Here is the latest nomination in our series highlighting people David Cameron should consider appointing to the House of Lords.
If you would like to nominate someone, please email Jonathan Isaby with your suggestion, ideally including key arguments for
the nomination as well as biographical information. The sources of nominations will be treated confidentially where
requested.
No. 15: Sir Simon Milton
A reader from London writes:
"If you ask anyone across the political spectrum who they would nominate as THE outstanding local government leader in living memory, one name comes up time and time again: Simon Milton.
"In twenty years on Westminster City Council he overcame the Private Eye magazine label of being one of Dame Shirley Porter's "boot boys" during the "Homes for Votes" scandal to develop - during nearly a decade as the council's leader - a genuine vision for City Government in the 21st Century.
"Simon has never been an ideological figure. Although originally from the Right, as a council leader he was very much a One Nation Tory and was famously quoted as saying "there is little difference between running Newham or Westminster". He pragmatically reminded more Right-wing colleagues that local government was about providing excellent public services within the framework of the then prevailing New Labour hegemony and not simply slashing taxes. He is reputedly a favourite figure of both the former Deputy PM John Prescott (who may have been behind his knighthood) and Gordon Brown - as well as David Cameron.
"In autumn 2007 he joined the "Back Boris" campaign as a senior adviser and was rewarded in May 2008 with his appointment as a Mayoral adviser (resigning as a Westminster Councillor) and then Deputy Mayor. Within weeks he showed his political clout by out-manoeuvring the alleged "power hungry" Chief of Staff to the Mayor, Tim Parker.
"A former chairman of the Local Government Association to boot, he would be an excellent addition to the Conservative benches in the House of Lords."
> Yesterday's nomination: Andrew Roberts
