Matthew Parris
Best known for:
Matthew Parris became best known as an award winning Parliamentary Sketchwriter for The Times.
Summary:
Matthew Parris is a journalist, author, broadcaster and former Conservative politician. He is now best known as Parliamentary Sketchwriter for The Times, and has been named Columnist of the Year at the British Press Awards on more than one occasion. Two years at the Foreign Office were followed by a spell at the Conservative Research Department. He then served as a member of staff in Mrs Thatcher's office until the 1979 General Election, when he was elected MP for West Derbyshire. Aside from politics, Matthew's other great love is travel. He has led expeditions to Mount Kilimanjaro, Peru and Bolivia as well as to Zaire and the Sahara.
Biography:
Matthew Parris is a journalist, author, broadcaster and former Conservative politician.
After turning down a job at MI6, his political career began in the Foreign Office, followed by the Conservative Research Department and moved on to become correspondence secretary to Margaret Thatcher. He was elected MP for West Derbyshire in 1979. He stepped down to present LWT's political interview programme Weekend World
Parris is a prolific writer and has written many books on politics and travel. In 1991, a compilation of his pieces in The Times appeared, entitled So Far, So Good. Since then there have been further compilations. Scorn, a book he has edited of quotations about curses, jibes and general invective, was published in October 1994.
His success has been as a parliamentary reporter, due to his knowledge and understanding of politicians and ability to express this well. He is regarded as one of the leading critics of Tony Blair, and is thought of by many as one of the most powerful commentators on Fleet Street. He worked as parliamentary sketch writer for The Times newspaper from 1988 to 2001. His writing has largely concerned current events rather than a historical account of his own time in politics. He has weekly columns in The Times and The Spectator magazine.
In 2004 Parris became Writer of the Year in Granada Television's What the Papers Say Awards. In part, this was for reporting on elections in Iraq and Afghanistan. His previous accolades include Columnist of the Year in the 1991 and 1993 British Press Awards, and in the What the Papers Say Awards 1992. In 1990 he received the London Press Club's Edgar Wallace Outstanding Reporter of the Year Award.
His autobiography, Chance Witness, won Politico's Book of the Year Award in 2002 and his most recent book (2010) is Parting Shots - Undiplomatic Diplomats: the Ambassadors' letters you were never meant to see.
Fee range:
5,000-10,000 GBP