Editing Howard Flight (section)

=== Elections ===
On 6 April, Flight was deselected as a Conservative candidate by then-party leader [[Michael Howard]], and removed from his role as party deputy chairman,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2005/apr/06/election2005.uk7|title=Flight gives up the fight|last=Happold|first=Tom|date=6 April 2005|website=The Guardian|access-date=7 June 2016}}</ref> and his party began the process of selecting a new last-minute candidate. [[Anne Marie Morris]], [[Laura Sandys]], and [[Nick Herbert]] put themselves forward for nomination as replacement candidates. The chosen candidate, Nick Herbert, won the seat at the election.

Some years later, after a change of party leader, Flight was placed on the [[Conservative A-List|A-List]] of Conservative Party candidates available to fight the 2010 general election,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://conservativehome.blogs.com/goldlist/2006/05/as_promised_thi.html|title=Who is on the A-list?|website=Conservativehome.blogs.com|access-date=1 November 2021}}</ref> but in the event he was one of minority on that list not selected as a candidate in [[open primaries]] and/or with party recommendation. On 19 November 2010, it was announced that Flight was to be created a [[life peer]] and would sit as a [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]] in the [[House of Lords]].<ref>[http://www.number10.gov.uk/news/latest-news/2010/11/peerages-honours-and-appointments-2-57256 Peerages honours and appointments] at number10.gov.uk</ref> His full title, created 13 January 2011, is '''Baron Flight''', of [[Worcester, England|Worcester]] in the [[Worcestershire|County of Worcestershire]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=59676 |date=20 January 2011 |page=869}}</ref>

On 25 November 2010, a week after the announcement of his intended peerage, Flight apologised after suggesting that the government's changes to child benefits would "discourage the middle classes from breeding, but for those on benefits there is every incentive".<ref>{{cite news|last=Walker|first=Peter|title=Tory peer Howard Flight apologises over poor people 'breeding' comments|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2010/nov/25/howard-flight-rebuked-no-10-poor-people-breeding|access-date=25 November 2010|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=25 November 2010}}</ref>