1934- . British Conservative politician, a
member of Parliament from 1977. He was
appointed chair of the Conservative Party by
Margaret Thatcher in 1987, and was made
Northern Ireland secretary in 1989. Brooke
was educated at Oxford and worked as a
management consultant in New York and
Brussels. The son of a former home secretary,
Lord Brooke of Cumnor, he became an MP in
1977 and entered Thatcher's government in
1979. Following a number of junior
appointments, he succeeded Norman Tebbit as
chair of the Conservative Party in 1987.
After an undistinguished two years in that
office, he succeeded Tom King as Northern
Ireland secretary in 1989. He aroused
criticism (and praise) for observing that at
some future time negotiations with the IRA
might take place.