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{{Short description|British politician (born 1948)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=November 2019}} {{Use British English|date=November 2019}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific-prefix = [[The Right Honourable]]<!--Do NOT insert a paragraph break; and do not link per MOS:OVERLINK--> | name = The Lord Soames of Fletching | honorific-suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|PC}} | image = Official portrait of Sir Nicholas Soames crop 2.jpg | caption = Official portrait, 2017 | office = [[Shadow Secretary of State for Defence]] | leader = [[Michael Howard]] | term_start = 6 November 2003 | term_end = 10 May 2005 | predecessor = [[Bernard Jenkin]] | successor = [[Michael Ancram|The Marquess of Lothian]] | office1 = [[Minister of State for the Armed Forces]] | primeminister1 = [[John Major]] | term_start1 = 20 July 1994 | term_end1 = 2 May 1997 | predecessor1 = [[Jeremy Hanley]] | successor1 = [[John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan|John Reid]] | office2 = [[Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom)|Parliamentary Secretary to the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food]] | primeminister2 = [[John Major]] | term_start2 = 14 April 1992 | term_end2 = 20 July 1994 | predecessor2 = [[David Maclean]] | successor2 = [[Angela Browning]] | office3 = [[Member of the House of Lords]]<br/>[[Lord Temporal]] | term_start3 = 28 October 2022<br>[[Life peerage]] | term_end3 = | office4 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Mid Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Sussex]] | term_start4 = 1 May 1997 | term_end4 = 6 November 2019 | predecessor4 = [[Tim Renton]] | successor4 = [[Mims Davies]] | majority4 = | office5 = [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Crawley (UK Parliament constituency)|Crawley]] | term_start5 = 9 June 1983 | term_end5 = 8 April 1997 | predecessor5 = [[Peter Hordern (politician)|Peter Hordern]] {{small|([[Horsham and Crawley]])}} | successor5 = [[Laura Moffatt]] | birth_name = Arthur Nicholas Winston Soames | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1948|2|12|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Croydon]], [[Surrey]], England | party = [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative]]{{efn|Whip suspended from 3 September 2019 to 29 October 2019.}} | otherparty = | spouse = {{plainlist| * {{marriage|Catherine Weatherall<br />|1981|1988|end=div}} * {{marriage|Serena Smith <br />|1993}} }} | children = 3 | parents = [[Christopher Soames]]<br />[[Mary Churchill]] | relatives = [[Winston Churchill]] (grandfather)<br /> [[Emma Soames]] (sister)<br />[[Rupert Soames]] (brother) | alma_mater = [[Mons Officer Cadet School]] | website = {{url|nicholassoames.org.uk|Official website}} | education = [[Eton College]] | allegiance = United Kingdom | branch = [[British Army]] | serviceyears = 1967β1975 | rank = [[Second lieutenant]] | unit = [[11th Hussars]]<br />[[Royal Hussars]] | footnotes = {{notelist}} }} '''Arthur Nicholas Winston Soames, Baron Soames of Fletching''', {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|sep=,|PC}} (born 12 February 1948) is a British [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservative Party]] politician who served as the [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]] (MP) for [[Mid Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Sussex]] from [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]] to [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019]], having previously served as the MP for [[Crawley (UK Parliament constituency)|Crawley]] from [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]] to 1997. Soames was [[Minister of State for the Armed Forces]] from 1994 to 1997 in the government of [[John Major]]. He had the [[2019 suspension of rebel Conservative MPs|whip removed on 3 September 2019]], for voting against the government, before it was restored on 29 October. His main political interests are [[defense (military)|defence]], [[international relations]], [[Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs|rural affairs]] and [[Industrial sector|industry]]. He is a grandson of former prime minister [[Winston Churchill]]. ==Early life, education and military service== Soames was born in 1948 in [[Croydon]], [[Surrey]], the eldest son of Sir [[Christopher Soames]] and Dame [[Mary Soames|Mary (nΓ©e Spencer-Churchill) Soames]]. He is a grandson of the former British [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]] [[Winston Churchill]], and a grandnephew of [[Lady Baden-Powell]], World Chief Guide, the wife of the founder of the [[Scout movement]], [[Lord Baden-Powell]]. Industrialist [[Rupert Soames]] is Soames's brother, and journalist [[Emma Soames]] is a sister. [[Simon Hoggart]], writing in ''[[The Guardian]]'', related an anecdote of Soames' childhood: "He gave me the true version of what I had always suspected was an apocryphal story. In or around 1953, when Soames was five, he didn't know how important his grandfather was until someone told him. So he walked up to the old man's bedroom, managed to get past the valets and the secretaries, and found him sitting up in bed. 'Is it true, grandpapa, that you are the greatest man in the world?' he asked. 'Yes, I am,' said Churchill. 'Now bugger off.'"<ref>{{cite news |last=Hoggart |first=Simon |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/jun/04/election2001.politicalcolumnists |title=Hats off to Soames, Off Message but on Majestic Form |work=[[The Guardian]] |date=4 June 2001}}</ref> After attending [[St. Aubyns Preparatory School]] in Sussex, Soames received his [[secondary education]] at [[Eton College]]. Later he studied at [[Mons Officer Cadet School]] before being commissioned into the [[11th Hussars]] on 5 August 1967 on a Short Service Commission before serving in [[West Germany]] and Britain with the 11th Hussars and later the [[Royal Hussars]].<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=44430 |date=17 October 1967 |page=11267 |supp=y}}</ref> Soames was transferred to [[Regular Army Reserve of Officers]] on 9 March 1970 before resigning his commission on 5 August 1975.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue=45055 |date=6 March 1970 |page=2846 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{London Gazette |issue=46651 |date=5 August 1975 |page=9952 |supp=y}}</ref> ==Early career== In 1970, he was appointed [[equerry]] to [[Charles, Prince of Wales]] (now Charles III); he has remained a close friend of the King ever since,<ref>{{cite web |title=Among friends: Inside the new King and Queen Consort's inner circle |url=https://www.tatler.com/gallery/king-charles-iii-camilla-queen-consort-best-friends-inner-circle |website=Tatler |date=15 September 2022 |access-date=15 October 2022}}</ref> and publicly criticised [[Diana, Princess of Wales]], during the couple's estrangement. When Diana first accused the Prince of Wales of [[adultery]] with [[Camilla Parker Bowles]], Soames told the [[BBC]] that the accusation, and Diana's fear of being slandered by her husband's courtiers, stemmed merely from Diana's mental illness, and "the advanced stages of [[paranoia]]".<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rqbcZOgGHjoC |title=The Windsor knot |author=Christopher Wilson |access-date=17 January 2012 |isbn=9780806523866 |year=2003|publisher=Citadel Press }}</ref> Charles later admitted his adultery and Soames apologised. In 1972, he left Kensington Palace and the army to work as a [[stockbroker]]. In 1974, he became a personal assistant; first to [[Sir James Goldsmith]] and then in 1976 to [[United States Senate|United States Senator]] [[Mark Hatfield]], whose employ he left in 1978 to become a [[board of directors|director]] of Bland Welch, [[Lloyd's]] Brokers. Between 1979 and 1981, he was an assistant director of the Sedgwick Group.{{citation needed|date=May 2010}} He fought [[Central Dunbartonshire]] in Scotland in [[1979 United Kingdom general election|1979]], where [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]]'s [[Hugh McCartney]] defeated him by 12,003 votes. ==Parliamentary career== Soames was elected as the MP for [[Crawley (UK Parliament constituency)|Crawley]] at the [[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983 general election]]. He sat for Crawley until the [[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997 general election]] (when [[Labour Party (UK)|Labour]] defeated the Conservatives in Crawley). In the 1997 election, he retained the constituency of [[Mid Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Sussex]] for the Conservatives after [[Tim Renton]] stood down at the election, and Soames remained the seat's MP from then until Parliament was dissolved in November 2019. He served as a [[Parliamentary secretary]] at the [[Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food]] between 1992 and 1994, as [[Minister of State for the Armed Forces]] at the [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] under Prime Minister [[John Major]] between 1994 and 1997, and later as the [[Official Opposition Shadow Cabinet (UK)|Shadow]] [[Secretary of State for Defence]] from 2003 to 2005. In 2002 he was appointed to the parliamentary committee considering the future [[Hunting Act 2004]] that banned hunting with dogs, a policy which he opposed.<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=Hunt Bill fight for MP |url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/6745834.Hunt_Bill_fight_for_MP/?ref=arc |work=The Argus |date=20 December 2002 |access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Hunting Bill Speeches β Nicholas Soames|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/search/?q=hunting+bill&pid=10555|access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref> On 9 May 2005, shortly after [[Michael Howard]] announced his intention to resign as leader of the Conservative Party, Soames resigned from the shadow cabinet.{{cn|date=January 2021}} With [[Frank Field, Baron Field of Birkenhead|Frank Field]] he is a co-chairman of the Cross-Party Group on Balanced Migration,<ref>{{cite web|title=Balanced Migration: About Us |url=http://www.balancedmigration.org/about-us/ |website=balancedmigration.org |access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref> and has advocated in parliament<ref>{{cite web|title=Immigration Speeches β Nicholas Soames|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/search/?q=immigration§ion=debates&pid=10555#n4 |website=theyworkforyou.com|access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref> and in the media that immigration to and emigration from the UK should be brought into balance.<ref>{{cite web|title='This open-door immigration policy can't go on' β Sir Nicholas Soames and Frank Field in The Telegraph |url=http://www.balancedmigration.org/2016/01/this-open-door-immigration-policy-cant-go-on-sir-nicholas-soames-and-frank-field-in-the-telegraph/|website=balancedmigration.org |date=25 January 2016 |access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref> In parliament he has also spoken in favour of the introduction of a national [[identity card]] scheme<ref name=nsoamesidcard1>{{cite web|title=Identity Card Speeches β Nicholas Soames|url=https://www.theyworkforyou.com/search/?q=identity+card§ion=debates&pid=10555#n4|access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref> and advocated them in the national media.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/law-and-order/12041463/ID-cards-are-a-good-idea-and-now-is-the-time-to-talk-about-them.html|title=ID cards are a good idea β and now is the time to talk about them|work=The Telegraph |location= London |date=10 Dec 2015 |access-date=30 October 2018}}</ref> [[File:Unveiling.Winged.Lion.Prague.2014.pic2.jpg|thumb|Soames with former [[Non-British personnel in the RAF during the Battle of Britain|Czechoslovak RAF members]] in [[Prague]], Czech Republic, June 2014]] Soames was opposed to [[Brexit]] prior to the [[2016 EU membership referendum]].<ref name="thespectatorwhichtorympsbackbrexit">{{cite news |last1=Goodenough |first1=Tom |title=Which Tory MPs back Brexit, who doesn't and who is still on the fence? |url=http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/02/which-tory-mps-back-brexit-who-doesnt-and-who-is-still-on-the-fence/ |access-date=11 October 2016 |work=The Spectator |location=London |date=16 February 2016 |archive-date=3 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170203120144/http://blogs.spectator.co.uk/2016/02/which-tory-mps-back-brexit-who-doesnt-and-who-is-still-on-the-fence/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> In an interview before the referendum he described himself as a [[One Nation Tory]] on the soft right of the party, and compared Brexiteers to 'a growling Alsatian that must be kicked really hard in the balls'.<ref>{{cite web |title=Interview: Nicholas Soames compares Brexiteers to an Alsatian that must be kicked "really hard in the balls" |url=https://www.conservativehome.com/highlights/2016/03/interview-nicholas-soames-compares-brexiteers-to-an-alsatian-that-must-be-kicked-really-hard-in-the-balls.html |website=conservativehome.com |date=March 22, 2016 |access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref> In April 2019, Soames condemned the United States for [[United States recognition of the Golan Heights as part of Israel|recognizing]] Israel's 1981 [[Golan Heights Law|annexation]] of the [[Golan Heights]]. Soames said it was "a matter of the greatest regret that our allies, the United States, are in clear contravention of [[UN Resolution 497]]", adding that "annexation of territory is prohibited under international law."<ref>{{cite news |title=Jeremy Hunt condemns Trump's recognition of Golan Heights as Israeli |url=https://jewishnews.timesofisrael.com/jeremy-hunt-condemns-trumps-recognition-of-golan-heights-as-israeli/ |work=Jewish News Reporter |date=2 April 2019}}</ref> Soames endorsed [[Rory Stewart]] during the [[2019 Conservative Party leadership election|2019 Conservative leadership election]].<ref>{{cite news |last1=Soames |first1=Nicholas |title=Nicholas Soames MP: Only Rory Stewart can sort Brexit, unite our Party and restore Britain to a position of respect in the world |url=https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/conservative-party/opinion/house-commons/104454/nicholas-soames-mp-only |access-date=17 June 2019 |work=[[PoliticsHome]] |date=10 June 2019}}</ref> ===Allegations of sexism=== According to the book ''Women in Parliament'' published in 2005, Soames has been named as the most prolific source of vulgar and sexist comments in the Houses of Parliament, with several female MPs stating that he has made vulgar comments to them. Soames regarded the claims as 'nonsense'. <ref>{{cite web |last1=Tweedie |first1=Neil |title=Female MPs round on 'sexist' Soames |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1497730/Female-MPs-round-on-sexist-Soames.html |website=The Telegraph |date=6 September 2005 |publisher=Telegraph Media Group |access-date=19 June 2020}}</ref> [[Barbara Follett (politician)|Barbara Follett]] said in 2007 that Soames was the worst of the sexist MPs in parliament.<ref>{{cite news |last=Cooke |first=Rachel |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2062612,00.html |title=Oh babe, just look at us now |work=[[The Observer]] |location=London |date=23 April 2007 |access-date=17 January 2012}}</ref> On 31 January 2017, Soames made 'woofing' noises at [[Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh]] when she was asking the foreign secretary, [[Boris Johnson]], a question in the House of Commons. Ahmed-Sheikh called a [[point of order]] to bring the [[Speaker of the House of Commons (United Kingdom)|speaker]]'s attention to the noises.<ref name="BBC woof">{{cite web |title=Tory MP Soames sorry for 'woofing' at Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-38801422 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=31 January 2017 |date=31 January 2017}}</ref> [[John Bercow]], the speaker, described the noises as "discourteous and that expression should not be used", and Soames was asked to apologise.<ref name="huff woof">{{cite web |last1=Gill |first1=Martha |title=Nicholas Soames Says He Made 'Woof Woof' Noises At Female MP As 'Friendly Canine Salute' |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/nicholas-soames-says-he-made-woof-woof-noises-at-female-mp-as-friendly-canine-salute_uk_588f8226e4b03ab749dd65f6 |website=Huffington Post UK |access-date=31 January 2017 |date=31 January 2017}}</ref> He did so, saying he was only offering her a "friendly canine salute" in reply to her "snapped" question.<ref name="BBC woof" /> ===Removal and restoration of whip=== {{Main|2019 suspension of rebel Conservative MPs}} On 3 September 2019, Soames joined 20 other rebel Conservative MPs to vote against the Conservative government of [[Boris Johnson]] and pass a motion allowing backbenchers to take control of the House of Commons timetable in order to pass a bill to stop a [[No-deal Brexit|no-deal exit]] from the EU without parliamentary approval. Effectively, they helped block Johnson's Brexit plan from proceeding on 31 October.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/09/04/parliament-whip-removed/ |title=Boris Johnson to strip 21 Tory MPs of the Tory whip in parliamentary bloodbath |first=Anna |last=Mikhailova|date=4 September 2019 |access-date=9 September 2019 |via=www.telegraph.co.uk |newspaper=The Telegraph}}</ref> Subsequently, all 21 were advised that they had lost the Conservative whip,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/newsbeat-49578000 |title=What is removing the whip, filibustering and other Brexit jargon? |website=BBC Newsbeat |date=4 September 2019 |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref> expelling them as Conservative MPs, requiring them to sit as independents.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/principal/whips/ |title=Whips |website=Parliament.uk |access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/03/boris-johnson-suffers-commons-defeat-as-tories-turn-against-him|title=Boris Johnson to seek election after rebel Tories deliver Commons defeat|access-date=4 September 2019}}</ref> If Soames had decided to stand for re-election in a future election, the party would have blocked his selection as a Conservative candidate.<ref>[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2019/09/04/parliament-whip-removed/ The Daily Telegraph] Boris Johnson to strip 21 Tory MPs of the Tory whip in parliamentary bloodbath</ref> Soames announced that he would not be standing in the [[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019 general election]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-politics-49574291/brexit-winston-churchill-s-grandson-to-have-whip-removed |title=Churchill's grandson to have whip removed |work=BBC News}}</ref> On 29 October, [[Boris Johnson]] restored the whip for him and 9 other MPs.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-50228946 |title=PM readmits 10 Brexit rebels to Tory party |date=29 October 2019 |work=BBC News |access-date=29 October 2019}}</ref> == Other political positions == After the [[World Central Kitchen aid convoy attack]] that killed seven aid workers in April 2024, he called for the British government to stop selling weapons to Israel.<ref>{{cite web|title= Tory peer Nicholas Soames joins calls for UK to stop arming Israel|url= https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2024/apr/04/tory-peer-nicholas-soames-joins-calls-for-uk-to-stop-arming-israel|website=The Guardian|access-date=4 April 2024}}</ref> He also urged the government to [[International recognition of Palestine|recognise Palestine as a sovereign state]] based on the 1967 borders and described the UK as a "midwife at the birth of Israel".<ref>{{cite web|title= Winston Churchill's grandson urges Britain to recognise Palestinian state|url= https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/winston-churchills-grandson-urges-britain-recognise-palestinian-state|website=Middle East Eye|access-date= 18 March 2025}}</ref> ==Inheritance tax relief== In one edition of ''[[The Mark Thomas Comedy Product]]'', [[Mark Thomas]] investigated the practice of avoiding inheritance tax by declaring art, furniture, homes and land available for public viewing. After discovering that Soames was claiming tax relief on a "three-tier mahogany buffet with partially reeded slender balustrade upright supports" on this basis, but without making any arrangements for the furniture to be inspected by the public, Thomas invented a 'National Soames Day' on which hundreds of people made appointments to see the furniture.<ref name="BBC 31 October 2006">{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/wales/6102120.stm |title=Wales@Westminster newslog |last=Cornock |first=David |date=31 October 2006 |work=BBC News |access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="The Independent 31 October 2015">{{cite news |last=Jacques |first=Adam |title=Mark Thomas interview: The social-activist comedian talks opera, charity shops, and Nicholas Soames |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/mark-thomas-interview-the-social-activist-comedian-talks-opera-charity-shops-and-nicholas-soames-a6714471.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220619/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/mark-thomas-interview-the-social-activist-comedian-talks-opera-charity-shops-and-nicholas-soames-a6714471.html |archive-date=19 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |date=31 October 2015 |work=[[The Independent]] |location=London |access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref> In 2015, Thomas told ''[[The Independent]]'''s Adam Jacques: "I try to find the good in my enemies. It's not unusual to be able to get on with people despite what they are doing being awful. The only person I have met who I considered to be without any redeeming features was [...] Nicholas Soames. [...] He was such a pantomime baddie."<ref name="The Independent 31 October 2015"/> ==Aegis Defence Services== Soames was chairman<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aegisworld.com/index.php/new2/about-us-2/management2 |title=Management |publisher=Aegisworld.com |access-date=30 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724052950/http://www.aegisworld.com/index.php/new2/about-us-2/management2 |archive-date=24 July 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.aegisworld.com/index.php/new2/about-us-2/management2 |title=www.aegisworld.com |publisher=www.aegisworld.com |access-date=30 July 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130724052950/http://www.aegisworld.com/index.php/new2/about-us-2/management2 |archive-date=24 July 2013 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> of the private security contractor [[Aegis Defence Services]] which was bought<ref>{{cite news |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |title=GardaWorld announces Aegis Group purchase |url=https://www.canadiansecuritymag.com/news/industry-news/gardaworld-announces-aegis-group-purchase |work=Canadian Security |date=14 July 2015 |access-date=31 October 2018 }}{{Dead link|date=January 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> in 2015 by [[GardaWorld]], for whom he now acts as a member of the International Advisory Board. Aegis had a series of contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars to provide guards to protect US military bases in Iraq from 2004 onwards. From 2011, the company broadened its recruitment to take in African countries, having previously employed people from the UK, the US and Nepal. Contract documents say that the soldiers from Sierra Leone were paid $16 (Β£11) a day. A documentary, ''The Child Soldier's New Job'', broadcast in Denmark, alleges that the estimated 2,500 Sierra Leonean personnel who were recruited by Aegis and other private security companies to work in Iraq included former child soldiers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Ross |first=Alice |title=UK firm 'employed former child soldiers' as mercenaries in Iraq |url=https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/apr/17/uk-firm-employed-former-child-soldiers-as-mercenaries-in-iraq |work=The Guardian |date=17 April 2016 |access-date=23 May 2016}}</ref> ==Other outside interests== He was a director of the liquidated company Framlington Second Dual Trust plc.<ref>{{cite web|title=FRAMLINGTON SECOND DUAL TRUST PLC β OFFICERS |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03739055/officers |website=beta.companieshouse.gov.uk |access-date=31 October 2018}}</ref> Soames is listed as a director of The Amber Foundation.<ref>{{Cite web|title=THE AMBER FOUNDATION β Overview (free company information from Companies House)|url=https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03004111|access-date=2021-03-30|website=find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk|language=en}}</ref> He was invited to ride in the King's procession at Royal Ascot 2023.<ref>{{cite web |title=Ascot Racecourse on Twitter |url=https://twitter.com/Ascot/status/1671835930091552770?s=20 |website=Twitter |access-date=29 June 2023}}</ref> Soames also has a position as a senior advisor at Francis Maude Associates, a consultancy set up by [[Francis Maude]].<ref>{{cite web| url = https://fma.com/our-team/nicholas-soames| title = Nicholas Soames| website = Francis Maude Associates| access-date = 2023-09-20}}</ref> He was an honorary colonel of the C (Kent and Sharpshooters Yeomanry) Squadron [[The Royal Yeomanry]] until 5 October 2023.<ref>{{London Gazette |issue= 64214 |date= 31 October 2023 |page= 21847 |supp= y}}</ref> ==Political funding== Mid Sussex Conservative Constituency Association has received over Β£1 million in donations, with Soames receiving well over Β£100,000 from [[private military company]] Aegis Defence Services Ltd from 2010 onwards.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.searchthemoney.com/profile/561/194 |title=searchthemoney.com |website=Searchthemoney.com |access-date=1 April 2016 |archive-date=13 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413130536/http://www.searchthemoney.com/profile/561/194 |url-status=dead }}</ref> US multinational professional services, risk management and insurance brokerage firm Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc has given Soames Β£518,069 since 2010 in remunerations for his services as an MP.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.searchthemoney.com/profile/561/188 |title=searchthemoney.com |website=Searchthemoney.com |access-date=1 April 2016 |archive-date=13 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160413150231/http://www.searchthemoney.com/profile/561/188 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Soames has also received private donations from a variety of people, including Β£5,749 from Majlis As Shura, Β£10,000 from David Rowland, and Β£20,000 from Ann R. Said.<ref>[http://www.searchthemoney.com/profile/561?p2=2#tabsx-3 Donations to Soames] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029194924/http://www.searchthemoney.com/profile/561?p2=2#tabsx-3 |date=29 October 2013 }}, Searchthemoney.com; accessed 16 June 2014.</ref> ==Meeting with Robert Mugabe== In October 2017, Soames was criticised by Labour MP [[Kate Hoey]] following a meeting with [[President of Zimbabwe|President]] [[Robert Mugabe]] while visiting [[Zimbabwe]].<ref name=BBC>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-41551096 |work=BBC News |title=Sir Nicholas Soames: Robert Mugabe meeting was 'purely personal' |date=9 October 2017}}</ref> Zimbabwean media reported that the visit was "part of a private initiative of friends of Zimbabwe in the British establishment" to normalise relations between the two countries.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.herald.co.zw/president-reflects-on-soames-visit |work=[[The Herald (Zimbabwe)]] |title=President reflects on Soames visit |first=Felex |last=Share |date=6 October 2017 |access-date=10 October 2017}}</ref> Hoey, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Zimbabwe, said that Soames' visit "pander[ed] to the vanity of a wily and ruthless dictator. [...] You can't have a private visit which is then front page of the newspapers in Zimbabwe."<ref name=BBC/> In response, Soames maintained that he had met Mugabe in a personal capacity, rather than as a representative of Her Majesty's Government. He said that his father, [[Christopher Soames, Baron Soames|Lord Soames]], who had overseen [[Southern Rhodesia]]'s transition to independence as Zimbabwe, would not have forgiven him if he had not tried to meet the President.<ref name=BBC/> ==Peerage== It was announced on 14 October 2022, that as part of the [[2022 Political Honours]], Soames would be appointed a life peer.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Political Peerages 2022 |url=https://www.gov.uk/government/news/political-peerages-2022 |date=14 October 2022|access-date=15 October 2022|website=GOV.UK |language=en}}</ref> On 28 October 2022, he was created '''Baron Soames of Fletching''', ''of Fletching in the County of East Sussex''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crown Office {{!}} The Gazette |url=https://www.thegazette.co.uk/notice/4196448 |access-date=1 November 2022|website=www.thegazette.co.uk}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://members.parliament.uk/member/116/career|title=Lord Soames of Fletching |website=MPs and Lords |publisher=UK Parliament |access-date=31 October 2022}}</ref> ==Personal life== ===Family=== Soames has been married twice. On 4 June 1981, he married Catherine Weatherall (b. 1956) (sister of [[Percy Weatherall]] and Isobel, [[Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne]]) at [[St Margaret's, Westminster]]. [[Charles III|The Prince of Wales]] served as best man and the wedding was attended by [[The Queen Mother]], [[Princess Margaret]] and [[Lady Diana Spencer]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Soames Wedding |date=23 May 2019 |url=https://www.gettyimages.ca/detail/news-photo/nicholas-soames-and-catherine-weatherall-pose-with-their-news-photo/1151177289}}</ref> They had one son before divorcing in 1988: * Arthur Harry David Soames (b. May 1985)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/officers/Z_arh6fuCQVYHunIffEQVAE4AV8/appointments |title=Harry David SOAMES β Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House) |website=beta.companieshouse.gov.uk}}</ref> His second marriage was on 21 December 1993 to Serena Smith (a niece of [[Fortune FitzRoy, Duchess of Grafton|The Duchess of Grafton]] and daughter of [[John Smith (Conservative politician)|Sir John Smith]]). They have two children: * Isabella Soames (b. 28 November 1996) * Christopher Soames (b. 11 January 2001) His brother, [[Rupert Soames]], is the CEO of outsourcing company [[Serco]]. ===Driving offences=== On 15 May 2008, Soames pleaded guilty to riding a [[quad bike]] on a public road without motor insurance. Since he had several previous offences on his licence, he was disqualified from driving for two months, fined Β£200, and ordered to pay a Β£15 [[victim surcharge]] and costs of Β£35 by magistrates.<ref>{{cite news |last=Macintyre |first=James |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/illegal-ride-on-a-quad-bike-lands-soames-with-a-driving-ban-828292.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220619/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/illegal-ride-on-a-quad-bike-lands-soames-with-a-driving-ban-828292.html |archive-date=19 June 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |title=Illegal ride on a quad bike lands Soames with a driving ban |work=The Independent |location=London |date=15 May 2008 |access-date=17 January 2012}}</ref> In 2012, he was disqualified from driving for a fortnight for speeding at 51 mph in a 30 mph residential area. Soames was also fined Β£666, plus Β£85 court costs and a Β£15 victim surcharge.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/nicholas-soames-conservative-mps-boast-1401550 |title="It won't affect me": Tory grandee's boast after he's banned after third speeding offence in four years |work=Daily Mirror |location=London |date=27 October 2012 |access-date=30 July 2013}}</ref> According to ''[[The Argus (Brighton)|The Argus]]'', a Sussex paper, it was "the third time he has been caught flouting traffic laws in four years".<ref name=argus>{{cite news|url=https://www.theargus.co.uk/news/10010379.anti-speed-sussex-mp-tells-of-shame-at-totting-ban/|work=The Argus|title='Anti-speed' Sussex MP tells of shame at totting ban|first=Bill|last=Gardner|date=26 October 2012|access-date=13 September 2022}}</ref> ==Honours== {{Expand list|date=February 2021}} * {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} On 13 July 2011, Soames was sworn of the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]].<ref name="O13Jul11">{{cite web|url=http://privycouncil.independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/orders-13july2011.pdf|title=Privy Council Office β Orders for 13 July 2011|access-date=17 January 2012}}</ref> This gave him the [[Style (form of address)|honorific prefix]] "[[the Right Honourable]]" for life. * {{flagicon|United Kingdom}} He was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] in the [[2014 Birthday Honours]] for political service.<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=60895|date=14 June 2014 |page=b2 |supp=y}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-27838256|title=Three veteran MPs honoured by Queen|work=BBC News|date=13 June 2014}}</ref> == Arms == {{Infobox COA wide |image = [[File:Coronet of a British Baron.svg|centre|150px]][[File:Soames Escutcheon.png|centre|200px]] |escutcheon = Gules a chevron Or between in chief two mallets erect of the second and in base two wings conjoined in lure Argent. |crest = In front of a rising sun Proper upon a lure Gules feathered Argent fesswise a falcon belled Or. |motto = Vilius Virtutibus Aurum<ref>{{cite book|title=Debrett's Peerage |date=1985}}{{full short|date=March 2021}}</ref>}} ==References== {{reflist|30em}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} *[http://www.nicholassoames.org.uk Nicholas Soames MP β official constituency website] *{{UK MP links|parliament=nicholas-soames/116|hansard=hon-nicholas-soames|hansardcurr=752|guardian=4889/nicholas-soames|publicwhip=Nicholas_Soames|theywork=nicholas_soames|record=Nicholas-Soames/Mid-Sussex/612|bbc=25208.stm|journalisted=nicholas-soames}} *{{C-SPAN|47459}} *[http://www.theargus.co.uk/news/9527740.Sussex_MP_paid___220_000_for_four_extra_jobs/?ref=fbrec Sussex MP paid Β£220,000 for four extra jobs], theargus.co.uk; accessed 16 June 2014. {{s-start}} {{s-par|uk}} {{s-new|constituency}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Crawley (UK Parliament constituency)|Crawley]]|years=[[1983 United Kingdom general election|1983]]β[[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]]}} {{s-aft|after=[[Laura Moffatt]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Tim Renton]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]<br />for [[Mid Sussex (UK Parliament constituency)|Mid Sussex]]|years=[[1997 United Kingdom general election|1997]]β[[2019 United Kingdom general election|2019]]}} {{s-aft|after=[[Mims Davies]]}} |- {{s-off}} {{s-bef|before=[[Jeremy Hanley]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Minister of State for the Armed Forces]]|years=1994β1997}} {{s-aft|after=[[John Reid, Baron Reid of Cardowan|John Reid]]}} |- {{s-bef|before=[[Bernard Jenkin]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Shadow Secretary of State for Defence]]|years=2003β2005}} {{s-aft|after=[[Michael Ancram|The Marquess of Lothian]]}} |- {{s-prec|uk}} {{s-bef|before=[[Simon Murray, Baron Murray of Blidworth|The Lord Murray of Blidworth]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[Orders of precedence in the United Kingdom|Gentlemen]]'''<br />''Baron Soames of Fletching'' '''}} {{s-fol|after=[[Sonny Leong, Baron Leong|The Lord Leong]]}} {{s-end}} {{Shadow Defence Secretaries}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Soames, Nicholas}} [[Category:1948 births]] [[Category:11th Hussars officers]] [[Category:English stockbrokers]] [[Category:Children of peers and peeresses created life peers]] [[Category:Conservative Party (UK) MPs for English constituencies]] [[Category:Independent members of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:English people of American descent]] [[Category:Graduates of the Mons Officer Cadet School]] [[Category:Knights Bachelor]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Members of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:People educated at Eton College]] [[Category:People educated at St. Aubyns School]] [[Category:People from Croydon]] [[Category:Soames family|Nicholas]] [[Category:UK MPs 1983β1987]] [[Category:UK MPs 1987β1992]] [[Category:UK MPs 1992β1997]] [[Category:UK MPs 1997β2001]] [[Category:UK MPs 2001β2005]] [[Category:UK MPs 2005β2010]] [[Category:UK MPs 2010β2015]] [[Category:UK MPs 2015β2017]] [[Category:UK MPs 2017β2019]] [[Category:UK MPs who were granted peerages]] [[Category:Conservative Party (UK) life peers|Soames of Fletching]] [[Category:Equerries]] [[Category:Sons of life peers]] [[Category:Life peers created by Charles III|Soames of Fletching]] [[Category:Family of Winston Churchill]]
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