Most of those who sat around Margaret Thatcher’s Cabinet table are now enjoying well-earned retirements, but Lord Hunt of Wirral goes unstoppably on. The Conservative peer, who combines charm with persuasive insistence, has wide influence: he sits on numerous insurance and financial services committees and is president or patron of more than 50 charities or voluntary organisations. Lord Hunt, 65, chaired the joint parliamentary committee that shaped the Legal Services Act, ironing out some of the proposals most unpalatable to the profession. Born in Liverpool, David Hunt studied law at Bristol and became a solicitor at one of the predecessor firms of Beachcroft Wansbroughs in 1965. He successfully stood as MP for Wirral in 1976 and remained in Parliament for 21 years, rising to become Minister for Local Government, Secretary of State for Wales and Secretary of State for Education. After leaving Cabinet in 1995, he became senior partner at Beachcroft and held the post for ten years. He was made a life peer in 1997.

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