Dr Benny Peiser, the Global Warming Policy Foundation’s director said:

“Nigel Lawson has been with us from the beginning, as friend, mentor and colleague. His stoic wisdom and his political and economic realism made him one of the greatest politicians of modern Britain. He played a key part in Britain’s economic and cultural rejuvenation. His courage in taking on climate dogmatism was ahead of the times and is only now getting traction as the astronomical costs of Net Zero begin to bite. His wisdom and insights will be missed by us all.”

While the Lords was busy providing entertainment last night by way of a snoozing peer, much more important news came from Norman Tebbit who announced his impending retirement from politics at the end of the month. Writing in the Telegraph he says that his health has been getting worse since the beginning of the year, “particularly from the damage done to my left hip in the IRA terrorist bombing”. This, plus his impending 91^st birthday, has forced him to make the decision.

Not only is Tebbit going to hit the institutional memory – and soundness – of the Lords, it comes after both Lord Fowler and Lord Lawson effectively announced their retirements. The clean out of Thatcher generation cabinet from the Lords should worry anyone keen on genuine debate in a chamber that struggles to break past its statist, liberal, high Tory default mindset.

Consulting the Twitter hivemind a few remain – Ken Baker, Lord McKay, Ken Clarke, David Howell, Tom King, Norman Lamont, John Wakeham, Heseltine, Gummer – though the likes of Heseltine can not really be described as “Thatcherite” and they are on the whole infrequent contributors to debates. Lawson and Tebbit were some of the few fighting for Brexit when the Lords was intent on thwarting the will of the people. Boris might want to think about topping up the tank with true blue believers…

Guido learns Maggie’s chancellor, Nigel Lawson, is stepping away from his lordly duties for a while, taking a leave of absence from the upper chamber that began just a month after his 89^th birthday. His age appears to be the main driving factor, with one source saying it’s becoming increasingly exhausting for him to make it up to Westminster. Lawson’s office tells Guido:

“I can confirm he has already taken a leave of absence, which began on 8 June.”

With Boris’s fiscal plans becoming ever more spend-happy, Guido prays Lord Lawson will stick about to contribute to the national debate via Zoom for some years to come…