henry Jackson Society principles, advocating a proactive approach to the spread of liberal democracy across the world, including when necessary by military intervention. He is an honorary member of Conservative Friends of Poland.

Civic conservatism

Willetts has pioneered the idea of "civic conservatism". This is the idea of focusing on the institutions between the state and individuals as a policy concern (rather than merely thinking of individuals and the state as the only agencies) and is one of the principles behind the increasing support in the Conservative Party's localist agenda and its emphasis on voluntary organisations. Willetts civic conservatism moves away from the "hard-edged" nature of Thatcherism to a softer social agenda. During an interview with The Spectator, he was referred to as 'the real father of Cameronism' by Fraser Nelson.

Fourteen years after the publication of "Civic Conservatism" Willetts gave the inaugural Oakeshott Memorial Lecture to the London School of Economics in which he made an attempt to explain how game theory can be used to help think about how to improve social capital. The lecture was described by the Times as "an audacious attempt by the Conservative Party's leading intellectual to relate a new Tory narrative".

Personal life

Willetts is married to artist Sarah Butterfield. The couple have one daughter, born 1988, and one son, born 1992. His wealth in 2009 was estimated at £1.9m.

Honours

Willetts was sworn in as a member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom in 2010, giving him the honorific title "The Right Honourable" and after ennoblement the post nominal letters "PC" for life.

Scholastic

; University degrees

; Chancellor, visitor, governor, and fellowships

;Honorary degrees

Memberships and fellowships

Published works

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References

For Willetts' roles in the 1980s–1990s as a welfare specialist:

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References

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2. (10 March 2025). "Lord Willetts appointed as Chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office.".
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4. Heidi Blake. (10 November 2010). "Grants, loans and tuition fees: a timeline of how university funding has evolved". The Daily Telegraph.
5. (20 November 2011). "David Willetts: 'Many more will go to university than in my generation – we must not reverse that'". [[The Guardian]].
6. Alice Thomson. (13 March 2004). "Willetts takes 'two pensions' Blair to task". The Daily Telegraph.
7. (19 March 2004). "P. F. Eye: An idiot's guide to the Private Finance Initiative". [[Private Eye]].
8. Michael White. (22 May 2007). "It's over". The Guardian.
9. (12 December 1996). "Pride that came before the minister's fall".
10. Finkelstein, Daniel. (2 November 2005). "A David Davis guide to fiscal strategy: two and two make... um, er...". The Times.
11. Anatole Kaletsky. (24 May 2007). "Lesson one: get the yobs out of the classroom". The Times.
12. Daniel Finkelstein. (21 May 2007). "Fisking Janet Daley". The Times.
13. Daniel Finkelstein. (22 May 2007). "Do Cameron's critics really want grammar schools?". The Times.
14. Janet Daley. (21 May 2007). "When did wanting the best for your children become a crime?". The Daily Telegraph.
15. (22 May 2007). "Cameron steps up grammars attack". BBC News.
16. Prince, Rosa. (1 April 2011). "David Willets: feminism has held back working men". [[The Daily Telegraph]].
17. David Willetts. (6 December 2010). "Tuition fees will be 'fair and affordable'". The Guardian.
18. (9 November 2010). "Tuition fees vote: Plans approved despite rebellion". BBC News.
19. Read, Simon. (26 November 2013). "Government sells £900 million in student loans to debt collection company". [[The Independent]].
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39. (8 May 2018). "A New Generational Contract: The final report of the Intergenerational Commission • Resolution Foundation".
40. "Intergenerational Centre • Living standards through a generational lens".
41. (8 February 2018). "Lord Willetts former Universities and Science Minister announced as Universitys new Chancellor". University of Leicester.
42. (27 July 2010). "Signatories to the Statement of Principles". The Henry Jackson Society.
43. (27 July 2010). "Statement of Principles". The Henry Jackson Society.
44. [http://www.cfofp.co.uk/honorary-members.php Conservative Friends of Poland website] {{webarchive. link. (31 March 2012)
45. Fraser Nelson. (24 June 2006). "The real father of Cameronism". The Spectator.
46. "Renewing civic conservatism. The Oakeshott Lecture. LSE, 20th February 2008". London School of Economics.
47. Daniel Finkelstein. (20 February 2008). "Blood, bats and bonding: a new way". The Times.
48. Daniel Finkelstein. (20 February 2008). "Civic conservatism replies to compassionate conservatism". The Times.
49. Steven Morris. (13 June 2002). "Paintings row ends in division of oils". The Guardian.
50. (1 October 2009). "The new ruling class".
51. (22 June 2023). "King's College London – David Willetts appointed Visiting Professor". kcl.ac.uk.
52. "Honorary and Emeritus fellows".
53. "MP David Willetts presented with honorary degree – beds.ac.uk | University of Bedfordshire".
54. "Al Murray and David Willetts MP to be among honorands – beds.ac.uk | University of Bedfordshire".
55. "Honorary Graduates – University of Leicester".
56. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i62Dzp34HFc&t=48s "Rt Hon Lord David Willetts – Honorary Degree – University of Leicester"], 17 July 2016.
57. "The Rt Hon. The Lord Willetts: Oration".
58. "Lord Willetts receives honorary degree".
59. "Honorary Degree Recipients".
60. (21 November 2017). "Honorary graduates 2017".
61. (14 October 2014). "Academy of Social Sciences Names 2014 Fellows".
62. "Academy of Social Sciences Fellows".
63. "Lord David Willetts | The Academy of Medical Sciences".
64. Mark Walport, [https://acmedsci.ac.uk/snip/uploads/5858c2dd0a45b.pdf "Citation for Lord David Willetts on his admission as an Honorary Fellow"], The Academy of Medical Sciences.
65. "Honorary Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry".
66. "David Willetts' Royal Society Fellowship Biography".
67. "Royal Academy of Engineering welcomes 73 new Fellows".