John Major

The Right Honourable Sir John Major KG CH
Major in 1993
Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
In office 28 November 1990 – 2 May 1997
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Deputy	Michael Heseltine (1995‍–‍1997)
Preceded by	Margaret Thatcher
Succeeded by	Tony Blair
Leader of the Opposition
In office 2 May 1997 – 19 June 1997
Monarch	Elizabeth II
Prime Minister	Tony Blair
Preceded by	Tony Blair
Succeeded by	William Hague
Leader of the Conservative Party
In office 27 November 1990 – 19 June 1997
Deputy	Viscount Whitelaw (1990‍–‍1991)
Preceded by	Margaret Thatcher
Succeeded by	William Hague
Chancellor of the Exchequer
In office 26 October 1989 – 28 November 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Nigel Lawson
Succeeded by	Norman Lamont
Foreign Secretary
In office 24 July 1989 – 26 October 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Geoffrey Howe
Succeeded by	Douglas Hurd
Chief Secretary to the Treasury
In office 13 June 1987 – 24 July 1989
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	John MacGregor
Succeeded by	Norman Lamont
Junior ministerial offices Minister of State for Social Security In office 10 September 1986 – 13 June 1987 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by Tony Newton Succeeded by Nicholas Scott Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Social Security In office 2 September 1985 – 10 September 1986 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by John Patten Succeeded by Nicholas Lyell Lord Commissioner of the Treasury In office 3 October 1984 – 1 November 1985 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by Alastair Goodlad Succeeded by Tim Sainsbury
Shadow Cabinet portfolios Shadow Foreign Secretary In office 2 May 1997 – 19 June 1997 Leader Himself Preceded by Robin Cook Succeeded by Michael Howard Shadow Secretary of State for Defence In office 2 May 1997 – 19 June 1997 Leader Himself Preceded by David Clark Succeeded by Sir George Young
Member of Parliament for Huntingdon Huntingdonshire (1979–1983)
In office 3 May 1979 – 14 May 2001
Preceded by	David Renton
Succeeded by	Jonathan Djanogly
Personal details
Born	(1943-03-29) 29 March 1943 (age 82) St Helier, Surrey, England
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Norma Johnson ​ (m. 1970)​
Children	2
Parent	Tom Major-Ball (father)
Relatives	Terry Major-Ball (brother)
Education	Rutlish School
Signature
Website	Official website
John Major's voice Major's comments on the 25th anniversary of the Downing Street Declaration Recorded 11 December 2018

This article is part of a series about John Major
Electoral history MP for Huntingdon 1990 budget Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Premiership First ministry and term (November 1990 – April 1992) 1990 leadership election Ministry Citizen's Charter Charter Mark Cones Hotline Early 1990s recession Gulf War 1992 general election Second ministry and term (April 1992 – May 1997) Ministry Black Wednesday National Lottery Further and Higher Education Act 1992 Grant-maintained schools Maastricht Treaty rebels Northern Ireland peace process Downing Street mortar attack Downing Street Declaration 1993 reviews of the British honours system Council Tax Child Support Agency 1993 vote of confidence Back to Basics Privatisation of British Rail Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 1995 Conservative Party leadership election The Cullen Reports Cash for Questions Committee on Standards in Public Life Arms-to-Iraq affair Scott Report United Kingdom BSE outbreak Wirral South by-election Resignation Honours Bibliography The Autobiography More Than a Game My Old Man
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Sir John Major (born 29 March 1943) is a British retired politician who served as Prime Minister of the UK and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1990 until his defeat to Tony Blair's Labour Party in the 1997 general election. He previously held Cabinet positions under Margaret Thatcher. Major was Member of Parliament (MP) for Huntingdon, formerly Huntingdonshire, from 1979 to 2001. Since stepping down, Major has focused on writing and his business, sporting, and charity work, and commented on political developments in the role of an elder statesman.

He left school before 16, worked as an insurance clerk, joined the Young Conservatives in 1959, and became a highly active member. He was elected to Lambeth London Borough Council in 1968 and, a decade later, to parliament as a Conservative MP at the 1979 general election. Major held junior government positions under Thatcher from 1984 to 1987, including parliamentary private secretary and assistant whip. He served as Chief Secretary to the Treasury from 1987 to 1989, Foreign Secretary in 1989, and Chancellor from 1989 to 1990. Following Thatcher's resignation in 1990, Major stood in the 1990 Conservative leadership election and emerged victorious, becoming prime minister.

Major's mild-mannered style and moderate political stance contrasted with Thatcher. Major created the Citizen's Charter, replaced the Poll Tax with the Council Tax, committed British troops to the Gulf War, took charge of the UK's negotiations over the Maastricht Treaty, led the country during the early 1990s economic crisis, withdrew the pound from the European Exchange Rate Mechanism on Black Wednesday, promoted the socially conservative back to basics campaign, privatised the railways and coal industry, and played a pivotal role in creating peace in Northern Ireland.^[1] Two years into his premiership, Major lead the Conservatives to a fourth consecutive electoral victory, winning more than 14 million votes, which remains the highest won by a British political party. In 1995, Major resigned as party leader, amid internal divisions over UK membership of the EU, parliamentary scandals and questions over his economic credibility. Despite winning the 1995 leadership election, his government remained unpopular, and lost its majority.^[2] The Labour Party pulled ahead of the Conservatives in every local election during Major's premiership, which increased after Tony Blair became Labour leader in 1994. The Conservatives were defeated by Labour in a landslide in the 1997 general election, ending 18 years of Conservative government.

After Blair became prime minister, Major served as Leader of the Opposition while the leadership election to replace him took place, won by William Hague. Major remained in the House of Commons as a backbencher, regularly attending and contributing in debates, until he stood down at the 2001 election, to focus on writing and his business, sporting and charity work. Major has maintained a low profile, occasionally making political interventions. He supported the unsuccessful Britain Stronger in Europe campaign for the UK to remain in the European Union, and has often criticised Brexit since the 2016 referendum. Major was appointed a Knight Companion of the Order of the Garter (KG) in 2005 for services to politics and charity, and became a member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 1999 for his work on the Northern Ireland peace process. Though public favourability of Major has improved since he left office, his premiership is viewed as average in historical rankings and public opinion of British prime ministers. As of 2025^[update], he is the oldest living former British prime minister.