Norman Lamont

The Chancellor of the Exchequer during the recession of the 1990s, Norman Lamont presided over the withdrawal of sterling from the Exchange Rate Mechanism and what quickly became known as Black Wednesday. He is an exceptional speaker, in high demand on the corporate circuit, whose topics span economics, politics, and current and international affairs.

A Cabinet Minister under Margaret Thatcher and John Major, and a member of the House of Commons for 25 years, Lord Norman Lamont is a stalwart of British politics and was made a Life Peer in 1998.

He is in high demand on the corporate circuit and makes an exceptional keynote speaker whose topics span economics, politics, and current and international affairs.

Norman was Chancellor of the Exchequer at a particularly difficult time that included Britain’s exit from the ERM, and he introduced tough measures to reduce Government borrowing, the deficit and high inflation.

Having been closely involved in Britain's relationship with Europe for many years, and negotiated Britain's non-participation in the Euro, Norman is well-placed to discuss the future of the UK in relation to Brexit, which he supported.

As well as being a working Peer, Norman is a director of several financial companies.  He heads up RAB Capital (a hedge fund company), Scottish Re (a re-investment company quoted on the New York Stock Exchange), Balli plc (a commodities trading house), and Rotch property.

In 2008, Lord Lamont became the President of the  Economic Research Council , Britain's oldest economics-based think tank.

In 2016, he was appointed as the Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Iran.

Sir Alan Walters, Economic Advisor to Lady Thatcher, described Norman in his post-ERM actions “to be not only the most effective but also the bravest Chancellor since the War”. Many economists have attributed the economic stability and growth enjoyed by Britain in the ‘90s and thereafter to the tough politics introduced by him.

When he was Chancellor, Norman’s political advisor was David Cameron. In 2008, Cameron asked him with other Chancellors to be part of a team to advise on Britain’s financial problems.

Norman was Britain’s Chief Negotiator at the Maastricht Treaty and secured Britain’s non-participation in the euro, of which he remains a strong opponent and critic.

He was an active member of the Leave Campaign during the Referendum. Matthew D’Ancona in the Guardian said that the campaign to leave the EU owed its origins to Norman whom, he said, gave the idea of Brexit intellectual credibility when, in 1994, he said he did not regarding leaving the EU as unthinkable and that, one day, Britain might be forced to consider it.

Before politics, Lord Lamont read Economics at Cambridge and went on to become a Merchant Banker at NM Rothschild and Sons. He is an Honorary Fellow of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge.

He was an active member of the Leave Campaign during the Referendum. Matthew D’Ancona in the Guardian said that the campaign to leave the EU owed its origins to Norman whom, he said, gave the idea of Brexit intellectual credibility when, in 1994, he said he did not regarding leaving the EU as unthinkable and that, one day, Britain might be forced to consider it.

As a keynote speaker, Lord Lamont is informed and open, making him an ideal addition to any event