Bill Cash: a figure capable of striking fear into the heart of prime ministers

Bill Cash’s style has never been flamboyantly headline-grabbing, but rather assiduously legalistic. Photograph: Martin Godwin/The Guardian

When Sir Bill Cash entered parliament, Rishi Sunak was just three years old.

Four decades on, Cash is 83 and the oldest member of the House of Commons. He has become a deeply establishment figure and someone who has caused huge trouble for political leaders – from John Major, as one of the “bastards” during the Maastricht treaty era, to Theresa May during the battles over her EU withdrawal bill.