Lord Hague, at 27 years old, was the youngest Conservative Member of Parliament. He was re-elected a further five times to Parliament, on the last three occasions with the largest margin for any Conservative in the country. Prime Minister John Major appointed him Secretary of State for Wales, at 34, Britain’s youngest cabinet minister since Harold Wilson in 1947. Lord Hague became leader of the Conservative Party after the 1997 General Election, making him, at 36, the youngest leader of a major political party in the United Kingdom in 200 years.
He led his party to victory in the European elections of 1999 and was widely credited for leading a successful campaign against the country joining the Euro. He led the negotiations with the Liberal Democrats following the 2010 General Election that led to the creation of the Coalition Government. During his tenure as Foreign Secretary, Lord Hague dealt with one of the most tumultuous periods in modern history with unrest across the Middle East, and crises in Europe.
In 2014 he declared his intentions to step down from front-line politics at the 2015 General Election, becoming Leader of the House of Commons in his final 10 months in Government, and retaining his position as First Secretary of State.
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