William Hague

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Baron Hague, Baron Hague of Richmond, born on March 26, 1961, is a British Conservative politician and life peer.

He served as the Leader of the Opposition from 1989 to 2001 and represented Richmond, Yorkshire, as its Member of Parliament (MP).

He was Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs from 2010 to 2014 and was the Minister of the House of Commons from 2014 to 2015.

Hague quickly rose through the ranks of John Major's government and was named Secretary of State for Wales in 1995.

Following the Conservative Party's loss in the 1997 general election, he was elected Leader of the Conservative Party at the age of 36. Following his party's second loss, he resigned as the Conservative Leader after the 2001 general election, which left the Conservatives with a net loss of just one seat.

He returned to the backbenches, embarking on a life as an author, writing biographies of William Pitt the Younger and William Wilberforce.

He has held numerous directorships in the past, as well as as serving as a speaker and public speaker. Hague was appointed Shadow Foreign Secretary after David Cameron was elected Leader of the Conservative Party in 2005.

He also took on the role of "Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet" while serving as Cameron's deputy.

Hague was appointed First Secretary of State and Foreign Secretary after the Coalition Government was established in 2010.

Cameron referred to him as his "de facto political deputy."

Hague stepped down as Foreign Secretary and became Speaker of the House of Commons on July 14th.

At the 2015 general election, he did not stand for re-election. In the 2015 Dissolution Honours List, Hague was given a life peerage.

Early life

Hague was born in Rotherham, Yorkshire, England, on March 26, 1961. He began attending Ripon Grammar School and later attended Wath Comprehensive School, a state secondary school near Rotherham, which was located in Ripon. Nigel and Stella Hague, his parents, operated a soft drinks manufacturing company in which he worked during school holidays.

He first made national television news at the age of 16 by addressing the Conservatives at their 1977 Annual National Conference. In his address, he told the delegates that "half of you won't be here in 30 or 40 years' time," says the delegates, but that others would have to deal with the consequences of a Labour Government if it stayed in power." Peter Carrington told him that the much-heralded address of a sixteen-year-old schoolboy named William Hague had "both him and several other frontbench Conservatives were elicited," he wrote in his diary at the time. "If he is as priggish and self-assure as he is at sixteen, what will he look like in thirty years' time," Peter said to Norman St John Stevas. "Like Michael Heseltine," Norman says.

At Magdalen College, Oxford, Hague studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, graduating with first-class distinctions. He was President of the Oxford University Conservative Association (OUCA), but he was "convicted of electoral fraud" in his replacement's re-election process. Hague was really elected on a platform promising to improve OUCA, but allegations that he misappropriated his position as Returning Officer to support Magdalen candidate Peter Havey. Havey was duly elected after Hague was playing the classic game of using his powers as President to keep his party in power. "Broad ballot box stuffing" was accused.

He also served as President of the Oxford Union, which was an established route into politics. Hague graduated with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) at INSEAD after Oxford. He later worked as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company, where Archie Norman was his mentor.

Public life

In 1987, Hague unsuccessfully opposed Wentworth before being elected as Member of Richmond, North Yorkshire, where he replaced former Home Secretary Leon Brittan in a by-election in 1989. Following his election, Hague, the then-youngest Conservative MP, was invited to join the Government in 1990, serving as Parliamentary Private Secretary to Norman Lamont, the Exchequer's Chief Minister. Hague was appointed to the Department of Social Security (DSS), where he was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, after Lamont was fired in 1993. He was named Minister of State in the DSS with responsibility for Social Security and Disabled People the following year. His rapid ascension to the top of the government ranks was attributed to his intelligence and debating skills.

Hague was named as Secretary of State for Wales in 1995, and after being embarrassed for being seen on television apparently miming the Welsh national anthem at a conference, Hague hired Ffion Jenkins, a Welsh Office civil servant who later married him. He continued serving in cabinet until Labour was replaced by Labour at the 1997 general election.

Following the 1997 general election defeat, Hague was named Leader of the Conservative Party in succession to John Major, defeating more experienced figures such as Kenneth Clarke and Michael Howard.

Hague, who was fresh from their worst general election result of the twentieth century), was given the task of rebuilding the Conservative Party (new from their worst general election result of the 20th century) by trying to create a more modern image at the age of 36. Since losing control, over £250,000 was spent on the "Listening to Britain" campaign to try to bring the Conservatives back to the people; he welcomed reports of "compassionate conservatism" from the Texas governor and later President George W. Bush.

Cecil Parkinson described the exercise as "juvenile" while visiting a theme park with his Chief of Staff and former local MP Sebastian (now Lord) Coe.

The Conservative Party in June 1999, where the Conservatives gained 36 MEPs ahead of Labour's 29. The Hague's opposition to the single European currency (the Euro) was later vindicated by Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown's endorsement and subsequent acceptance of the scheme.

Michael Portillo's appointment as Shadow Chancellor in 2000 brought Hague's power into jeopardy. Portillo had been widely predicted to be the next Conservative Party Leader before losing his seat in 1997 general election; two years later, he was elected as an MP for Kensington and Chelsea. The minimum wage and independence of the Bank of England were both modified shortly after Portillo's return to Parliament. Hague's supporters waged an increasingly bitter war against Portillo's faction from 2000 to 2001; this internecine conflict was instrumental in the Conservatives' two subsequent election losses.

As a youth, Hague was chastised for claiming to drink "14 pints of beer a day." Since a 2001 survey by The Daily Telegraph found that 66% of voters thought him to be "a bit of a wally," 70% of voters said he would "say almost everything to win votes."

Hague said in a Party Conference address in March 2001 that "we're in trouble."

Former Conservative deputy Prime Minister Michael Heseltine, a leading One-Nation Conservative, was dismissive of Hague's Eurosceptic view that Britain was now a "foreign land," while still questioning whether he would endorse a Hague-led Conservative Party in newspaper interviews.

The Hague's zealously monitored his progress at Prime Minister's Questions every Wednesday in Parliament, having trouble finding fault. Hague sluggishly criticized Prime Minister Theresa May's record during one particular address, responding to the Queen's Speech of 2000:

Blair responded by condemning "bandwagon politics" in Hague: he saw the Hague as "bandwagon politics":

"We haven't been able to convince a majority, or even nearing a majority, that we are still the alternative government that they need," Hague said on the morning of Labour's second consecutive general election. Following this defeat, Hague resigned as party leader after winning just one parliamentary seat more than at the 1997 general election. Hague was also the second Conservative Party leader not to serve as Prime Minister (after Austen Chamberlain) and the first Conservative Party leader to spend his entire tenure in Opposition.

He occasionally spoke in the House of Commons on backbenches on current affairs of the day. He served as the Chairman of the International Democratic Union from 1997 to 2002. Following Hague's tenure as Party Leader, both Conservative Party members and the wider community followed his rise. Pitt the Younger, the 18th-century Prime Minister, who was published in 2004, taught himself how to play the piano, and hosted the 25th anniversary tribute to Radio 4's political television satire Yes Minister in 2005. He published his second book, a biography of anti-slave trade campaigner William Wilberforce, in June 2007, which was shortlisted for the 2008 Orwell Prize for political writing.

Hague's annual income was the highest in Parliament, with a year of about £400,000 a year from directorships, consulting, addresses, and his parliamentary salary. His salary was once expected to be £1 million a year, but after he resigned many commitments and became Shadow Foreign Secretary in 2005, he was forced to reduce his salary by some £600,000.

Former Prime Minister John Major, former Chancellor Kenneth Clarke, and Hague's replacement Iain Duncan Smith served on the Conservative Leadership Council, which was established by Michael Howard following his election unopposed as the Party's Leader in 2003.

He endorsed eventual winner David Cameron during the 2005 Conservative leadership race. He is a member of Conservative Friends of Israel, a party that he joined when he was 15 years old.

Michael Howard, the Conservative Party Leader, reportedly offered Hague the post of Shadow Chancellor of Exchequer after the 2005 general election, but he refused to accept the fact that his personal commitments would make it impossible for him to take on such a high-profile position.

David Cameron was elected Leader of the Conservative Party on December 6, 2005. Hague was offered and accepted the position of Shadow Foreign Secretary and Senior Member of the Shadow Cabinet, effectively serving as Cameron's deputy (but not informally, unlike previous Deputy Conservative Leaders Willie Whitelaw, Peter Lilley, and Michael Ancram). He had been widely predicted to return to the frontbench under either Cameron or leadership contest runner-up David Davis.

Hague travelled to Brussels on January 30, 2006, following Cameron's instructions, to exclude Conservative MEPs from the European People's Party-European Democrats group (EPP-ED) in the European Parliament. (Daily Telegraph, January 30, 2006). Hague was also deputed during David Cameron's paternity leave at Prime Minister's Questions on February 15, 2006 (PMQs). During this appearance, there were quips about Blair, that all three groups of the Labour Party were led by'stand-ins,' with Acting Leader Sir Menzies Campbell of the Labour Party leading the Labour Party after the resignation of Blair and the Conservatives represented by Hague. Cameron was deputized for several sessions in 2006 at Hague.

Hague was Prime Minister Cameron's first appointment as Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. He was also given the honorary title of First Secretary of State. In his first overseas visit as British Foreign Secretary, Hague met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at Washington.

"We cannot have a foreign policy without a conscience," Hague wrote in August 2010. The foreign policy is mainly based on domestic policy. At home, the values we live by do not extend to our shores. Human rights are not the only issue that informs foreign policy, but they are indivisible from it, especially because the repercussions of foreign policy failure are human.

"No downgrading of human rights under this administration will occur, and there will be no deviations from our pledges to assistance and growth," Hague said. "Indeed, I want to expand and expand our human rights efforts," he continued. It's not in our character as a nation to have an international policy without a conscience, and neither is it in our interests." Despite persecution of the Pakistani minority, Hague was chastised by Cardinal Keith O'Brien for increasing funding to the Pakistan government, but "today's response is tantamount to an anti-Christian foreign policy."

Hague told BBC Radio 4's File on September 4, 2011 a documentary by Hague into the legality of domestic cyber surveillance and exporting of this technology from the UK to countries with doubtful human rights data that the UK has a strong export licence system. The program also received news from the UK's Department of Business Innovation and Skills that cyber surveillance equipment that break are not required export licenses, as opposed to creating them.

When both Prime Minister David Cameron and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg were out of the country, he continued to stand in for him at PMQs in June 2012.

In January 2013, Hague travelled to New Zealand in his capacity as Foreign Secretary, having talks with New Zealand government ministers Murray McCully and David Shearer. The International Leaders Programme, which was launched in March 2013, was launched in Hague, and the aim was to identify and foster connections among future global leaders.

Newspapers including The Daily Telegraph, The Independent, and Daily Mail published stories about Hague's alleged friendship with 25-year-old Christopher Myers, a history graduate from Durham University, who was employed as a political special advisor in early September 2010. "Any suggestion that the Foreign Secretary's friendship with Chris Myers is anything other than a strictly academic one is wholly inaccurate and unfounded," a spokesperson said.

Myers resigned from his appointment on September 1, 2010, prompting Hague to publish a public statement denying the "completely false" allegations that he was involved in a hotel room with Myers [for reasons of frugality by upbringing]. Prime Minister David Cameron's spokesperson confirmed that he had "total sympathy" in response to the media's scandals. Figures from within and outside the Conservative Party chastised Hague for his personal reaction to the reports, with former Conservative chief John Redwood predicting that Hague had displayed "poor judgment" and Labour-supporting Sally Bercow speculating that Hague had received "poor PR advice," while Conservative MP Alan Duncan calling the media coverage "contemptible."

After a meeting with Palestinians who protested Israel's barrier in the West Bank, Israeli leaders chastised Hague. He expressed sympathy with the notion of non-violence and followed the accounts of left-wing and Palestinian activists. Tzipi Livni, the Israeli Opposition Leader, condemned the remarks and said, "Iron Livni, the author of the Israeli Opposition, condemns the statements.

Thousands of anti-government demonstrators dispersed thousands of protesters at Pearl Square in the capital, Manama, in February 2011. Hague told the House of Commons that he had emphasized the urgent need for peaceful intervention in dealing with the demonstrators: "At least three people were killed in the operation, with hundreds more wounded." We are extremely worried about the deaths that have occurred. I've met with Bahrain's Foreign Minister this morning, and the Bahraini Minister of the Interior said last night. In both cases, we stressed the need for peaceful intervention to address protesters' fears, as well as the importance of respect for the right to peaceful protest and expression in both cases.

Hague told Sky News that the Libyan authorities' use of force during the 2011 Libyan Civil War was "dreadful and horrifying" and that the leader had to protect people's human rights. Special forces, foreign mercenaries, and Muammar Gaddafi loyalists launched a brutal crackdown in Benghazi's second city, which has been the object of anti-regime demonstrations. "I think we have to lift the international pressure and condemnation," Hague told Dermot Murnaghan on Sky. The United Kingdom has condemned what the Libyan government has been doing and how they have responded to these demonstrations, and we hope that other nations will do the same."

Following delays in extracting British citizens from Libya, a failed helicopter attempt to contact the protesters who were arrested in Libya, and no aircraft carriers or Harriers were found to enforce a no-fly zone, and he was accused of "losing his mojo" in March 2011.

In a speech to business executives in March 2011, Hague said that the examples set in north Africa and the Middle East will ultimately change the relationship between government and their populations in the area. However, following the controversy over whether coalition forces were attacking Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, the Foreign Minister said the Libyan people must be able to determine their own destiny. "It is not for us to choose the government of Libya," Hague said, "that is for the Libyan people themselves." However, they now have a much better chance of making the decision than they did on Saturday, when the opposition forces were on the verge of defeat."

The Hague has warned that autocratic figures, including Robert Mugabe, President of Zimbabwe, could be rattled and even deposed by a series of popular revolts rippling from north Africa. Recent demonstrations against authoritarian leaders in countries like Libya and Egypt, according to analysts, would have a greater historical significance than the 9/11 attacks on the US or the current financial crisis. He stopped short of threatening military involvement against other dictators, but they did warn that their people will eventually face "judgement" for oppressing their people and suppressing democracy. The Foreign Minister warned that militant African regimes will also face criticism from their populations and the international community, and that undemocratic governments should take note." "Governments that use violence to stop democratic change will not get themselves back to resentment forever," he said. They will pay an increasing price for conduct for which they can no longer escape from the world with ease, and will find themselves on the wrong side of history."

On his way to the Qatar Summit in April 2011, Hague called for tougher measures against the Libyan regime and made it clear that Gaddafi must go: "We have sent more ground strike aircraft in order to protect civilians." We do want to see other nations do the same, but it will take time." "We would like a continued increase in our (NATO's) capability to assist civilians in Libya," he said. According to Hague, whether NATO ratcheted up operations depended on what happened on the ground. "These air strikes are a response to regime or terrorist threats, so what happens next will be dependent on that." If the Americans were asked to step up their roles again "depending on the circumstances," he said.

"Political reforms should be introduced and implemented without delay," Hague said in Syria during the demonstrations. According to BBC News, up to 60 people were killed by security forces in the country today (22 April 2011), making it the worst day for deaths since protests against President Bashar al-Assad started over a month ago.

The Syrian Civil War in August 2011 Hague spoke about military intervention: "It's not a remote possibility." And if we were in favour [of UN-backed military action], which we are not because there is no call from the Arab League for intervention in the case of Libya, there is no chance of a legally sanctioned military intervention. It was a "frustrating situation" and that the "levers" at the international community's disposal were severely limited, according to Hague, but countries had to work on other ways of impacting the Assad government. "We want to see more international pressure all round." Of course, to be effective, one must be able to pressure Arab countries, and that includes Turkey, which has been extremely vocal in attempting to convince President Assad not to change rather than embarking on these appalling steps." "I would also like to see a United Nations Security Council Resolution condemning this violence and calling for the free of political prisoners in order to call for legitimate grievances to be responded to," he said.

During 2012, the United Kingdom began training Syrian opposition activists in Istanbul on media, civil society, and local government issues, as well as providing non-lethal equipment such as satellite communications and computers.

Hague recognised the Syrian National Council as a "legitimate representative" of the country on February 24, 2012. Bashar al-Assad's government had "forfeited the right to lead" by "miring the blood of innocent people," Hague said. "Today we must ensure that we do not abandon the Syrian people in their darkest hour," Hague said. "Those responsible for the murder of entire families, the shelling of houses, the execution of prisoners, the cleansing of political prisoners, and the torture and rape of women and children must be held accountable," he said.

Hague ordered the evacuation of all British diplomats from Syria and closing the UK Embassy in Damascus due to increasing security concerns. "We have maintained an embassy in Damascus despite the brutality to enable us to connect with all sides in Syria and gain insight into the situation on the ground," Hague said in parliament. "We now agree that the deterioration of the security situation in Damascus exposes our diplomatic staff and the facilities at risk." "In no way reduces the United Kingdom's contribution to active diplomacy in order to keep pressure on the Assad regime from escalating," Hague said. "We will continue to collaborate closely with other nations to coordinate diplomatic and economic pressure on the Syrian regime," he said.

Hague's Friends of Syria Group conference in Istanbul, Turkey, on April 1, 2012. If current efforts to solve the crisis fail, Hague said the issue could return to the United Nations Security Council. President Assad has confirmed that it accepts a peace initiative initiated by UN-Arab League envoy Kofi Annan, but there are no indications that it is prepared to put an end to the opposition crackdown. Hague accused Assad of "stalling for time" and warned that if the matter makes it back to the Security Council, he will no longer be able to rely on the help of Russia and China, who blocked a previous resolution calling for him to stand down. "There isn't an infinite length of time for the Kofi Annan process to function before several of the countries here want us to return to the UN Security Council; some of them will recommend arming the opposition if no progress is made," Hague said. "What is now being offered to them by the entire United Nations Security Council is a blueprint from Kofi Annan," the Russian and Chinese's support for it has been extended by the Middle East, France, the Arab League, and so on.

The National Coalition for Syrian Revolutionary and Opposition Forces, as the Syrian people's "sole legitimate representative" and a viable alternative to the current Syrian government, was announced by Hague on November 20, 2012, making it a "true representative" for the Syrian people and a credible alternative to the new Syrian government.

Following the failure of a chemical-weapons attack at Ghouta, the British Parliament refused to confirm the British Government's proposal to participate in military strikes against the Syrian Government on August 29th. Hague denied allegations that he threatened to resign due to Prime Minister David Cameron's decision to move straight to a parliamentary election. Following the vote, Hague continued to urge other governments to take steps against the Syrian Government, saying "If it is determined in the world's various parliaments that no one will object to the use of chemical weapons or take any action about it would be a very worrying moment in world affairs." Ultimately, a negotiated deal was reached to eliminate Syria's chemical weapons.

In June 2011, Hague dismissed Tony Blair's proposal for an elected head of the European Union by saying that member states have more pressing needs than ever "constitutional tinkering." After Blair, Hague remarked that an explicitly elected President of Europe, which represents nearly 400 million people from 27 countries, would give the EU strong leadership and a huge presence. Blair laid out a plan in an interview with The Times that he believes a specifically elected EU President should pursue, although he admitted that there was "no chance" of such a post being published "at the present time." When asked about Prime Minister May's call for greater European integration and the founding of an elected president, Hague suggested that Blair may have been considering the role for himself. "I can't remember who he had in mind," Hague joked, adding to a serious note: "Elected presidents are for countries." The EU is not a republic, and it is not likely to become a nation, at least in the future. It's a group of countries working together.

In June 2011, Hague said that Britain helped start "distasteful" peace negotiations with the Taliban in Afghanistan. When on a three-day tour of the country to visit President Hamid Karzai and visit British troops, Hague made the remarks. According to Mr. Sullivan, Britain had led the way in persuading US President Barack Obama's administration that negotiations were the only logical solution to the conflict. Any agreement, according to Hague, could result in the acceptance of "distasteful stuff" that could enrage military veterans and relatives of the 374 British troops killed in Afghanistan. However, he said that ending combat and starting talks were the best way to protect national security. "The ultimate and most effective way of safeguarding national security is to negotiate in the event." "But reuniting with people who have been involved in a military conflict can be very unpleasant," he said. You do have to face some revolting stuff in any of these situations. As he announced plans to pull 33,000 US troops from Afghanistan by September 2012, US President Barack Obama told Americans that "the tide of war is receding."

For several of the countries that adopted the currency, Hague said that the Euro is "a burning building with no exits" in September 2011. In an interview with The Spectator, Hague first used the word when he was Conservative Leader in 1998, and he said it had been proved correct: "It was folly to design this system." It would be written about for centuries as a kind of historical monument to collective insanity. "But it's there and we've got to deal with it," he said. "I referred to the Euro as a raging building with no exits, and so it has been for some of the world's most disadvantaged countries," he said. "I might go too far, but the Euro wasn't designed with exits, so it is very difficult to get out of it."

In a BBC interview in February 2012, Hague warned of Iran's "increasing willingness to investigate" terrorism around the world. He cited the 2011 Iran assassination attempt, an attempt to assassinate Adel al-Jubeir, the Saudi Ambassador to the United States, as well as allegations of his complicity in recent attacks in New Delhi, Georgia, and Bangkok. "The threat Iran is currently presenting to the world's peace," Obama said.

On Tuesday, Hague spoke in the Commons about Iran's nuclear program, saying that if the Tehran regime were to produce a viable weapon, its neighbors would be encouraged to build their own nuclear warheads as well. He accused Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of pursuing "confrontational measures" and characterized the country's enrichment of uranium in defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions as "a crisis that is moving steadily down the road." "Our policy is that although we remain unashently committed to diplomacy, we must remind Iran that all options are on the table," Hague told MPs.

He criticized the way parliamentary elections were held in March, saying that they were not "free and fair." According to him, the poll was held against a backdrop of fear that meant the result would not represent the people's will not reflect the people's will. "It has been clear for some time that these elections will not be free and fair," Hague said. "The system has portrayed the referendum as a measure of honor rather than a tool for people to elect their own representatives." The climate of fear, which has been exacerbated by the regime's crushing of opposition voices since 2009, remains."

On the 2nd of April 2012, the 30th anniversary of the 1982 Falklands War began. The UK was keen to strengthen its relationship with Latin America, according to Hague, including Alicia Castro (Argentinian Ambassador). "We're reversing Britain's decline in Latin America," he said, where we're opening a new Embassy in El Salvador. This determination to deepen our links with Latin America is joined by our unashamed dedication to the rights of self-determination of the people of the Falkland Islands.

Tensions over the Falklands had risen in the weeks leading up to the anniversary. Hague said the deployments of a British warship, HMS Dauntless, and the Duke of Cambridge were "completely normal" to the Falklands in February. The Hague said that Britain had affirmed the Falklanders' self-determination and that it would do not want to discourage Argentina from "raising the diplomatic temperature" over the issue. "The activities" are not so much about parades as commemorations, he added. Argentina is expected to hold commemorations of those who were killed in the conflict, according to me. Since both countries are doing it, I don't think there is anything troubling about it."

Hague laid out Her Majesty's Government's proposals for the revival of self-government in the Turks and Caicos Islands, where direct rule of the Governor had been in place since the islands had been subjected to abuse and mismanagement under the previous autocratic administration.

Julian Assange, the WikiLeaks group's founder, would not be granted political asylum by the United Kingdom in August 2012. The Hague announced that the United Kingdom is prepared to extradite Assange to the Swedish authorities who had requested his extradition; thus, Swedish lawyers, who were reluctant to break diplomatic protocol, have prevented from interrogating Assange at the Embassy of Ecuador, London.

The British government confirmed the fact that it was lawfully obliged to extradite Julian Assange. Ecuador's Foreign Minister's tweet today that Ecuador has offered political asylum to Julian Assange." Mr. Assange having exhausted all alternatives of appeal, the British authorities are under a binding obligation to extradite him to Sweden under our Constitution. We must carry out the law, and of course, we sincerely want to do so," Hague said.

Following a protest by The Guardian newspaper over a note sent by Hague to the Ecuadorian Embassy, which raised the possibility of revocation of diplomatic status under the Diplomatic and Consular Premises Act 1987, the Foreign Secretary reiterated that the UK remains "committed to a diplomatic solution" and denied any suggestion of a police raid of the Ecuadorian Embassy, saying "there is no reason here to storm an embassy."

Craig Murray, the former ambassador to Uzbekistan, warned that raiding the Ecuadorian Embassy in 1987 would be in "breach of the Vienna Convention of 1961." Russia warned Britain not to breach fundamental diplomatic principles (the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and in particular Article 22 outlining the inviolability of diplomatic structures), which Ecuador invoked.

A portrait in oil commissioned by Parliament depicts Hague.

Hague told David Cameron that if Hague had officially confirmed his intention not to run for re-election as an MP for Richmond in the forthcoming 2015 general election, he would stand down as Foreign Secretary. Cameron initiated a cabinet reshuffle, whereby Hague assumed the House of Commons lead. Hague, Cameron's "de facto political deputy," retained his National Security Council membership and played a key role in reaching out to voters in the North of England in the run-up to the general election.

Hague voted for Speaker in the next parliament in what was seen as an effort to depose incumbent John Bercow for lacking the House of Commons' neutrality as a Speaker. Charles Walker, the Conservative MP for Broxbourne and the Speaker of the House of Commons, said he had written a report about such a move "years ago," and that, despite speaking with Hague and Michael Gove earlier this week, neither of them told him of any such move. "I have been playing as a fool," a tense Walker told the House. I'll look in the mirror and see an honorable fool looking back at me when I go home tonight. I'd much rather be an honourable fool rather than a brilliant one in this and any other case." Walker's ovation came mainly from the Labour benches, but the government lost the parliamentary election by 228 to 202 votes. "Is the right hone," the future Father of the House of Commons declared during the discussion. Gentleman is aware that this tumultuous decision will be remembered for? "He has now descended to squalor in the final days of the Parliament after a distinguished career in the House of Commons, both as a leader of a party and as a senior Cabinet Minister."

By the Exchequer's future Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, he was elected as MP for Richmond (Yorks).

Personal life

On December 19, 1997, Hague married Ffion Jenkins at the Chapel of St Mary Undercroft. The Lady Hague of Richmond has been dubbed the Ffion Hague.

Hague serves as Vice President of the Friends of the British Library, which provides funding for the British Library in the event of a new acquisition. He is Patron of the European Youth Parliament UK, an educational charity that runs debate and discussion forums around the United Kingdom, and is President of the British Australia Society. Hague plays judo and has a keen interest in music, learning to play the piano shortly after the 2001 general election. He is a fan of Yorkshire's natural history and countryside.

In 2015, Hague bought Cyfronydd Hall, a £2.5 million country house in Powys, Wales.

Source

Honours and awards

• 1998: The Spectator's "Parliamentarian of the Year Award"
• 2005: History Book of the Year at the British Book Awards, for William Pitt the Younger
• 2007: The Spectator's "Speech of the Year Award"
• 2008: The Trustees' Award at the Longman/History Today Awards
• 2009: Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature (FRSL)
• 2014: Britain-Australia Society Award for contribution to the relationship between Britain and Australia
• 2015: Freeman of the City of London
• 2015: Liveryman of the Worshipful Company of Stationers and Newspaper Makers
• 2015: Life peerage
• 2017 Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun (Japan)