Philip Norton, Baron Norton of Louth, (born 5 March 1951), is an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy ...

and

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

peer. He has been described as "the United Kingdom's greatest living expert on Parliament" and "a world authority on constitutional issues."

Education

The son of George Ernest Norton, Philip Norton was educated at King Edward VI Grammar School in

Louth Louth may refer to: Australia * Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia * Louth, New South Wales, a town * Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia ** Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality Canada * Louth, Ontario Ireland * C ...

, where he now sits as a governor and Warden of the School. He graduated from the

University of Sheffield , mottoeng = To discover the causes of things , established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions: – Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield , type = P ...

with the degree of

Bachelor of Arts Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

and later as a Doctor of Philosophy, and, after winning a Thouron Award, from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (also known as Penn or UPenn) is a private research university in Philadelphia. It is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and is ranked among the highest-regarded universiti ...

with a

Master of Arts A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...

Career

Norton is a professor of government in the Department of Politics and International Studies at the University of Hull, and was head of the department from 2002 to 2007. Norton's early work is notable for having spearheaded the academic discussion on dissidence in the House of Commons with the publication of his first book in 1975. He was made a professor at the university in 1986, making him the UK's youngest professor of politics at the time at the age of 36. Since 1992 he has been the director of the Centre for Legislative Studies. Since 1988, Norton has been responsible for the university's "Westminster-Hull Internship Programme" (WHIP), a placement scheme which pairs students with some of the UK's top politicians. Norton is the founder and editor of '' The Journal of Legislative Studies'', most recently editing its 25th anniversary publication: ''The Impact of Legislatures: A Quarter-Century of The Journal of Legislative Studies''. He has also been the chair of the Conservative Academic Group since 2000. Lord Norton has also previously served as president of the British Politics Group in the US, and the Politics Association. Lord Norton chaired the Standards Committee of the City of Hull from 1999 to 2003. In 2016, he was made an Honorary Freeman of the City of Kingston-Upon-Hull. He was created a

life peer In the United Kingdom, life peers are appointed members of the peerage whose titles cannot be inherited, in contrast to hereditary peers. In modern times, life peerages, always created at the rank of baron, are created under the Life Peerages ...

with the title Baron Norton of Louth, of

in the County of Lincolnshire on 1 August 1998. In 2000 he chaired a commission for Leader of the Opposition

William Hague William is a male given name of Germanic origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conquest of E ...

to design ideas for the strengthening of the institution of Parliament, and from 2001 to 2004 he served as the first Conservative chairman of the

House of Lords The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminster i ...

Constitution Committee. Since 2013, Lord Norton has chaired the Higher Education Commission. In 2007, ''

The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fou ...

'' named him the 59th most influential person on the right of British politics. Norton has contributed t
Lords of the Blog
a collaborative

blog A blog (a truncation of "weblog") is a discussion or informational website published on the World Wide Web consisting of discrete, often informal diary-style text entries (posts). Posts are typically displayed in reverse chronological order ...

by members of the House of Lords for the purposes of public engagement. '' The Guardian'' has described him as "a new star of the blogosphere." He has been a

Fellow A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

of the Royal Society of Arts since 1995 and the

Royal Historical Society The Royal Historical Society, founded in 1868, is a learned society of the United Kingdom which advances scholarly studies of history. Origins The society was founded and received its royal charter in 1868. Until 1872 it was known as the Histori ...

since 2018. Lord Norton also has a personal blog in which he often cites some of the many evolving responsibilities he undertakes in political and academic circles. For example, Norton has served as co-chair of the Committee on Higher Education since 2012. He is convenor and co-founder of the Campaign for an Effective Second Chamber: a group which reinforces the utility of the

as a democratic institutio
Second Chamber ,
The campaign argues in favour of the experience and expertise of peers in delivering legislative amendments, scrutiny and effective debate, with recognition that such functions are, at present, fulfilled. The campaign disputes the creation of an elected House of Lords, due to the absence of basic accountability such a format would enabl
The Campaign , Second Chamber
Since 2020, Norton has served as the chair of The History of Parliament Trust and since 2019 has served as president of the Study of Parliament grou
Study of Parliament Group: Home Page
Lord Norton founded and organises the biennial Workshop of Parliamentary Scholars and Parliamentarians, which draws scholars and parliamentarians from around the world. Lord Norton has a quiz on the Lords of the Blog and also often has caption competitions on his personal blog. The Norton View attracts readership from around the world. Norton is an Ambassador for

Akt Protein kinase B (PKB), also known as Akt, is the collective name of a set of three serine/threonine-specific protein kinases that play key roles in multiple cellular processes such as glucose metabolism, apoptosis, cell proliferation, trans ...

, a charity that supports LGBTQ+ individuals aged 16–25 who are rendered homeless.

Arms

Norton was granted a coat of arms in 1998 upon his accession to the peerage.

Titles

* Philip Norton, Baron Norton of Louth * Professor The Lord Norton of Louth *

of the Royal Society of Arts, FRSA 1995 *

Academy of Social Sciences The Academy of Social Sciences is a representative body for social sciences in the United Kingdom. The Academy promotes social science through its sponsorship of the Campaign for Social Science, its links with Government on a variety of matters, ...

, FAcSS 2001 *

of the

, FRHistS 2018

Honorary academic degrees

* Hon LLD, Lincoln University, 2011 * Honorary Senior Fellow, Regent's University, 2019

Bibliography

*''Dissension in the House of Commons: Intra-party Dissent in the House of Commons' Division Lobbies, 1945–1974'', Macmillan, 1975, *''Conservative Dissidents: Dissent within the Parliamentary Conservative Party, 1970–1974'', Temple Smith, 1978, *''Dissension in the House of Commons 1974–1979'', Oxford University Press, 1980, *''The Commons in Perspective'', Longman, 1981, *''The Constitution in Flux'', Martin Robertson, 1982, *''The Political Science of British Politics'', (with Jack Hayward) Wheatsheaf Books, 1986, *''Politics UK'', (with Bill Jones) Taylor & Francis (Routledge), 1991 (1st ed.), 2018 (8th ed. with Bill Jones & Oliver Daddow), *''The British Polity'', Longman, 2000 (1st ed.), 2010 (5th ed.), *''Parliament in British Politics'', Palgrave Macmillan, 2005 (1st ed.), 2013 (2nd ed.) *''The Voice of the Backbenchers: The 1922 Committee: The first 90 years, 1923–2013'', Conservative History Group, 2013, *''Reform of the House of Lords'', Manchester University Press, 2017, *''Governing Britain: Parliament, ministers and our ambiguous constitution'', Manchester University Press, 2020,