By Andrew Pierce Bon viveur who thought he could be the next PM
APHOTOGRAPH emerged in the summer of Boris Johnson and Sir Michael Fallon locked in conversation on a bench overlooking the River Derwent, a mile from the Foreign Secretary’s country residence.
At the time, speculation was rife about Theresa May’s chances of continuing as Tory leader. Two weeks earlier she had failed to win a majority at the election, swiftly followed by her botched response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.
Most commentators assumed Johnson was trying to secure the Defence Secretary’s backing for leader. The reverse was true. Fallon, 65, was plotting to stand and sounding out Johnson as a potential running mate.
After years as the loyal lieutenant, Fallon had been persuaded to run for the big job – and had even assembled a small team to advise him.
A staunch Thatcherite, Sir Michael had served as a junior minister under Britain’s first woman prime minister.
He was one of three Tory MPs who begged Mrs Thatcher to stay on the eve of her resignation in November 1990. Ten years later he marked the anniversary by wearing a black tie in the Commons.
The son of a surgeon, Fallon was born in Perth, Scotland, before attending Surrey private school Epsom College and St Andrews University, then joining the Conservative research department.
In 1986 he married personnel officer Wendy. They have two grown-up sons and Wendy was a regular fixture on the Tory cocktail party circuit while Fallon himself was known as a party animal who liked to drink at least one bottle of red wine with dinner.
First elected in 1983, he lost his Darlington seat in 1992 and returned to the private sector. He set up a string of children’s nurseries, going into business with Duncan Bannatyne, who later found wider fame on the Dragons’ Den TV programme.
The multimillionaire also held directorships of businesses including nursing homes and nurseries.
But, keen to return to Westminster, he tried and failed to secure two nominations for safe seats before striking lucky the third time in Sevenoaks, Kent, in 1997.
On his return to Parliament he swiftly rose up the ladder, earning the title of ‘Minister for the Today programme’ as he was regularly wheeled out when the Tories were in trouble to defend the party on the air waves.
In the 2012 reshuffle, partly due to his experience in the commercial sector, Fallon was made minister for business and enterprise.
True to his Thatcherite credentials, he was in favour of privatising Royal Mail and opposed the bank bailouts he said would cut off funds to small businesses. He was appointed energy minister in 2013 then, in 2014, promoted to the Cabinet at the age of 62 – he was cock-a-hoop. In the 2015 election he resumed his attack-dog role, accusing Labour leader Ed Miliband of knifing his brother David to secure the party leadership. ‘He would stab Britain in the back to become prime minister,’ he said. Fallon was respected by the Armed Forces chiefs, while Cabinet colleagues regarded him as the best defence secretary of the Tory years.
An avowed Eurosceptic, there was surprise when he backed Remain in the referendum, and he was later handed a knighthood in David Cameron’s resignation honours.
Privately, he had hoped to become the longest serving defence secretary, with three years to go, but many MPs thought he could replace Philip Hammond as chancellor.
Appalled by the witch-hunt against troops who served in Iraq and Afghanistan, Fallon persuaded No 10 to shut the Iraq Historical Allegations Team that pursued soldiers through the courts.
Sir Michael was proud of his relationship with the US defence secretary General Jim Mattis. On his MoD office wall there was a framed letter from Mattis reading: ‘Together we shall make a difference.’
At Tory conference last month he was overheard in the ConservativeHome party asking where he was placed in the table of activists’ favourites for next leader.
He hadn’t made the top ten, whereas Johnson, whose support he had tried to secure, had soared into first place.
Now his dream is in tatters.