Simon Kerslake
| The Right Honourable Simon Kerslake MP PC | |
|---|---|
| Leader of the Opposition | |
|
In office 1990–1990 | |
| Preceded by | Margaret Thatcher |
| Shadow Housing Spokesman | |
|
In office 1969–1970 | |
| Prime Minister | Harold Wilson |
| Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office | |
|
In office 1970–1974 | |
| Prime Minister | Edward Heath |
| Shadow Minister of State for Education | |
|
In office 1975–1979 | |
| Prime Minister |
Harold Wilson James Callaghan |
| Minister of State for Northern Ireland | |
|
In office 1979–1982 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Minister of State for Defence | |
|
In office 1982–1985 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Secretary of State for Defence | |
|
In office 1985–1988 | |
| Prime Minister | Margaret Thatcher |
| Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
|
In office 1988–1989 | |
| Shadow Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs | |
|
In office 1989–1990 | |
| Shadow Secretary of State for the Home Office | |
|
Assumed office 1990 | |
| Member of Parliament for Coventry Central | |
|
In office 1964–1974 | |
| Member of Parliament for Pucklebridge | |
|
Assumed office 1975 | |
| Majority | 19,641 |
| Personal details | |
| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Conservative |
| Spouse(s) | Elizabeth Drummond Kerslake |
| Children |
Peter Kerslake Michael Kerslake |
| Occupation | Politician |
Simon Kerslake is a fictional character in the political novel First Among Equals, by Jeffrey Archer. He is a British Conservative Party politician, representing the Coventry Central and later Pucklebridge constituencies, who served under Prime Ministers Edward Heath and Margaret Thatcher.There is a certain amount of autobiographical influence in the chararcter, as he shares Archer's politics, sporting history and a financial scandal that threatens his political career.
Personal life
Simon is a devoted family man married to Elizabeth (née Drummond), a gynaecologist, with two children, Peter and Michael. His desire to look after his family nearly costs him his political career in the British House of Commons: anxious to give his family the lifestyle he felt they desired, he makes some risky investments, accumulates a lot of debt and only narrowly avoids bankruptcy.
Political career
Kerslake is a centrist Conservative, hard-working and honourable (despite his poor business judgment).
With only a few political missteps, Kerslake rises steadily through the Conservative Party during his 30-year career. Boundary changes lead to the abolition of his constituency at the February 1974 general election but he finds another and returns to the Commons at the October 1974 general election. He is badly injured by an IRA bomb while serving as Minister of State for Northern Ireland. He serves in a number of other Cabinet posts, including Secretary of State for Defence.
Simon's biggest rival is Charles Gurney Seymour, an aristocratic Conservative MP who does everything he can to stymie and sidetrack him. Simon narrowly survives each attempt to bring him down, and ultimately defeats him in a closely fought contest to be elected Leader of the Conservative Party.
The novel culminates in an extremely close general election in 1991 (the novel was published in 1984). Labour Party leader Raymond Gould becomes Prime Minister in the original British edition of the novel, which ends with King Charles III inviting Kerslake to Buckingham Palace and informing him that he intends to make Gould his first Prime Minister. However, in the U.S. edition, Gould is invited to Buckingham Palace. King Charles III then informs him that in fact, Kerslake is to become the Prime Minister.