Robert Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Ilminster

The Right Honourable
The Lord Armstrong of Ilminster
GCB CVO
Member of the House of Lords
Lord Temporal
Assumed office
26 February 1988
Life Peerage
Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister
In office
1970–1975
Prime Minister Edward Heath
Harold Wilson
Preceded by Alexander Isserlis
Succeeded by Kenneth Stowe
Permanent Secretary of the
Home Office
In office
1977–1979
Prime Minister James Callaghan
Preceded by Sir Arthur Peterson
Succeeded by Brian Cubbon
Cabinet Secretary
In office
1979–1987
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by Sir John Hunt
Succeeded by Sir Robin Butler
Head of the Home Civil Service
In office
1981–1987
Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher
Preceded by Sir Douglas Allen
Succeeded by Sir Robin Butler
Personal details
Born Robert Temple Armstrong
(1927-03-30) 30 March 1927
Nationality British
Political party Crossbench
Relations Sir Thomas Armstrong (father)

Robert Temple Armstrong, Baron Armstrong of Ilminster, GCB, CVO (30 March 1927 - ) is a British Lord Temporal and former civil servant.

Family

Armstrong was born in Headington on 30 March 1927, the only son of the musician Sir Thomas H. W. Armstrong and his wife Hester M. Draper, who were married in the City of London in Q2, 1926. His sister Helen was born in Exeter, Q3, 1930.[1]

Armstrong was educated at the Dragon School and then at Eton College, where he was a King's Scholar, following which he went up to Christ Church, Oxford, where he read Greats.

In Wantage, on 25 July, 1953, Armstrong married Serena Mary Benedicta Chance, daughter of Sir Roger James Ferguson Chance, 3rd Bt. and Mary Georgina Rowney. Armstrong and his wife have two daughters, both born in Marylebone, Jane Orlanda Armstrong, born 1954, and Teresa Brigid Armstrong, born 1957.[2] This marriage ended in divorce, and in 1985 he married Mary Patricia Carlow, daughter of Charles Cyril Carlow.

Career

In a long civil service career, Armstrong worked in several departments, including HM Treasury and the Home Office. From 1970 to 1975 he served as the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister. He was knighted in 1978. From 1979 to 1987, he served as Cabinet Secretary under Margaret Thatcher.[3]

Armstrong was appointed a Companion of the Order of the Bath (CB) in 1974,[4] a Commander of the Royal Victorian Order (CVO) in the 1975 Birthday Honours.[5] In the 1978 Birthday Honours he was promoted to Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB)[6] and to Knight Grand Cross (GCB) in the 1983 New Year Honours.[7]

He was created a life peer as Baron Armstrong of Ilminster, of Ashill in the County of Somerset on 26 February 1988,[8] and sits as a crossbencher.[9][10]

He is credited with bringing the phrase "economical with the truth" into popular usage, after he used it during the Spycatcher trial in 1986 – his use of the phrase was subsequently included in the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations.

From 1994 to 2006, Lord Armstrong was Chancellor of the University of Hull. He was chairman of the Sir Edward Heath Charitable Foundation until 2013.

Spycatcher trial

In 1986, Armstrong was the key witness for the British Government as it sought to suppress the publication of Spycatcher, in which it alleged its author, Peter Wright had attempted to disclose confidential information. At the time Wright was a retired high-ranking member of MI5 and was about to publish his book in Australia. The evidence given by Armstrong was widely ridiculed by the British press for its absurd ambiguity and seemingly deceptive nature. Wright's lawyer, Malcolm Turnbull, who later became the Prime Minister of Australia, was ultimately successful in lifting the publication ban. Turnbull described Armstrong as being like "Sir Humphrey Appleby" from Yes, Minister and said "If he is an honest man, then he appears rather like a well-educated mushroom".[11]

Allegations of child abuse cover-up

Armstrong was aware of Sir Peter Hayman's paedophilia, and since leaving office, has commented "Clearly, I was aware of it at the time but I was not concerned with the personal aspect of it.".[12]

Armstrong gave Margaret Thatcher what he calls a "veiled" warning not to sanction Jimmy Savile's knighthood for charitable work, due to allegations around his sexual abuse of children. [13]

Armstrong was warned by the security services in 1986 that an MP had 'a penchant for small boys'. But no action was taken and Armstrong, who refused to name the MP involved, insisted the allegations were just 'shadows of a rumour'. He said he believed the decision not to investigate the paedophile claims was 'correct at the time'. [14]

Armstrong has been portrayed by the following actors in film and television productions:

Bibliography

1997 - The Future of the National Art Library: A Pamphlet Concerning the Victoria and Albert Museum's Responsibility Towards the Documentation of the History of Art and Design

Styles of address and arms

Styles of address

  • 1927–1974: Mr Robert Armstrong
  • 1974–1975: Mr Robert Armstrong CB
  • 1975–1978: Mr Robert Armstrong CB CVO
  • 1978–1983: Sir Robert Armstrong KCB CVO
  • 1983–1988: Sir Robert Armstrong GCB CVO
  • 1988–: The Rt Hon. The Lord Armstrong of Ilminster GCB CVO

Arms

See also

References

  1. ↑ https://www.freebmd.org.uk
  2. ↑ https://www.freebmd.org.uk
  3. ↑ "Lord Armstrong of Ilminster : Political Biography – DodOnline". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  4. ↑ "No. 46254". The London Gazette (Supplement). 5 April 1974. p. 4396.
  5. ↑ "No. 46593". The London Gazette (Supplement). 14 June 1975. p. 7372.
  6. ↑ "No. 47549". The London Gazette (Supplement). 3 June 1978. p. 6231.
  7. ↑ "No. 49212". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 1982. p. 3.
  8. ↑ "No. 51259". The London Gazette. 3 March 1988. p. 2581.
  9. ↑ Lundy, Darryl. "p4448.htm". The Peerage. Archived from the original on 14 February 2010.
  10. ↑ Patrick Cracroft-Brennan. "The Roll of the Peerage – Life Peers – Barons". Web.archive.org. Archived from the original on 20 May 2005. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  11. ↑ see M. Turnbull, "The Spycatcher Trial" (1988).
  12. ↑ Hanning, James (1 February 2015). "Call for inquiry into links between senior civil servant Sir Peter Hayman and paedophile network in the 1980's". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015.
  13. ↑ Michael White (17 March 2015). "The Westminster child abuse 'coverup': how much did MPs know? | Politics". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 19 March 2017. Retrieved 18 March 2017.
  14. ↑ Allen, Vanessa; Ellicott, Claire (23 July 2015). "Mrs T's Cabinet chief defends failure to act over senior Tory". Daily Mail. London. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015.
Government offices
Preceded by
Alexander Isserlis		 Principal Private Secretary
to the Prime Minister
1970-1975		 Succeeded by
Sir Kenneth Stowe
Preceded by
Sir Arthur Peterson		 Permanent Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department
1977–1979		 Succeeded by
Sir Brian Cubbon
Preceded by
Sir John Hunt		 Cabinet Secretary
1979-1987		 Succeeded by
Sir Robin Butler
Preceded by
Sir Douglas Allen		 Head of the Home Civil Service
1981–1987		 Succeeded by
Sir Robin Butler
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