Constitutional expert Lord St John of Fawsley dies at 82

As Norman St John-Stevas, he served in the government of Edward Heath as Minister for education and the arts and was a member of Margaret Thatcher’s first Cabinet as Leader of the Commons.

He was sacked by Lady Thatcher in 1981, as she began her clear-out of “wets” in her administration and was created a life peer in 1987.

During his brief Cabinet tenure, he made a lasting mark on the House of Commons by creating the select committee system, which allows panels of backbenchers to interrogate ministers and launch inquiries into issues of political controversy.

He was never what Mrs Thatcher termed “one of us”, opposing the harshness of her monetarist economic policies and reportedly coining the nickname “Tina” from the initials of her mantra “There is no alternative”.

After leaving government, he remained on the Tory backbenches, but also devoted himself to the worlds of academia and the arts, serving as chairman of the Royal Fine Art Commission and master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

He was a prolific author and a prominent Catholic, a chairman of Booker Prize judges and the editor of the definitive edition of the literary works of the Victorian constitutionalist Walter Bagehot.

A spokesman for his family said he died at his home in London on Friday after a short illness.

The Conservative Leader of the Lords, Lord Strathclyde, said: “He was a great parliamentarian and will be missed by all who knew him in both Houses of Parliament.”

Former Tory Cabinet minister Lord Heseltine said: “Norman was a friend of mine. We met first at Oxford University in 1951. We remained good friends throughout that time.

“He was a one-off, a very unusual character, combining intellect and academic talent with the realities of politics. He also had a great sense of humour.”

Lord Tebbit, another former Conservative Cabinet Minister, said: “He did a great deal as a clear and outspoken advocate in government for the arts.”

Educated at Ratcliffe and Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, Lord St John went on to postgraduate study at Christ Church in Oxford and Yale in the United States.

He was called to the bar in 1952 and also lectured in jurisprudence.

He entered Parliament in 1964 as MP for Chelmsford, retaining the seat until being made a peer in 1987.