Nigel Birch, Baron Rhyl

Evelyn Nigel Chetwode Birch, Baron Rhyl, PC, OBE (18 November 1906 – 8 March 1981) was a British Conservative politician.

The son of General Sir Noel Birch and his wife Florence Chetwode, Nigel Birch was educated at Eton. He was a partner in Cohen Laming Hoare until May 1939 when he retired to study politics. He served in World War II in the King's Royal Rifle Corps and on General Staff, being promoted to the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel in 1944. He was awarded the OBE in 1945.

He was Conservative Member of Parliament for Flintshire from 1945-50 and for West Flintshire from 1950 until 1970. He served in government as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Air from 1951-52, Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Defence from 1952-54, Minister of Works from October 1954-December 1955, Secretary of State for Air from December 1955 until January 1957, and Economic Secretary to the Treasury from 1957-58. His resignation in 1958 along with that of the Chancellor of the Exchequer Peter Thorneycroft and fellow Treasury Minister Enoch Powell, was described by Harold Macmillan as "little local difficulties". He extracted his revenge when in the wake of the Profumo scandal he attacked the Macmillan government and quoted in his memorable speech the devastating words of Browning on Wordsworth - Never glad confident morning again. His speech showed Macmillan as weak and out of touch and sealed his reputation of being as deadly as Leo Amery. In 1950 he married Hon. Esmé Glyn, daughter of the 4th Baron Wolverton.

In 1955 he was appointed a Privy Counsellor and in 1970 he was created a life peer as Baron Rhyl, of Holywell in the County of Southampton.

Source

• Who Was Who

External links

• Hansard 1803–2005: contributions in Parliament by Nigel Birch

Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Gwilym Rowlands	Member of Parliament for Flintshire 1945 – 1950	Constituency abolished
New constituency	Member of Parliament for West Flintshire 1950 – 1970	Succeeded by Sir Anthony Meyer

Persondata
Name	Birch, Nigel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	18 November 1906
Place of birth
Date of death	8 March 1981
Place of death