Lord Young, Cabinet minister under Thatcher, dies aged 90

LORD Young of Graffham, the businessman who served as right-hand man for Margaret Thatcher during the state privatisations in the 1980s, died yesterday.

The peer, 90, was a key figure in the Thatcher era who held a series of Cabinet posts in the 1980s, and never took a salary for his work.

The Conservative peer became secretary of state for employment in 1985, before being appointed secretary of state for trade and industry after the 1987 election.

Later he would serve as an enterprise adviser to David Cameron, the former Conservative prime minister, continuing to retain a key interest in education and youth employment.

Earlier this year, he called for exams to be replaced by continuous assessment.

Last night, Lord Leigh of Hurley, a long-standing senior treasurer of the Conservative Party, told The Daily Telegraph: “David Young was a role model for generations of Conservatives. Margaret Thatcher famously said other people bring me problems, David brings me solutions.

“Such was his effectiveness decades later that David Cameron invited him back to government to assist in helping businesses grow and, in particular, the tech sector where even in his 90s he was active. He never sought a salary but was proud to serve his country when asked.”

David Young, who was originally a lawyer, led a number of businesses in the UK and abroad, including Cable and Wireless, and dedicated a lot of his time and energy to philanthropic causes.

Sometimes referred to as a favourite of Mrs Thatcher, Lord Young began his rise through politics as chairman of the Manpower Services Commission and was appointed to the Lords in 1984, then a Member of the Order of the Companions of Honour in 2015. He retired from the Lords earlier this year.

Lord Leigh added: “He was expressing his views on all manner of geopolitical matters for the benefit of others right up to his last days.”