Background
Atkins was born on 12 August 1922, in Chalfont Street Peter, Buckinghamshire, son of Captain Edward Davis Atkins and Violet Mary née Preston and lived in Kenya until the age of three.
Atkins was born on 12 August 1922, in Chalfont Street Peter, Buckinghamshire, son of Captain Edward Davis Atkins and Violet Mary née Preston and lived in Kenya until the age of three.
Atkins was educated at Wellington College, Berkshire, and served in the Royal Navy from 1940 to 1948.
He worked for Nairn"s, his wife"s family"s linoleum business in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, then became a director of a financial advertising agency. He became Member of Parliament for the Spelthorne in 1970. Atkins was a Conservative Chief Whip from 1973 to 1979, and served as a Secretary of State for Northern Ireland from 1979 to 1981.
On September 1981, he was appointed as Lord Privy Seal, which was a role as the chief government spokesman in the House of Commons for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs.
This role was necessary because the Foreign Secretary, Lord Carrington, sat in the House of Lords. He resigned in April 1982, along with Lord Carrington, over the Falklands invasion.
Atkins left the House of Commons in 1987 and was made a life peer as Baron Colnbrook of Waltham Street Lawrence in the County of Berkshire. Atkins died on 4 October 1996.
41st United Kingdom Parliament. 42nd United Kingdom Parliament. 43rd United Kingdom Parliament.
44th United Kingdom Parliament.
45th United Kingdom Parliament. 46th United Kingdom Parliament.
47th United Kingdom Parliament. 48th United Kingdom Parliament.
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He contested the constituency of West Lothian in 1951, and was elected as a Member of Parliament (Member of Parliament) for the Merton and Morden in 1955.