David Trefgarne, 2nd Baron Trefgarne

David Garro Trefgarne, 2nd Baron Trefgarne, PC (born 31 March 1941), is a British Conservative politician. He is currently the longest-serving member of the House of Lords.

The Right Honourable The Lord Trefgarne PC
Official portrait, 2020
Minister of State for Trade
In office 25 July 1989 – 23 July 1990
Prime Minister	Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by	Alan Clark
Succeeded by	Tim Sainsbury
Ministerial offices 1979–1989 Minister of State for Defence Procurement In office 21 May 1986 – 24 July 1989 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by Norman Lamont Succeeded by Alan Clark Minister of State for Defence Support In office 2 September 1985 – 21 May 1986 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by office created Succeeded by office abolished Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Armed Forces In office 14 June 1983 – 1 September 1985 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by Jerry Wiggin Succeeded by Roger Freeman Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health and Social Security In office 6 April 1982 – 14 June 1983 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by The Lord Elton Succeeded by John Patten Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs In office 14 September 1981 – 6 April 1982 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by Richard Luce Succeeded by Malcolm Rifkind Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Trade In office 5 January 1981 – 15 September 1981 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by Norman Tebbit Succeeded by Iain Sproat Lord-in-waiting Government Whip In office 9 May 1979 – 5 January 1981 Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher Preceded by The Lord Wallace of Coslany Succeeded by The Lord Skelmersdale
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
as a hereditary peer 29 June 1962 – 11 November 1999
Preceded by	The 1st Baron Trefgarne
Succeeded by	Seat abolished [a]
as an elected hereditary peer 11 November 1999 – present
Preceded by	Seat established [a]
Personal details
Born	(1941-03-31) 31 March 1941 (age 83)
Political party	Conservative
Education	Haileybury
Alma mater	Princeton University

Biography

The son of George Trefgarne, 1st Baron Trefgarne, Trefgarne succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Trefgarne in 1960 at the age of 19, having attended Haileybury and Imperial Service College. He took his seat in the House of Lords on his 21st birthday in 1962. In contrast to his father, who was a Liberal and later Labour politician, he chose to sit on the Conservative benches.

Trefgarne was an opposition Whip from 1977 to 1979 and then served in the Conservative administration of Margaret Thatcher as a Government Whip from 1979 to 1981 and as Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Trade in 1981, at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office from 1981 to 1982, at the Department of Health and Social Security from 1982 to 1983 and at the Ministry of Defence from 1983 to 1985. The latter year he was promoted to Minister of State for Defence Support, a post he held until 1986, and then served as Minister of State for Defence Procurement from 1986 to 1989 and as a Minister of State at the Department of Trade and Industry from 1989 to 1990. In 1989 he was admitted to the Privy Council.

He was president of the Institution of Incorporated Engineers when they merged with the Institution of Electrical Engineers in 2006.

Lord Trefgarne is still a member of the House of Lords as one of the ninety hereditary peers elected by their colleagues to remain after the passing of the House of Lords Act of 1999. According to the Electoral Reform Society, he has since blocked further reform of the Lords, tabling 'wrecking' amendments to a draft Bill to abolish by-elections for hereditary peers, proposed by Lord Grocott in 2018.^[1]

He became the longest-serving member of the House of Lords on 26 April 2021 after the retirement of Lord Denham.^[2]

Arms

Coat of arms of David Trefgarne, 2nd Baron Trefgarne

Crest On a mount Vert a tree Proper suspended therefrom an escutcheon Or charged with a portcullis Gules. Escutcheon Or a dragon rampant Gules over all on a bend Azure a leek of the first between two thistles Proper. Supporters On either side a Herefordshire bull charged on the shoulder with an escutcheon Or thereon a portcullis Azure. Motto Ratione Et Concillio[3]

Notes

1. Under the House of Lords Act 1999.

References

• Who's Who
• Burke's Peerage

1. Garland, Jessica. "A handful of hereditary peers are trying to stifle reform – they are on the wrong side of history". Electoral Reform Society.
2. "Membership and principal office holders". Parliament UK.
3. Burke's Peerage. 1959.

Peerage of the United Kingdom
Preceded by George Trefgarne	Baron Trefgarne 1960–present Member of the House of Lords (1962–1999)	Incumbent Heir apparent: Hon. George Trefgarne
Parliament of the United Kingdom
New office created by the House of Lords Act 1999	Elected hereditary peer to the House of Lords under the House of Lords Act 1999 1999–present	Incumbent
Honorary titles
Preceded by The Lord Denham	Longest-serving member in the House of Lords 2021–present	Incumbent