To coincide with the launch of his latest book, Inside Thatcher’s Last Election Diaries of the Campaign That Saved Enterprise, we will be speaking with Rt Hon Lord Young of Graffham about his experience in government and what lessons we need to learn for today.

This virtual roundtable interview will take place on Zoom. After the opening 15 minutes, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Charles Moore: "The exciting tale told in this book takes the reader into the eye of the storm."

Daniel Finkelstein: “I greatly enjoyed these diaries. It’s not just a depiction of an important moment in political history, it’s a brilliant description of what it is like working at the centre of a national election campaign. It brought it all back for me. If you haven’t been there, this is the next best thing.”

Sara Murray, founder of confused.com: “A gripping fly-on-the-wall account of the Downing Street characters who drove enterprise to the centre of political thinking in Britain.”

Karan Bilimoria, president of the CBI": “Never before will you have read such an extraordinary, in-depth, unique insight into the intricate workings of Margaret Thatcher and her government. This day-by-day, moment-to-moment account of her third election victory comes not from a politician but from a leading entrepreneur and businessman who was instrumental in enabling Thatcher to transform Britain, the sick man of Europe, into one of the most pre-eminent enterprise nations in the world. British business owes a huge amount to David Young, and this book clearly demonstrates why. This is not a ringside view; this is being in the ring experiencing it blow by blow!”

Rt Hon Lord Young of Graffham PC, DL

Originally a solicitor, Lord Young of Graffham has extensive experience across both the business world and within the political sphere.

After building up his own companies for nearly twenty years, he joined the government in 1979 as a volunteer civil servant, introducing privatisation in the Department of Industry, serving eventually as Chairman of the Manpower Services Commission from April 1982. September 1984 saw David Young enter the Lords and join the Cabinet as Minister without Portfolio becoming Secretary of State for Employment in 1985 and after the 1987 election where he had a key role, became Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and President of the Board of Trade. He retired from government in July 1989, serving as Deputy Chairman of the Party until June 1990. That year also saw the publication of his book “ The Enterprise Years”.

At the beginning of 1990, he became a director of Salomon Inc (until May 1994) and was invited to become Executive Chairman of Cable & Wireless PLC in October 1990 where he served until November 1995. He founded Young Associates Ltd, a Private Equity house in 1996 where he is currently Chairman and is Chairman of a number of companies listed on AIM.

Apart from his business interests, Lord Young was President of the Institute of Directors until 2002, Chairman of Council, University College London until 2005, was the founder Chairman of the West Sussex Economic Forum, was the Chairman of the London Philharmonic Trust until 1997 and since then has been Chairman of Chichester Festival Theatre. He is Chairman of the Institute of Cultural Heritage at UCL. He was the Chairman of the West Sussex Design Commission.