A man of powerful intellect, Nigel Lawson, who enjoyed one of the longest tenures of any post-1945 chancellor, provided the underpinnings and coherence for Thatcherism. The latter was a collection of values and instincts which the leader had gained in Grantham and Lawson is one of a handful of politicians who, without becoming prime minister, significantly shaped the British political agenda.
At the time of his tax-cutting Budget in 1988, Thatcher hailed him as a financial genius. He was delivering tax cuts, low inflation and falling unemployment and had pioneered privatisation. In many respects he was the architect of mid-term Thatcherism.
