Nicholas True, Baron True

Nicholas Edward True, Baron True, CBE, PC (born 31 July 1951), is a British Conservative politician serving as Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal since September 2022. He has been a member of the House of Lords since 2011.

Quick Facts Leader of the House of Lords Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal, Prime Minister ...

The Right Honourable The Lord True CBE PC
Official portrait, 2022
Leader of the House of Lords Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 September 2022
Prime Minister	Liz Truss Rishi Sunak
Preceded by	The Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
Minister of State at the Cabinet Office
In office 14 February 2020 – 6 September 2022
Prime Minister	Boris Johnson
Preceded by	David Laws[lower-alpha 1]
Succeeded by	The Baroness Neville-Rolfe
Leader of the Richmond upon Thames Council
In office 7 May 2010 – 4 July 2017
Preceded by	Serge Lourie
Succeeded by	Paul Hodgins
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 January 2011 Life Peerage
Richmond upon Thames Councillor for East Sheen Ward
In office 7 May 1998 – 3 May 2018
Preceded by	Grose S.
Succeeded by	Brian Anthony Marcel
In office 8 May 1986 – 3 May 1990
Preceded by	B. Semmens
Succeeded by	Baden-Powell K. Ms.
Personal details
Born	(1951-07-31) 31 July 1951 (age 72)
Nationality	British
Political party	Conservative
Spouse	Anne-Marie Elena Kathleen Blanco Hood ​ ​ (m. 1979)​
Children	3
Education	Nottingham High School
Alma mater	Peterhouse, Cambridge

Close

True was born on 31 July 1951 to Edward Thomas True and Kathleen Louise True (née Mather). He was educated at Nottingham High School and Peterhouse, Cambridge, from which he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in 1973; as per tradition, his BA was promoted to a Master of Arts (MA Cantab) in 1978.^[1]

True worked in the Conservative Research Department from 1975 to 1982, also serving as assistant to the Deputy Leader of the Conservative Party from 1978 to 1982. He was special adviser to Norman Fowler, Secretary of State for Health and Social Security from 1982 to 1986. He then moved to be Director of the Public Policy Unit from 1986 to 1990. He was Deputy Head of the Prime Minister's Policy Unit from 1991 to 1995, before becoming special adviser within the Prime Minister's Office in 1997, until the general election of that year. In his memoirs the former Prime Minister John Major says that True was his favourite speechwriter. He was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 1993 New Year Honours.^[2]

True served as private secretary to the Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords and Director of the Opposition Whips' Office there from 1997 to 2010. On 23 December 2010 he was created a life peer as Baron True, of East Sheen in the County of Surrey.^[3]

In June 2021, he announced plans for the Platinum Jubilee Civic Honours in the House of Lords.^[4]

Public office

He was a Conservative councillor in the London Borough of Richmond-upon-Thames from 1986 to 1990 and again from 1998 to 2018. He served as Leader of the Council from 2010 to 2017, having previously served as Deputy Leader from 2002 to 2006 and Leader of the Opposition from 2006 to 2010.

He has been, since 2006, a trustee of the Richmond Civic Trust, and since 1996 a trustee of Sir Harold Hood's Charitable Trust. He served the Olga Havel Foundation in the same capacity from 1990 to 1994.

In February 2020 True was made a Minister of State at the Cabinet Office.

On 6 September 2022, Liz Truss promoted him to Cabinet and appointed him Leader of the House of Lords.^[5]

On 13 September 2022, he was sworn-in as a Member of the Privy Council of the United Kingdom.^[6]

In 1979 he married Anne-Marie Elena Kathleen Blanco, daughter of Robin Adrian Hood, director of CAFOD from 1977 to 1982, and granddaughter of the businessman and Conservative politician Sir Joseph Hood, 1st Baronet.^[7] They have two sons and one daughter.